Goodyear Ballpark

Home-plate entrance to Goodyear Ballpark, Aug-2009.

A good look at the stadium shortly after sunset, from down the first-base line.

The view from behind home plate as an Arizona League game is about to start.

Chronological Tour: Stop 350

• Location: Estrella Parkway at South Buckeye Parkway, Goodyear, Ariz. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2009
• Home team: Spring training, Cleveland Indians/Guardians (2009-present), Cincinnati Reds (2010-present); Arizona Complex League Indians/Guardians (selected games); Goodyear Centennials, Freedom Pro Baseball League (2013)
• Capacity: 8,000 (fixed seating)

Rating: 4 baseballs

Its primary function, of course, is as a spring training facility. The complex for the Cleveland Indians came first, and their I-71 rivals the Cincinnati Reds moved in for 2010. In the meantime, the Arizona League rookie Indians were playing at Goodyear Ballpark on a Tuesday night in August 2009, and I got here to take some photos and enjoy a game.

Most notably, the builders put a special premium seating area in along the third-base side, covered by a roof to shield the sun during day games. There is also a limited covered area on the concourse for shelter in case of a gully washer. One thing I did not care for was the scoreboard, which was all in white LEDs, and the numbers for the batter’s number and the count and outs were difficult to see. (By 2023, the only white-LED scoreboard display was on an auxiliary scoreboard on the concourse behind the first-base dugout. The main scoreboard is now part of the video board.) Still, I’m sure the Guardians and Reds will be quite pleased with this new Cactus League facility for years to come.

An independent league team borrowed Goodyear Ballpark for one of its two seasons of existence, after playing at Scottsdale Stadium for the first year.

As part of an effort to utilize different facilities on occasion, the Arizona Fall League, the prospect league run by MLB, scheduled three seven-inning games in one day at Goodyear Ballpark in October 2023. For the 2024 season, several Glendale Desert Dogs home games were relocated to Goodyear as well.