Banner Island Ballpark is a baseball stadium located in Stockton, California, on the Stockton waterfront, which seats 5,200 people with 4,200 fixed seats. It is the home field of the Stockton Ports, a minor league affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in the California League, who moved there after spending several decades at their previous home Billy Hebert Field.
The name “Banner Island Ballpark” is an unofficial name used among fans and the administration of the Stockton Ports. The City of Stockton owns the naming rights of the ballpark, and until the rights are sold, the stadium is officially known as Stockton Ballpark.[8] The ballpark gets its unofficial name from the area in which it is located, Banner Island. This was once an island in the San Joaquin River delta, noted during the Civil War for the huge “Stars and Stripes” posted by a Union supporter. In time the island was connected to the mainland through a landfill, and only the southern shore remains. Even though the area is no longer an island, the Banner Island name has stuck.
After playing at Billy Hebert Field in Oak Park since 1950, the Stockton Ports moved into their new waterfront home at Stockton Ballpark in 2005. Stockton Ballpark is owned by the City of Stockton and was designed by KHS, Inc. The ballpark was built as part of the revitalization project for the Downtown Stockton Waterfront area and was built concurrently with the Stockton Arena.
The Banner Island area, where the Stockton Ballpark currently stands, is allegedly the home of the Stockton baseball team, which played in the late 1800s, in an area known as “Mudville” along the San Joaquin River. Banner Island was once an island in the San Joaquin River delta. Although the area is no longer an island, the name remains.
Stockton Ballpark Features
- 5,200 fixed seats
- Four luxury suites
- Two picnic areas EZ Stockton Junk Removal
- Elevated club seating area
- Barco video and scoreboard
- Full stadium sound system
History
The $22 million Banner Island Ballpark opened with a baseball game on April 28, 2005, during which the Stockton Ports defeated the San Jose Giants, 7–4, in front of a sellout crowd of 5,287 fans. The ballpark is a part of a revitalization project for the Downtown Stockton waterfront. It was built concurrently with the Stockton Arena and will be integrated with a waterfront park as part of the Stockton Waterfront Events Center. The Banner Island area is also the purported home of a previous Stockton baseball team that played in the late 1800s. Residents claim that the team inspired the Mudville Nine in “Casey at the Bat,” a poem by Ernest Thayer. Before moving to the ballpark, the Stockton Ports were known as the Mudville Nine during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
Address: 404 W Fremont St, Stockton, CA
Check out other attractions like Children’s Museum of Stockton