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Biography | Chronology | Related Info

Named for Phillies owner William F. Baker, the Baker Bowl was a marvel when it opened with 18,000 seats on April 30, 1887, but was the most outdated park in ML baseball when it was finally abandoned. A simple wooden grandstand with a 40-foot-high right-field wall (later increased to 60 feet), it was badly damaged in an 1894 fire. During an August 8, 1903 doubleheader the third base stands collapsed, killing twelve people. The Phillies clung to their decaying park until 1938, when they joined the Athletics at Shibe Park, and in 1950 the Baker Bowl was torn down. No ball ever cleared the 35' wall of the centerfield clubhouse. (SCL)