| Stadium Name: | Ainsworth Field |
| Location: | Washington Place Erie, Pennsylvania 16502 |
| Broke Ground: | 1913 |
| Opened: | 1914 |
| Owner: | Erie School District |
| Operator: | Erie School District |
| Surface: | Grass |
| Former Names: | Athletic Field (1914 - 1947) |
| Tenants: | Erie Sailors (Central League) (1928) Erie Sailors (Middle Atlantic League) (1938 - 1939, 1941 - 1942, 1946 - 1951) Erie Sailors (New York - Penn League) (1954 - 1959, 1961 - 1963) Erie Senators (New York - Penn League) (1960) Erie Tigers (New York - Penn League) (1967) Erie Cardinals (New York - Penn League) (1981 - 1987) Erie Orioles (New York – Penn League) (1988 - 1989) Erie Sailors (Frontier League) (1994) Erie Glenwood League Baseball (1995 - present) Central Tech High School Falcons (1995 - present) East High School Warriors (1995 - present) Strong Vincent High School Colonels (1995 - present) |
| Seating Capacity: | 3,000 |
Ainsworth Field is a 3,000 seat baseball stadium located in Erie, Pennsylvania. It hosted the Erie Sailors and other Erie-based minor league teams between 1928 and 1994. In 1995, it was made obsolete for professional use by the opening of UPMC Park. It was refurbished in 2004 and is currently used for high school and other amateur baseball games.
In 1914, the ballpark opened under the name Athletic Field. The name was changed on August 25, 1947, to honor James "Doc" Ainsworth, a longtime adviser of Erie's youth. Babe Ruth, along with Ruth's All-Stars visited the ballpark in 1923 to play an exhibition game against the Erie Moose Club. Ruth's All-Stars won 15-1. Ruth had played first base. He had two singles and committed two errors. He also had a home run. There are many myths about where his home run ball landed. Some say it cleared past the adjacent Roosevelt Middle School, while others believe it entered the school's smoke stack.[1]
See also: List of city parks of Erie, Pennsylvania.
2. Erie Dispatch-Herald, 4/23/1914, pg. 8, "Eight Report at Start of Hi Track Practice." Microfilm Erie County Public Library.