Venue voted as top Triple-A ballpark in the country
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers and professional baseball in Oklahoma City since 1998, has won the 2020 Triple-A Best of the Ballparks competition presented by Ballpark Digest.
The contest involved all 30 Triple-A teams in a bracket-style competition staged over a span of approximately four weeks between June 18-July 10. Winners each round were determined by popular vote through the publication’s website, ballparkdigest.com.
“We are honored to have been chosen as the Triple-A winner of the Best of the Ballparks competition,” said OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes. “This isn’t a win for our organization as much as it is for our incredible fans. It speaks volumes about their dedication to send us to victory in a year we were not able to host Dodgers baseball.”
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark was seeded 15th out of the 30 ballparks to begin the competition. After defeating Greater Nevada Field (Reno, Nev.) in the opening round, the stadium affectionately known as “The Brick” went on to score upsets against #2 seed First Horizon Park (Nashville, Tenn.) and #7 seed Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Durham, N.C.). After defeating Isotopes Park (Albuquerque, N.M.) in the semifinals, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark was officially declared the winner after a hard-fought battle in the finals against Riverfront Stadium – a brand new ballpark in Wichita, Kan. that was set to open in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season.
According to Ballpark Digest, the year’s competition produced a record-setting 145,695 votes cast in the Triple-A phase of the contest, with Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark winning 53 percent of the vote in the finals. Previous winners during the six-year history of Best of the Ballparks include Las Vegas Ballpark (Las Vegas, Nev.; 2019), Huntington Park (Columbus, Ohio; 2015, 2017-19) and Louisville Slugger Field (Louisville, Ky.; 2016).
“Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is one of the great ballparks in all of baseball, so it’s great to see the fans voting it the best in Triple-A ball,” said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. “Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Dodgers owners and staffers for this honor.”
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark was funded by the first edition of the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) plan passed by Oklahoma City voters in December 1993. The $34 million project was the first major structure completed under MAPS and opened in April 1998. It is widely credited as playing a major role in Oklahoma City’s resurgence ever since.
“We take an immense amount of pride in Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and how it can be utilized to improve the quality of life for our community,” Byrnes said. “It is a landmark that has contributed greatly to the story of Oklahoma City’s revival and continues to stand the test of time due to a tremendous partnership with the City of Oklahoma City.”
Although the 2020 Minor League Baseball season is canceled, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark will remain a hub of activity throughout the year. For event dates and more information, please call the OKC Dodgers at (405) 218-2182 or visit okcdodgers.com.