Bats Among the Bricks

Third-base entrance to Bricktown Ballpark, Aug-2000.

The grandstand, from the left-field foul pole.

Looking out at more brick, this time the outfield concession stand that also serves as the batter’s eye.

Chronological Tour: Stop 185

• Location: Reno Avenue at Walnut Avenue (Mickey Mantle Drive), Oklahoma City, Okla. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1998 as Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark
• Additional names: SBC Bricktown Ballpark (2001), AT&T Bricktown Ballpark (2006), Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (2012)
• Home team: Oklahoma City Redhawks (1998-2014), Dodgers (2015-23), OKC Baseball Club (2024), Pacific Coast League
• Capacity: 13,066

Rating: 4 baseballs

Bricktown is the oldest section of Oklahoma’s state capital. It’s about a mile from today’s downtown area and two miles from the capitol building. The rail yards run nearby. But with the decline of the rails as a part of everyday life, the section went downhill until the city made a conscious effort to rehabilitate it. Now Bricktown is the center of Oklahoma City’s nightlife.

The ballpark is a major part of that. As befits Bricktown, the exterior is mostly red brick. Inside, the seating arrangement is similar to, but not exactly like, Harbor Park in Norfolk and P & C Stadium in Syracuse. And as a reminder that the park is in a city block, one actually walks under the scoreboard when walking the outside concourse, thanks to a tight squeeze out there. Like many parks, there is an outfield berm seating area; unlike many, there are also outfield bleacher seats here.

In the 14 years between games attended here, the ticket prices have risen significantly, to about the highest level in the Pacific Coast League. One thing I still do not appreciate is the lack of whiteboards for posting the day’s lineups, standings, etc.

After nine years bearing the name of the parent Dodgers, the club playing at Bricktown Ballpark announced a rebrand to be effective in 2025. For the interim season (2024), the team was simply known as the Oklahoma City Baseball Club and sported a variety of uniforms, including throwback nights to the 89ers.