The Field Formerly Known as Pilot

Exterior of Pilot Field, by then called Dunn Tire Park, Jul-2001.

The view from the right-field bleachers, which no longer exist as of 2009.

Watching the game from under the screen behind home plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 25

• Location: Swan and Washington streets, Buffalo, N.Y. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1988 as Pilot Field
• Additional names: North Americare Park (1995), Dunn Tire Park (1999), Coca-Cola Field (2009), Sahlen Field (2019)
• Home team: Buffalo Bisons, American Association (1988-97), International League (1998-present); Toronto Blue Jays, American League (2020-21)
• Capacity: 18,025 (as of 2012)

Rating: 4 baseballs

Unfortunately, the park is a perfect illustration of what can happen when corporate sponsors get into the act of naming parks. The stadium was first called Pilot Field, for Pilot Air Freight. However, the shipping company defaulted on its annual fee in the mid-1990s, and the place became known as North AmeriCare Park, for a local HMO. In June 1999, I was watching the Stanley Cup finals from Dallas, and they cut to a scene from the park, where fans had remained after a Bisons game to watch their Sabres on the video screen. The place was now called Dunn Tire Park. Oy. (The current naming sponsor, Sahlen, is a local packager of hot dogs.)

By any name, however, the facility that replaced old War Memorial Stadium is a tremendous place to see a game. In fact, it’s good enough that the Toronto Blue Jays, who were unable to host cross-border games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, utilized the park for the abbreviated 2020 season and moved back in for two months of 2021 after opening the season at their spring training home in Dunedin, Fla.