Joe Devine Airway Park
| Former names |
Braves Field (1955–1963) Joe Devine Airway Park (1952–1954) Airway Park (1939–1952) |
|---|---|
| Location |
600 S. Walnut Street Boise, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°36′07″N 116°11′10″W / 43.602°N 116.186°WCoordinates: 43°36′07″N 116°11′10″W / 43.602°N 116.186°W |
| Capacity |
5,000 3,000 (1939) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Renovated | c.1947 |
| Closed | 1963, 53 years ago |
| Demolished | c.1963 |
| Tenants | |
|
Boise Braves (Pio.L.) (1955–1963) Boise Pilots (Pio. L.) (1954) Boise Yankees (Pio. L.) (1952–1953) Boise Pilots (Pio. L.) (1946–1951) Boise Pilots (Pio. L.) (1939–1942) | |
Joe Devine Airway Park was a minor league baseball stadium in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Opened 77 years ago in 1939, the ballpark was the home of Boise's teams (Pilots, Yankees, Braves) in the Class C Pioneer League, which briefly moved to Class A in 1963, the final year of the Braves and the ballpark.[1]
Originally "Airway Park", it was the home of the Boise Pilots and was a few blocks east of Boise's airport, then located at the present-day campus of Boise State University. When the New York Yankees moved their affiliate from Twin Falls to Boise after the 1951 season, the ballpark was renamed in March 1952,[2] to honor the late Joe Devine (1892–1951),[3][4] a talented New York Yankees scout in the West who had played for the Boise Irrigators of the Union Association.[5]
The Milwaukee Braves became the parent club in 1955 and it was renamed "Braves Field." Boise's last season in the Pioneer League was 53 years ago in 1963; the stadium was soon razed and the site became the headquarters of the state fish & game department.
The elevation of the natural grass field was approximately 2,700 feet (820 m) above sea level, and it was aligned to the southeast; the recommended alignment (home plate to center field) is east-northeast.[6]
The Pioneer League became a rookie league in 1964, and in the Treasure Valley it shifted 30 miles (50 km) west to Caldwell with the Caldwell Cubs through 1971 at Simplot Stadium; they were known as the "Treasure Valley Cubs" for their first three seasons.
The minor leagues briefly returned to Boise in 1975 and 1976 with the Boise A's of the short season Northwest League at Borah Field (today's Bill Wigle Field). The independent Buckskins existed for one unsuccessful season in 1978, and the Hawks arrived after the 1986 season from the Tri-Cities in south central Washington. After two years at Wigle Field, the Hawks moved to the new Memorial Stadium in northwest Boise 27 years ago, at the start of the 1989 season.
See also
- Boise Braves players (1955–1963)
- Boise Pilots players (1939–1942, 1946–1951, 1954)
- Boise Yankees players (1952–1953)
References
- ↑ DigitalBallparks.com
- ↑ "Joe Devine honored". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. March 17, 1952. p. 15.
- ↑ Kling, Dwayne. "Joe Devine". Can He Play? A Look at Baseball Scouts and their Profession. pp. 41–42.
- ↑ Chipman, Dee (April 13, 1952). "Joe Devine's Pioneer League help is missed at Boise's spring camp". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. C3.
- ↑ "AIRWAY PARK" (PDF). City of Boise. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Playing Field Orientation – Rule 1.04". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
External links
- New York Times – obituary for Joe Devine
- Boise State University Library – 1950s photo of Bronco Stadium and Braves Field
- Baseball Reference – teams history, Boise, Idaho