McBride Stadium



Outside of McBride Stadium, Jul-2002.

The seating bowl, as viewed from the top of the hill beyond the left-field foul pole.

The view from the top of the first-base grandstand.

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Quick Facts: Rating: 2 baseballs
McBride Stadium was built as your typical municipal ballpark in the mid-1930s. It, along with several adjacent fields, was built into a hillside overlooking the Clear Creek on the east side of Northwest 13 Street. (In Richmond, streets on the east side of the branch of the Whitewater River that splits the town are designated North and South, while streets on the west side are marked Northwest and Southwest. Main Street divides north from south, but the real main street in town is the old National Road, a k a US 40.)

In the 1940s and 1950s, minor league baseball came to town, and McBride was its home. The town went without pro ball for about 40 years, though, until the Frontier League came in to start up its brand of independent baseball.

The main stadium structure consists of wooden benches built into concrete, overhung by a large roof. There are three portals into the stadium, which provide the only fresh air entry from behind the field. Ceiling fans attempt to circulate the air in the grandstand, but the park can be brutal even for night games. New dugouts and outbuildings were installed upon the Roosters’ arrival in 1995.

Fans can also take in the game from Rowdy’s Roost along the first-base side, or along a grass berm rising to street level on the third-base side.

In addition to the Roosters, McBride Stadium was also the home field for the Red Devils of Richmond High School as well as the Quakers of Earlham College, a four-year school founded in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends. Earlham finally built its own on-campus facility and opened it for the 2014 season.

During the 2005 season, the Roosters announced their intention to move to Traverse City, Mich., for 2006. The club became known as the Traverse City Beach Bums and remained there through 2018.

Most recently, the ballpark has been seen hosting the Prospect League, a college summer league.


Game Date League Level Result
535 Sat 27-Jul-2002 Frontier Ind. RICHMOND 7, Evansville 6
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This page updated 27-Sep-2020