Venue Detail
Worcester Tornadoes
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
February, 2012
Worcester Tornadoes
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303 Main St Worcester, MA 01613 Phone: 508-792-2288 Fax: 508-926-3662 URL: www.worcestertornadoes.com Owner: Allan Stone and Theodore Tye League: CanAm League, Single Division
Venue
Fitton Field, 1 College St, Worcester, MA 01610 Owner: College of the Holy Cross Managed by: School Built: 1905 Capacity: 22,000 Concessionaire: School Soft drink:
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $360 to $810 Single tickets range from $6.00 to $18.00
Attendance
2009 average attendance: 1,818 2010 average attendance: 1,966
Considered one of the finest grass fields in the northeast, Fitton has played host to some of the most memorable contests in New England college baseball history.
The Holy Cross-Boston College series, which began in 1890, has attracted some of the largest crowds New England college baseball has ever seen. On May 30, 1923, more than 22,000 fans surrounded Fitton Field to witness Crusader ace Owen Carroll hurl a five-hitter and lead HC to a 5-2 victory over BC. One year later, Carroll pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as Holy Cross edged the Eagles, 3-1, in front of 20,000 people. In 1925, a crowd of 25,000 packed Fitton to watch Carroll's final meeting with BC, a 2-1 victory for the Purple and White.
The history of Fitton Field has seen its share of major league talent. On June 4, 1934, Fitton Field was the site of Holy Cross' 5-4 win over Casey Stengel's Brooklyn Dodgers. Five years later, a rookie on the Boston Red Sox roster named Ted Williams hit his first home run in a Boston uniform, helping the Red Sox to a 14-2 win in an exhibition game over the Crusaders. In fact, Fitton Field has seen the likes of Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Williams.
On June 9, 1922, Gehrig played at Fitton Field as a sophomore on the Columbia University baseball team. Holy Cross won that game, 8-5, on its way to a 24-5 overall record.
Ruth played at Fitton Field on April 15, 1935, in his only season with the Boston Braves towards the end of his career. At age 40, he helped the Braves to a 5-2 win over the Crusaders in an exhibition game, just one month before he retired from baseball in late May, 1935.
A 1966 Cooperstown inductee, Williams played at Fitton Field during his rookie campaign with the Red Sox in 1939. (BaseballMinor, Facilities, Financial, Professional Sports)