Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Whitaker Bank Ballpark is a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Lexington Legends minor league baseball team.[7] It was built in 2001. It holds 6,994 people.[8] From 2001 until 2010, the stadium was named Applebee's Park. In January 2011, it was announced that the naming rights to the stadium had been bought by Whitaker Bank Corporation, and the stadium was renamed Whitaker Bank Ballpark.[9][10]

Whitaker Bank Ballpark
Whitaker Bank Ballpark viewed from its Broadway entrance
Former namesApplebee's Park (2001–2010)
Location207 Legends Lane
Lexington, KY 40505
Coordinates38.06545°N 84.47852°W / 38.06545; -84.47852
OwnerLexington Professional Baseball Company, LLC
OperatorLexington Professional Baseball Company, LLC
Capacity6,994 fixed seats (picnic, lawn & standing room areas bring total to over 9,000)
15,000 (concerts & special events)
Field sizeLeft Field: 320 feet
Center Field: 401 feet
Right Field: 318 feet
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 7, 2000[1]
OpenedApril 9, 2001[2]
Construction cost$13.5 million
($19.5 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectBrisbin Brook Benyon Architects, Ltd.
Project managerNational Sports Services
Structural engineerHalcrow Yolles[4]
Services engineerThe Mitchell Partnership, Inc.[5]
General contractorH&M Company, Inc.[6]
Tenants
Lexington Legends (SAL) (2001–present)

Features

Whitaker Bank Ballpark is modeled after larger minor-league and major-league stadiums. It features the "Pepsi Party Deck" over the right field wall. This area is available to rent by groups. Along the first base line is the "Budweiser Stables," where fans can order beer and watch a game from an area of picnic tables. Behind home plate and accessible from the stadium's main entrance, the "Kentucky Ale Taproom" restaurant caters to members and guests with passes. The third base line features a small but popular area for families to watch the games. This area includes a kids area with a playground, bouncer and obstacle course. The bleachers, behind left field, holds more fans. There are two videoboards and one manual out-of-town scoreboard.[7] The ballpark contains 785 club seats and 24 luxury suites.[6]

The stadium's largest crowd to date came on June 6, 2006, when a standing-room-only crowd of over 9,300 was on hand to witness what the team dubbed "Rocket Relaunch" — Roger Clemens's first stop on his return to the Houston Astros.[11]

Ballpark firsts
  • Game: April 9, 2001 (7:16 p.m. EST)
  • Attendance: 8,037[12]
  • Whitaker Bank Ballpark viewed from behind home plate
  • Whitaker Bank Ballpark at night
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See also

References
  1. "Groundbreaking Today For Baseball Stadium". Lexington Herald-Leader. February 7, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  2. Carlson, Erik A. (December 10, 2010). "Applebee's Relinquishes Naming Rights to Lexington Legends Homefield". Business Lexington. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. "David Watson". Entuitive, Ltd. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  5. The Mitchell Partnership, Inc. - Applebee's Park Lexington, Kentucky
  6. Rofe, John (April 9, 2001). "Lexington, Others Continue Building Boom for Minors". SportsBusiness Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  7. "Whitaker Bank Ballpark". Lexington Legends. December 21, 2006. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  8. Merzbach, Brian. "Whitaker Bank Ballpark". Ballpark Reviews. Archived from the original on June 30, 2003. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  9. Maloney, Mark; Sloan, Scott (January 21, 2011). "Legends' Stadium Renamed Whitaker Bank Ballpark". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  10. New for 2011: Whitaker Bank Ballpark
  11. "Roger Clemens To Start For Legends On Tuesday, June 6th". Our Sports Central. May 31, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  12. "Whitaker Bank Ballpark Firsts". Lexington Legends. January 8, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
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