Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium
Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (known as "The Nat" and commonly by its previous name Nat Bailey Stadium) is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League in the summer.
The Nat, Nat Bailey Stadium | |
Former names | Capilano Stadium (1951–1978) Nat Bailey Stadium (1978–2009) Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (2010-current) |
---|---|
Location | 4601 Ontario Street Vancouver, British Columbia V5V 3H4 |
Owner | City of Vancouver |
Operator | City of Vancouver |
Capacity | 6,500 |
Field size | Left field – 320 ft (98 m) Centre field – 385 ft (117 m) Right field – 330 ft (100 m) Backstop – 30 ft (9 m) Outfield fence – 6–16 ft (2–5 m) |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1951 |
Opened | July 15, 1951 |
Construction cost | C$550,000 ($5.32 million in 2018 dollars[1]) |
Architect | William Aitken[2] |
Tenants | |
Vancouver Mounties (PCL) 1956–1962, 1965–1969 Vancouver Canadians (PCL) 1978–1999 Vancouver Canadians (NWL) 2000–present UBC Thunderbirds (NAIA) 2000–2010 |
Stadium history
Originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 to honour the work of Vancouver restaurateur (and founder of the White Spot restaurant chain) Nat Bailey after his death to honour his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver.
Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium is located on the eastern side of Queen Elizabeth Park in the Riley Park-Little Mountain neighbourhood of Vancouver.
The stadium was first home to the Vancouver Capilanos in the early 1950s and later attracted the Oakland Oaks, who became the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, from 1956 to 1962, and 1965 through 1969. The PCL returned to Vancouver in 1978 with the Vancouver Canadians, owned by Harry Ornest. He purchased most of the primary assets of Sick's Stadium in Seattle and shipped them north for use at Nat Bailey.[3] The Canadians stayed in Vancouver through the 1999 season, then relocated south to Sacramento, California. The following season, a second incarnation of the Canadians began playing in the short-season Class A Northwest League.
The stadium's capacity is 6,500.
The Canadians ownership signed a long term lease at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium in February 2007. They have significantly improved and modernized the stadium while also restoring parts of the park to their original 1951 condition. The addition of Bud Kerr Baseball Museum followed in 2008.[4]
The stadium was used as the home of the fictional Santa Barbara Seabirds Class A Minor League Baseball team in the "Dead Man's Curveball" episode of the television series Psych. It was also used as the home of the fictional Seacouver Chiefs in the "Manhunt" episode of Highlander: The Series. It's also the setting for a scene between MacGyver and Reggie Jackson in the MacGyver episode "Squeeze Play".[5]
Naming rights
On June 16, 2010, Scotiabank and the Vancouver Canadians announced a naming rights agreement that would rename Nat Bailey Stadium as "Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium".[6]
Services
Food services are operated by Aramark.
References
- Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. January 18, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019. and 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- MCdonald, Brad (September 30, 2014). "Sicks' Stadium / Sick's Stadium". Baseball Fever. Baseball Almanac, Inc. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- "Good ol' Sicks' for sale – works". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 23, 1978. p. 18.
- "Canadians earn 2013 President's Award". Minor League Baseball. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- "MacGyver Shooting Locations". Richard Dean Anderson Website. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- "Vancouver Canadians rename "The Nat"". June 16, 2010.
External links
- Vancouver Canadians
- UBC Thunderbirds baseball
- Baseball Reference – Vancouver minor league teams
- News.com article about Nat Bailey's free Wi-Fi at Archive.today (archived 2013-01-19)
- New-look Nat coming together
- Renovations at the Nat adding 750 seats for Vancouver Canadians fans