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Baseball Park in Pennsylvania, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coca-Cola Park is a baseball park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A level Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
| |
 Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania | |
 | |
| Location | 1050 Iron Pigs Way Allentown, Pennsylvania U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°37′34″N 75°27′9″W |
| Public transit |  LANta bus: 102 (at Union Boulevard) |
| Owner | Lehigh County |
| Operator | Lehigh County/L.V. Baseball LP. |
| Capacity | 10,178 (8,278 seats) |
| Field size | Left field: 323 ft (98 m) Left-center field: 374 ft (114 m) Deep left-center: 387 ft (118 m) Left of center field: 409 ft (125 m) Center field: 400 ft (120 m) Right of center field: 398 ft (121 m) Right-center field: 369 ft (112 m) Right field: 325 ft (99 m) |
| Surface | Kentucky bluegrass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 6, 2006[1] |
| Opened | March 30, 2008 |
| Construction cost | $50.25 million[2] ($71.1 million in 2023 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Populous |
| Structural engineer | Brinjac Engineering, Inc. |
| Services engineer | Brinjac Engineering, Inc.[4] |
| General contractor | Alvin H. Butz Inc.[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs (IL/AAAE) 2008–present | |
Coca-Cola Park accommodates 10,178 fans, including auxiliary areas, Capital Blue Cross Lawn, Dugout Suites, and Red Robin Tiki Terrace, and cost $50.25 million to build.[2] On March 7, 2007, naming rights to the stadium were awarded to The Coca-Cola Company Bottling Co. of the Lehigh Valley.[6]
The stadium features the Majestic Clubhouse, which houses all team apparel. The Bud Light Trough is an area immediately behind the right field wall that provides patrons the opportunity to stand and socialize during the game. The team's name is drawn from pig iron, used in the manufacturing of steel, a vital industry in the Lehigh Valley for most of the 20th century. References to the "pig" theme are used in the majority of concession stands and stores. The Berks Picnic Patio is immediately adjacent to left field that features buffet style food and can be booked for group outings. The club level of the stadium features an indoor concourse with access to the club level seats, the suites and the two PenTeleData Party Porches.
VIP Dugout Suites are situated immediately behind home plate and provide a unique viewing experience. Lehigh Valley Health Network Children's Hospital KidsZone features a free playground area. Children can take advantage of a number of games, including speed pitch, slides, and more.
In 2012, the park added the Capital Blue Tiki Terrace in Left Field over the bullpens which features large group seating, tables for four, and a bar area accessible to all ticketed fans.[7]
The stadium maximum capacity is 10,178, which includes 8,278 seats plus seating for 1,900 on the grass berm in center field. There is one main scoreboard which is located at the 400' mark on the field. The scoreboard consists of a 20' × 50' high definition video board, a 76' × 4' LED ribbon board, as well as the park's iconic classic Coca-Cola bottle, which also serves as a firework launcher when a run is scored.[8]
In addition to its traditional stadium seating, Coca-Cola Park has a wide variety of seating options, including the grass berm, picnic benches, fold-down seats, and standing room. The initial estimate of the IronPigs stadium was $48.4 million. Its final price tag of $50.25 million, just four percent over the estimate, makes Coca-Cola Park one of the most expensive Minor League Baseball stadiums in the nation.[2]
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new ballpark were held on September 6, 2006,[9] and construction was completed in February 2008. Coca-Cola Park was built on land formerly owned by LSI Corporation.[10] The field dimensions and wall heights are the same as those of Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia except left field is six feet closer (323 feet, with the addition of the new "Pig Pen" seating section in 2015, to the foul pole compared to 329), center field is one foot shorter and the right field foul pole is five feet closer (325 feet in Allentown compared to 330 feet at Citizens Bank Park).[11]
With its completion, Coca-Cola Park is Allentown's newest stadium, but it is not the city's largest. That distinction belongs to J. Birney Crum Stadium, which has a seating capacity in excess of 15,000,[12] and is the second largest outdoor high school stadium in Pennsylvania.[citation needed]
The layout of Coca-Cola Park is slightly different from most ballparks with the main entrance located on the right field line rather than the common location behind home plate. Fans with club seating tickets, however, have a designated entrance behind home plate.
A surprising moment of the park's opening season came on July 2, 2008, when musician John Mayer attended a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game and caught a foul ball. Mayer had kept a low profile until the television cameras spotted him with the ball. Mayer eventually autographed the ball, which now sits in the Majestic Clubhouse Store.
The park hosted its first major non-sporting event on July 14, 2009 with a concert headlined by Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp. More than 10,000 people attended the five-hour show, which was sold out. Following the event's success, Coca-Cola Park management indicated there was a good possibility other concerts would be held at the park in the future.[13]
The stadium hosted the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game in which the International League All-Stars defeated the Pacific Coast League All-Stars, 2–1,[14] and the stadium served as the Philadelphia Phillies' alternate training site in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season and abbreviated the Major League Baseball season.[15]
In August 2022, as Phillies' star right fielder Bryce Harper was designated to the IronPigs in a final step in his rehabilitation stint as part of his comeback from a fractured thumb, IronPigs' fans in Allentown greeted Harper's appearance enthusiastically, and games featuring Harper against the Gwinnett Stripers at Coca-Cola Park quickly sold out to the stadium's 10,100 capacity. In his August 23 appearance with the IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park, Harper homered twice against the Stripers.[16]
Tickets for seats at Coca-Cola Park are much less expensive than those at major league ballparks.
The stadium is located on the east side of Allentown. The eastern segment of American Parkway provides access to the main entrance to the stadium and is accessible from U.S. Route 22. Union Boulevard and Airport Road serve as local arterials to the stadium.[18][19] Parking is available on several on-site lots; the cost is $5.[20]
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