In 2009, the TinCaps start play at Parkview Field.
A controversial project when it was proposed, the Harrison Square project initially cost $120 million, including $31 million for the 8,100-seat ballpark, but the team drew more than 400,000 fans in its initial season and won the Midwest League title.
The opening night crowd of 8,206 meant there was a little waiting in line for the concession stands and the bathrooms, but that was to be expected. Mayor Tom Henry threw out the first pitch, Tom Didier sang ``God Bless America'' and the Voices of Unity Choir sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a flyover by F-16s.
The TinCaps did their part by beating the Dayton Dragons 7-0. It was also the TinCaps' seventh consecutive win to start the season after they won the first six on the road, the best start in the team's 17-year history.
Dayton lead-off hitter Dave Sappelt got the new park's first hit, TinCaps pitcher Nick Schmidt threw the first strike out and Fort Wayne's James Darnell belted the first home run in the second inning.
WANE 15 pulled some footage from the archives to relive the nostalgia from TinCaps Opening Day in 2009. MORE: https://trib.al/dUjVAoh
Fort Wayne's High-A minor league team will wear replica Daisies jerseys May 21. The jerseys will be auctioned off online and 100% of winning bids will go to the monument project.
Today, 14 years after the Downtown baseball stadium opened, Fort Wayne is still showing up to support its Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field. On average, 371,932 fans visit the stadium every year, and if you ask TinCaps President Mike Nutter, a lot more than baseball goes into making the experience special.
In 2009, the TinCaps start play at Parkview Field.
A controversial project when it was proposed, the Harrison Square project initially cost $120 million, including $31 million for the 8,100-seat ballpark, but the team drew more than 400,000 fans in its initial season and won the Midwest League title.
The opening night crowd of 8,206 meant there was a little waiting in line for the concession stands and the bathrooms, but that was to be expected. Mayor Tom Henry threw out the first pitch, Tom Didier sang ``God Bless America'' and the Voices of Unity Choir sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a flyover by F-16s.
The TinCaps did their part by beating the Dayton Dragons 7-0. It was also the TinCaps' seventh consecutive win to start the season after they won the first six on the road, the best start in the team's 17-year history.
Dayton lead-off hitter Dave Sappelt got the new park's first hit, TinCaps pitcher Nick Schmidt threw the first strike out and Fort Wayne's James Darnell belted the first home run in the second inning.
Also, in 2003, Scott Sharp wins his final race for Kelley Racing, the Japan 300.
This was the Indy Racing League's first race held outside the United States, and there was plenty of excitement thanks to several wrecks.
After Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon combined to crash on lap 178, Sharp moved into first place. Dixon had attempted to pass Kanaan on the inside during the third turn, but the cars smacked tires and ended up in the wall. Except for the 45 laps when Dixon was in front, Kanaan had led most of the race.
Another crash helped Sharp stay in front as with seven laps to go, Shinji Nakano wrecked causing another yellow flag which Sharp finished under.
The win tied Sharp with Buddy Lazier and Sam Hornish Jr. for the career IRL wins lead with eight.
In 1995, LaTroy Hawkins becomes the first Fort Wayne Wizard to make it to the Major Leagues.
Hawkins was the Wizards' pitcher of the year in 1993, posting a 15-5 record and leading the Midwest League in strikeouts and with a 2.06 earned run average. He also won 12 straight games.
Hawkins was followed to the Twins by former Wizards Scott Watkins, Matt Lawson, Dan Naulty, Dan Serafini, Travis Miller, Shane Bowers, Torii Hunter and Javie Valentine. Other famous former Wizards to make it to the show with the Twins include Corey Koskie, A.J. Pierzynski, Matt LeCroy, Jaun Rincon and Michael Cuddyer.
The 1993 team, the first Wizards team, featured nine players who eventually made it to the Major Leagues, and the 1994 squad had seven such players.
Among the more famous future San Diego Padres who have come through Fort Wayne are Sean Burroughs, Jake Peavy, Josh Barfield, Matt Latos, Nick Hundley and Will Venable.
As compiled by Chad Gramling's website ``Baseball in Fort Wayne,'' there are more than 112 former Wizards and TinCaps who have made it to the Major Leagues.
Also, in 2006, South Side's Bernard Pollard is drafted in the second round by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
VIDEO: 25 years ago this was the scene as minor league baseball was about to debut in Fort Wayne. The 25th anniversary season of the Wizards/TinCaps franchise in the Summit City begins Thursday!
In 1993, the Fort Wayne Wizards open play in the Midwest League at home.
When the Kenosha Twins moved to Fort Wayne, everyone had high hopes, but no one really knew what to expect. The players didn't know anything about Fort Wayne and vice versa.
It also didn't help when the Memorial Stadium dedication was snowed out two days before the home-opener, and there was rain in the forecast for that night.
Except for the breezy chill in the air, opening night was perfect as the Wizards beat the Peoria Chiefs 7-2 in front of 6,316 fans. Shortstop Ramon Valette smacked three hits, including a two-run home run, and four runs batted in and pitchers Scott Moten and Kevin LeGault combined to shut down the Chiefs. Valette was off to a hot spring already after he turned a triple play in Fort Wayne's first game on April 10.
The Wizards lost the momentum to their hot start and finished 68-67 in their first season, they sold almost 2,000 season tickets and attracted 318,506 fans to Memorial Stadium.
Also, in 1998, Jason Fabini is drafted by the New York Jets.
When Jason Fabini was a senior at Bishop Dwenger two years ago, he was a 6-7, 235-pound guard. He had the height but not the weight and strength to attract Big Ten teams.
By the time he was a junior at Cincinnati, Fabini had added 50 pounds of muscle and had made himself into a prospect. As a senior, Fabini was a dominating player who helped the Bearcats go 8-4, including a 35-19 victory over Utah State in the Humanitarian Bowl. He started 44 consecutive games and became an all-USA Conference selection.
Fabini was selected in the fourth round with the 111th overall pick by the Jets.
In 1994, Alex Rodriguez hits his first professional home run at Wizards Stadium.
The No. 1 selection by the Seattle Mariners in the 1993 June amateur draft, Rodriguez held out until he received a $1.3 million contract on Aug. 30, which meant he didn't get to start his pro career until the next summer. Then he went 16 games with the Appleton Foxes without hitting a home run.
That ended in the ninth inning against the Wizards, with the Foxes trailing 7-5. Rodriguez stroked a solo home run over the right field wall to spark a five-run, six-hit inning as the Foxes came back to beat the Wizards 10-7.
``Where I see my improvement is my mental approach, the late at-bats in the game," Rodriguez told The News-Sentinel's Marlon Morgan. ``It's hard when you're coming from high school where you get two and three at-bats a game. Here you may have five and six."
He figured it out pretty quickly, though, hitting 21 home runs that year in the minors and was playing with Seattle before the end of the season.
Heading into the 2013 season, Rodriguez has hit 647 home runs in the Major Leagues.
Also, in 1998, IPFW beats Ohio State to win a trip to the final four in Los Angeles.
As Hector Soto crumpled to the practice floor March 20 with a severely sprained ankle, everyone on the IPFW men's volleyball team thought their season had crumpled, too. Sure, they all said the ultimate sports cliché, someone would have to step up, but none really believed it.
Except this time everyone stepped up. The No. 6-ranked Volleydons stunned the volleyball nation by first beating No. 7 Lewis University on its home floor and then by beating a No. 5 Ohio State team to win the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament title and the region's berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Though Soto came back to play on a gimpy leg in Los Angeles, the magic ended there as Long Beach State beat the Volleydons in four games.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps | Part 1: The Legacy of the TinCaps April 10, 2024 NEI on YouTube The NEI Pioneer Podcast On this edition of The NEI Pioneer Podcast, Copywriter Brice Vance and Head of MarCom Jonathan Sackett welcome the TinCaps' VP of Marketing Michael Limmer and VP of Corporate Partnerships David Lorenz to discuss their start in Minor League Baseball, how Parkview Field came to be and the challenges of building the ballpark in downtown Fort Wayne.
The NEI Pioneer Podcast is a bi-weekly podcast powered by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Pioneer Starts Here platform. The podcast showcases and shares the stories of resilience and perseverance from Northeast Indiana.
A special night at the ballpark celebrating 15 years. Thanks to those in the statehouse who took a moment for this recognition!
years since Parkview Field's Opening Day!
