A Home for Indians


Third base side entrance to Victory Field, Aug-2013.
A sellout crowd enjoys the action on a late summer evening.
The park overlooks downtown Indianapolis, including the state house.
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Quick Facts: Rating: 4 baseballs
I never made it to venerable Owen J. Bush Stadium – which itself was called Victory Field for a time – before the Indianapolis Indians moved out. However, I got to the new Victory Field, across the street from the Hoosier Dome and down the block from the Market Square Arena, a month after it opened.

The ticket office and main entrance to the park are in center field, which is unique in itself, although tickets are also sold at the third-base gate. The main entrance leads into an outfield picnic area. The field is then sunken into the ground, making many of the seats below street level, a not-uncommon pattern (I think Camden Yards started the trend).

The Hoosier Dome is no longer standing, replaced by a hotel. The Colts now play at a new stadium a few blocks away. That leaves Victory Field to stand on its own, and it does so admirably. The only dome currently visible (barely) from the ballpark is from the state capitol (photo at left). Indianapolis shares the experience with Des Moines of being able to see the state house dome from the ballpark.

The photo to the right is of the Max Schumacher Victory Bell. Schumacher was a driving force in baseball in Indiana’s capital city for over half a century.

How it appeared when the Hoosier Dome was in the background, 1996.
Game Date League Level Result
214 Mon 12-Aug-1996 American Assn AAA Iowa 1, INDIANAPOLIS 0
1286 Fri 30-Aug-2013 International AAA INDIANAPOLIS 4, Louisville 3
2170 Sun 26-Jun-2022 International AAA INDIANAPOLIS 6, Memphis 2
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This page updated 26-Jun-2022