Hiram Bithorn Stadium

Home of the Santurce Crabbers		Moved to the Bithorn in 2003 as the San Juan Senators. PR Champions 1974 1975 1979 2001 in Bayamón PR Champions 1982 1995 in Arecibo The previous Senators are now the Carolina Giants.
The other Santurce Crabbers		Pedrín Zorrillo's Crabbers who were PR Champions 1950 1952 1954 1958 1961 1964 1966 1970 1972 1990 1992 1999 became the Athenians of Manatí in 2004.

It is an unadvertised bonus of a winter vacation in San Juan that there is such a convenient and inexpensive way to see professional baseball. And "inexpensive" becomes "free" several times a year as businesses such as the long-distance company or a pharmacy chain give away tickets to their customers. You may be given a comp for a future game on your way in. You can plant unwilling family members across the street at San Juan's showcase shopping center, the Plaza de las Américas.

Looking south from the roof of the shopping-center parking garage. This entrance is now closed and you enter the lot to the right, straight past the end of Calaf.

Bithorn is unmistakable with its zig-zag roof. The light standards around the grandstand lean in toward the field and the press box complex hugs the roof. The Crabbers (Cangrejeros) take their name from the neighborhood of Santurce, although Bithorn is in Hato Rey. The light standards are visible to the southwest at the intersection of 18 and 22. Traffic on these elevated expressways injects either a rumble, a thump-thump-thump as a truck hits each seam, or louder if its cargo is not secure.

National anthems are played on trumpet as Santurce receives its 1999 championship trophies

Initially, Bithorn seemed like a downtown stadium without personality and gave me new resolve to venture out-island. But I've met plenty of personalities, and plenty of scouts and students of English in the palcos directly behind home plate.

Directions

If leaving San Juan on 22, you can veer right to stay on 22 rather than 18. Quickly exit up a ramp. When the light turns green, turn left, cross the expressway on Calaf, and continue straight on the street, passing the mall on your left. Calaf has many traffic lights. When Calaf ends, the stadium complex is in front of you across F.D.R.

If instead you veer left onto 18, exit quickly onto F.D.R. This is a tricky right exit because traffic from 22 merges in on several lanes from the right. After exiting, do not turn right at the traffic lights; this leads into the mall. Instead, go through the intersection and look for the SALIDA (Exit) down to F.D.R. Turn right at the lights and quickly left into stadium parking.

Approaching from the south on 18, take the second ramp for F.D.R. west, a cloverleaf, and follow F.D.R. until the stadium is on your left.

Approaching from the west on 22, if you miss the Plaza de las Americas turnoff, stay right and feed into 18. Don't merge into 18 but stay in the right lane and take the SALIDA onto F.D.R. as described above.