Photos below!BEEN THERE: July 18, 2015 (when it was still called "CocaCola Field") and July 8, 2022.
When I bought the book Green Cathedrals (second edition, 1992), I learned of the existence of a new minor league ballpark -- Pilot Field, as it was originally known. Built in 1988, it pioneered the "Neoclassical" movement in baseball stadium design, of which Orioles Park in Camden Yards was the first such example in the major leagues -- four years later. Pilot Field was a marked improvement over the Buffalo Bisons' previous home at War Memorial Stadium, and clearly outclassed The Diamond, a minor league stadium built in Richmond, Virginia just a few years before. In fact, it was built in part as a way to get a major league expansion franchise awarded to Buffalo, but that city lost out to Miami and Denver in 1993. Buffalo leaders also tried unsuccessfully to lure the San Francisco Giants and other MLB teams. That really wasn't a practical idea, however, as there was only limited space in downtown Buffalo to expand the stadium. Nevertheless, a hypothetical expanded version of Sahlen Field with a third deck is shown above.
Originally, the outfield were rather deep, with a curved fence stretching from left-center field all the way to the right field foul pole. Then in 1996, after the Buffalo Bisons became affiliated with the Cleveland Indians, the outfield was reduced, with angled fences similar to Jacobs (now Progressive) Field. (NOTE: Most sources have the power-alley distances reversed, but one can clearly see in photos that left-center field is 367 feet, and right-center field is 371 feet.) One subtle feature is that the fence in front of the grandstand angles back slightly between the dugouts and the foul poles, in order to provide enough room for the (original) bullpens. This removes two or three rows of seats near the two corners. In 2004, the curved "bleacher" seating sections in right field were removed and replaced with a new table-top seating section, along with a grassy slope for casual fans. Illustrating the tight space available, a major thoroughfare passes within a few feet of the left field fence, and a 60-foot high net was installed to prevent home run balls from crashing into automobiles. Beyond those seating areas is a multi-deck parking garage, visible in the panoramic photo below. A nice defining feature of Sahlen Field is the pyramid-shaped pavilion with a big sphere on the top, at each extreme end of the grandstand. Another aesthetic touch is that roof of the grandstand has cross-hatches that remind one of Bavarian architecture.
This stadium has undergone many name changes over the years. In 1995 it was renamed "NorthAmeriCare Park," in 1999 it became "Dunn Tire Park," in 2009 it became "CocaCola Field," and in 2019 it became "Sahlen Field." Sahlen is pronounced "SAY-len," and is the name of a local meat products company, best known for their hot dogs and sausages. In the Buffalo area, for some reason, a chili dog is called a "Texas red hot."
As one of the many strange consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the Toronto Blue Jays were forced to find an alternative venue for playing their home games during the 2020 season. (The Canadian government refused to allow American baseball teams across the border to play at the Rogers Centre.) Sahlen Field made perfect sense, as it was geographically close to their real home in Toronto, and was the home of their minor league affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. Since all minor league games were canceled in 2020, they were able to make all the necessary upgrades to the facilities, including stronger lights (LED), repaired infield turf, and better dugout and clubhouse facilities. They also added huge promotional banners covering the empty seats (not shown in the diagram), as has been done in most other MLB stadiums. On August 11, the Blue Jays played their first "home away from home" game at Sahlen Field, winning 5-4 in ten innings -- taking advantage of the new extra innings rules. Once it became clear that the Blue Jays would need it for at least part of the 2021 season as well, they moved the bullpens to beyond right center field and built a new building on the south side (beyond the scoreboard) with weight rooms, batting cages, etc.(See the Anomalous stadiums page.)
SOURCES: mlb.com, milb.com, buffalonews.com, wikipedia.org (for the previous names)
