Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas

A Tasty Burger, a Tasty Field

They make ’em big in Texas: A huge ballplayer statue at the front of Whataburger Field, Sep-2005.

Fans watch the action from one of two grass berms, this one in right field.

The bridge to Corpus Christi Beach (US 181) is visible here.

Chronological Tour: Stop 307

Quick Facts:

Location: Port Avenue at Tancahua Street, west of US 181, Corpus Christi, Texas (map it using Google Maps)
Opened: 2005
Home team: Corpus Christi Hooks, Texas League (2005-present)
Capacity: 5,050 fixed seats

Rating: 4 baseballs

In 2004, Ryan-Sanders Baseball, the company started by Hall of Fame pitcher and Texas native Nolan Ryan to bring more baseball to the Lone Star State, purchased its second team. They acquired the Edmonton Trappers and moved them to Round Rock, where the Express were already wildly successful in the Texas League.

With the Express becoming a Pacific Coast League franchise, the Ryans needed a place to put their Texas League club. They struck a deal with Corpus Christi, the Gulf seaport city about 200 miles to the south which had not hosted organized baseball since 1977 at Cabaniss Field.

You can even get a Whataburger.

Whataburger Field, named for a hamburger chain founded in 1950 in Corpus Christi and prevalent throughout Texas, is located on the shoreline of Corpus Christi Inlet, in the port district. Tanker ships and other vessels are often visible from the seats, and the bridge connecting the main part of the city with Corpus Christi Beach dominates the skyline – until the sun goes down, when you hardly know it’s there as its only illumination is the mandatory beacon lights. (Update: By 2019, they had added LED lighting to the bridge. And things will change in a few years, as the current through-arch bridge is being replaced by a cable-stayed bridge now under construction.)

The field includes a wide variety of concession stands, plenty of space in the outfield from which to observe the game (including behind see-through bullpens), kids’ play areas, and, of course, a fair number of luxury suites on the second level. The fixed seating capacity was limited to just over five thousand in order to produce a more intimate setting for spectators.

I thought the concourses were slightly narrower than they needed to be, and I also objected to running around corners to reach rest rooms, as well as running downstairs to the gift shop. Otherwise, I thought highly of Whataburger Field. So did the fans, who filed through the gates in the Hooks’ first season to the tune of over half a million paid admissions.

Unfortunately, two things rubbed me a bit wrong about the place in 2019 (in addition to what I mentioned above in 2005). One is that the club does not include sales tax in the posted ticket price, unlike about 98% of professional teams out there. The other is that the park is now in a designated district, the SEA District (Sports, Entertainment, Arts), and thus the parking lot now gets a whopping $10. Fortunately, it is possible to park on the street for free a few blocks away.

More photos from 2019 in this Facebook album (public, no account required)

Game	Date	League	Level	Result
787	Sun 4-Sep-2005	Texas	AA	CORPUS CHRISTI 3, San Antonio 0, 11 inn
1836	Thu 18-Jul-2019	Texas	AA	CORPUS CHRISTI 5, Northwest Arkansas 3

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