Glens Falls Golden Eagles

East Field has a long baseball history. East Field is the former home of the Glens Falls White Sox, Glens Falls Tigers, and the Adirondack Lumberjacks.

Built in 1980 one of the main sources for professional baseball in Northern New York State. Upon Completion in 1980, the White Sox’s moved their Double A team into East Field. The Chisox would spend 6 years here, finally leaving in 1985 and saying good bye to the Eastern League altogether.

The Detroit Tigers had been playing in the Southern League, at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The White Sox were looking to leave the north and move their operations to the southern league.

The Tigers and White Sox managed to work out a swap. The Sox moved into the Tiger’s digs at Rickwood Field and the Tigers moved north to East Field. The Tigers remained for three seasons before moving to London, Ontario in 1989.

Five years after the departure of the Tigers, the St. Louis Cardinals came calling. Looking to get out of Hamilton, Ontario and were a year away from moving into their new stadium being built in Northwest New Jersey. In 1993 the Glens Falls Redbirds moved in for the St. Louis Organization. It would be the last season a Minor league affiliate would play baseball at East Field.

In 1995, the New Northeast League would make its way to East Field. The Adirondack Lumberjacks were one of the Northeast Leagues’ first teams. They opened the inaugural season at East Field. They would remain for eight full seasons before leaving for Bangor, Maine in 2003.

East Field is a very large stadium capacity-wise pushing Triple A standards close to 10,000. Strangely enough, very little of the seating is actual seats. Except for the small grandstand behind Home Plate and the dead center field seats, East Field is made up entirely of wooden bleachers. There are many sections of them as well. They are located in Centerfield, and pretty much surround the entire ball field. The bleachers in center field have their own press box for Football.

A few future major leaguers have called East Field Home but the most famous of which pitched off this mound. At one time, he was a big Detroit Tiger prospect and played Double A ball here for them. He got his fame and fortune, however, as a member of the Atlanta Braves. The most famous Glens Falls Alumni is John Smoltz.

The park seats 10,000 and almost entirely bleachers. With 1980s-era stadiums, however, have never been that intensive. Typical ball parks built during the 80s, such as Heritage Park in Albany, Riverside Park in Harrisburg PA, and Pfitzner Stadium Woodbridge/Prince William Virginia. These stadiums are basic design with minimal grandstand luxuries.

East Field, the home of professional baseball for 17 years and major college baseball for six years so there is certainly a lot of history here.