Joe Becker Stadium

Joe Becker Stadium
Location 1301 E. 3rd Street
Joplin, MO 64801
Coordinates 37°05′20″N 94°29′56″W / 37.08883°N 94.49883°W / 37.08883; -94.49883Coordinates: 37°05′20″N 94°29′56″W / 37.08883°N 94.49883°W / 37.08883; -94.49883
Owner City of Joplin
Capacity 4,200
Surface Grass
Opened 1917
Tenants
Joplin Blasters (AA) (2015-Present)
Joplin Outlaws (MINK)
MSSU Lions (college)
Joplin Miners (1917–1954)

Joe Becker Stadium is an American baseball ballpark, built in 1913, located in Joplin, Missouri. The stadium has burned down twice, the first time in 1936 and the second time in 1971. The current stadium has seating capacity of 4,200.[1]

Original tenants were the Joplin Miners, a longtime minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. Whitey Herzog and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Mickey Mantle played for the Miners.[2] Current tenants include the Joplin Blasters minor league baseball team and the Joplin Outlaws collegiate summer baseball team. The Missouri Southern State University baseball team played there through 2014 before relocating to an on-campus stadium in 2015.[3]

In April 1920, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ty Cobb and his Detroit Tigers played an exhibition game against the Miners at Joe Becker Stadium.[4][5]

In January 2014, WLD Suarez Baseball LLC reached an agreement with the city to relocate the El Paso Diablos of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball to Joplin in exchange for improvements to the stadium's seating, restrooms, lighting, and other infrastructure.[6][7] They began play with the 2015 season as the Joplin Blasters.[8] A $4.7 million reconstruction of the stadium by Hanson Sports, Corner Greer Archiitects, and Crossland Construction began in September 2014 which saw the installation of new lighting and fixed seating for 2,400, renovation of restrooms, locker rooms, and team dugouts, plus the addition of concession stands, merchandise sales space, and modern ticket booths.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Joe Becker Stadium". Ballpark Reviews. 2006. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Mickey Mantle". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Joe Becker Stadium Photo Gallery". Missouri Southern State Lions. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://joplinblasters.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2014%20Website/Joe%20Becker%20Stadium/JBS%20Article%20Notes.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.lakenewsonline.com/article/20150520/NEWS/150529861
  6. ↑ Woodin, Debby (November 23, 2013). "Landing pro squad would require city to upgrade historic Joe Becker Stadium". The Joplin Globe. Joplin, Missouri. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  7. ↑ Dougherty, Calley (January 22, 2014). "Joplin City Council approves lease agreement for Joe Becker Stadium". Pittsburg, Kansas: KOAM-TV. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ Lamb, Katie (September 24, 2014). "Joplin plays host for groundbreaking ceremony for Joe Becker Stadium". The Joplin Globe. Joplin, Missouri. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ Schremmer, Mark (September 24, 2014). "After stadium groundbreaking, Blasters look to sign manager, players". The Joplin Globe. Joplin, Missouri. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
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