Well before the Los Angeles Dodgers started making their Spring Training home at Camelback Ranch in February 2009, they were entrenched at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., for more than six decades.
This day in Dodgers history saw their first Spring Training game played at Holman Stadium when it opened on March 11, 1953. The Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the then-Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2.
The game was started by Carl Erskine, who famously returned to Dodgertown 55 years later to play the national anthem on his harmonica.
Erskine went 122-78 with a 4.00 ERA over 12 seasons with the Dodgers organization, which included pitching for the Los Angeles franchise in 1958 and 1959.
Fellow Dodgers legends Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson also played in the first Holman Stadium game.
About Holman Stadium at Dodgertown
The Dodgers were the final West Coast team that still held Spring Training in Florida before moving into Camelback Ranch for their first game on March 1, 2009. They officially terminated their facility use agreement for Dodgertown on July 14, 2008.
Holman Stadium became known for its open-air dugouts that were built into the sides of the field. It’s built on top of a berm with a lake that was dug out beside it.
Fans enter Holman Stadium directly onto an open concourse and make their way down to the main seating bowl. Holman Stadium features just over 20 rows of folding seats, and a small fence separates the playing surface from the first row.
In November 2018, Major League Baseball announced plans to renovate the facility and in April the following year, revealed it would be renamed Jackie Robinson Training Complex.
Along with Spring Training and other baseball games, history of the Holman Stadium complex includes hosting training camps by the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Miami Hurricanes, Ohio State Buckeyes and University of South Florida Bulls college football teams have also used the facilities.
Holman Stadium additionally has hosted the Yomiuri Giants, Chunichi Dragons, Osaka Buffaloes, Samsung Lions, LG Twins, SK Wyverns, Sinon Bulls Taiwanese team, Nigeria national baseball team and the Moscow Red Devils.
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