Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Play ball, at last
Ballpark of the Palm Beaches opens.
WEST PALM BEACH — Tuesday afternoon’s main attraction stood off Haverhill Road, untouched, unblemished and unopened. Flanked by giant logos of its residents, the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and its cream-colored façade were finally ready for baseball.
More than 15 months after ground was broken on the facility, the stadium hosted its first game Tuesday between its cohabitants, the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. The Nationals won, 4-3, on Fort Lauderdale native Michael Taylor’s walkoff solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“It is an amazing feat to build a complex this extensive in 15 months,” Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “I know that, along the way, I’m sure there were some nervous people in terms of making sure that it got delivered. Here we are. We’re open, and we’re up and running, so it’s great for everybody.”
In addition to Manfred, Nationals and Astros brass were on hand to cut the ribbon in a pregame ceremony, slashing the navy blue fabric held by their respective mascots, Screech and Orbit.
Even the presidents made the trip down from Washington for the occasion, as the Nationals’ William Taft, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover mascots posed for photos and raced on the warning track in the fourth inning. Taft won, defying his girthy reputation.
The stadium still has some kinks to work out, though. Some restrooms did not have
“It is an amazing feat to build a complex this extensive in 15 months.” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred
hot water. Concession lines snaked through the concourse, with some fans waiting 30 minutes 9or longer) to order a sandwich. Beer vendors yelled “No line, no wait” as their sales pitch.
Lefty McBride of Lake Worth has been to spring training stadiums in Arizona, and noted some differences between them and the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, including a lack of ball girls/boys to retrieve foul balls.
“It’s more organized” in Arizona, McBride said. “This still has its kinks.”
The announced attendance was 5,987, though a few sections were sparsely populated by fans. The total capacity is 6,500.
In addition to the 24 sections of navy blue seats and the outfield berm, the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches has six suites and two party decks with bars overlooking each side of the diamond. There is a picnic area down the left-field line and six reclining patio chairs beneath the scoreboard in right field.
One fan raved about the stadium’s sightlines, saying “There’s not a bad place in this stadium to watch.”
On the field, the Astros and Nationals combined to hit three home runs, all to left field and aided by constant wind in that direction. Houston’s Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer and Washington’s Derek Norris hit a solo shot before Taylor ended the game.
The Nationals tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the eighth inning on Jose Lobaton’s RBI single, setting the stage for Taylor’s heroics. Before he won the game in the bottom of the ninth, he kept it tied in the top half of the inning by throwing out Mott Hyde at the plate.
Taylor, who attended Westminster Academy and had family in attendance Tuesday, said the field was in great condition.
“The surface is perfect right now,” Taylor said. “The wind was kind of challenging in right. But I think it’s a beautiful ballpark.”
Nationals manager Dusty Baker said none of his players complained about seeing the ball against the batter’s eye and none of his pitchers complained about the mounds.
“They worked around the clock to get this ready for today,” Baker said. “Because when we first got here, the luxury boxes weren’t settled. The windows weren’t in. They were still working, working, working. I’m just proud of the city of West Palm and the builders, how they completed the job in time for us to play.”
Astros manager A.J. Hinch added: “Other than the loss, it was my favorite road trip of all-time.”
The complex was originally estimated to cost $144 million, but that figure could balloon to $233 million after borrowing money. Palm Beach County is projected to fund half of that, while the state and the teams will pay for the rest of it.
The Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals also call Palm Beach County home for spring training, sharing a complex in Jupiter.
“Spring training has a special feel,” Manfred said. “You add to that the idea that you have a new facility, governments that have supported our game in the state of Florida, I think it just makes for a really, really exciting day.”
“The surface is perfect right now . ... I think it’s a beautiful ballpark.” Michael Taylor, Nationals outfielder