Area of fair territory: 112,000 sq. ft.

Area of foul territory: Small

Fences: 8 ft since 1984, made of wood.

             Before 1984, the fences were 12 ft. high.

Elevation: 550 feet

General Information

Address:
100 Cinergy Field
Cincinnati, OH 45202
For ticket information call: (513) 421-7337

Tenant: Cincinnati Reds (NL); Cincinnati Bengals (NFL)
Opened: June 30, 1970
Surface: Bermuda grass (2001); AstroTurf 8 (2000 and before)

Cost: $45 million

History

   Formerly known as Riverfront Stadium, Cinergy was the first major league ballpark to feature an artificial playing surface.  It was built by the city of Cincinnati, given a generic name, and was made convertible into a football stadium in order to generate more revenue.

   The All-Star Game was played here in 1970, two weeks after the stadium opened.  There really isn't much to this ballpark - it was the third of the National League’s "cookie-cutter" stadiums, debuting five years after Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, four years after St. Louis’s Busch Stadium and two weeks before Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium.

   The success of the Reds during the 1970s combined to create some startling attendance figures. The Reds topped the one million mark in season attendance only four times at Crosley Field, yet at Riverfront, the club has never failed to draw one million. In fact, the Reds drew more than two million fans for eight consecutive seasons from 1973 through 1980.  However, attendance has not reached that figure since 1993.

   Construction on the press box and stadium club was never finished.  In its very first season it managed to host an All-Star Game, a playoff series, and a World Series.  Before 1970, the Reds had spent 58 years playing at intimate Crosley Field, baseball’s only park with a two-tiered outfield.

Cinergy Field Firsts
Game - June 30, 1970 (Atlanta beats Cincinnati, 8-2)
Batter - Sonny Jackson
Hit - Felix Millan
Home run - Hank Aaron
Victory - Pat Jarvis

Analysis

   The park plays pretty neutral, although the ball carries very well - this leads to an increase in doubles and homers.  Ongoing construction has changed the nature of the ballpark over the years - the pattern of the winds helps right-handed hitters, and the opening of the outfield fence has made the wind a much bigger factor.  The park has boosted right-handed power production by 20% over the past three seasons, while depressing left-handed power production by about 7%.

     The artificial turf used to mean that sharply hit grounders could sneak through for base hits, and the Reds successfully employed an offense based on speed and ground-ball hitters.  With the installation of natural grass, the park has a completely different feel.

     The alleys are roughly of average distance, though the outfield is more spacious than most - the gaps are deep, and the addition of Ken Griffey, Jr., to center field was a welcome one on defense as well as offense.

Defense: The infield is steady and even, and gives predictable hops, cutting way down on errors.  Outfield play is more difficult than average because of the wind conditions.  The location of the bullpens down the lines complicates things as well.

Who it helps:  Right-handed hitters have done significantly better here than lefties over the past three seasons.  Aaron Boone - a right-handed line drive hitter who has developed power - loved it here: he hit .332 here last season, vs. .255 on the road, and smacked 10 of his 14 homers here.  Adam Dunn should be able to build a successful career here, though in his rookie season he hit just .213 at home and .301 on the road.

     Ken Griffey, Jr., hit .326 here last season but just .244 on the road; he hit 12 homers at home, 10 on the road.

     Elmer Dessens had a 3.74 ERA at home, and a 5.53 road ERA.

Who it hurts: Left-handed pitchers, especially those who keep the ball up.  Left-handed hitters without much power can also struggle: the popular Sean Casey had even home-road splits in 2000 and did somewhat better on the road last season.

Park Factors

Seating Chart

Left field (NE) runs along Pete Rose Way, Broadway and Firstar Center (Riverfront Coliseum); third base (NW) runs along Pete Rose Way. The first base (SW) abuts the Roebling Suspension Bridge and the Ohio River; and right field (SE) goes along Mehring Way, railroad tracks, and the Ohio River.

Left field and right field foul poles: 330 feet

Power alleys: 375

Center field: 404

Backstop: 51

Foul territory: small

• Third highest double factor in the NL in 2001
• Second highest home run factor in the NL in 2000
• Second highest hit factor in the NL in 2000
• Third highest run factor in the NL in 2000
• Second lowest walks factor in the NL in 2001
• Second highest walks factor in the NL in 1999
• Third highest home run factor in the NL in 1999
• Third highest RHB home run factor in the NL in 1999
• Second-lowest error factor in the NL in 1999
• Third-lowest infield error factor in the NL in 1999
• Third-lowest LHB average factor in the NL in 1999
• Highest walks factor in the NL in 1998

• On July 26, 1997, Atlanta Braves shortstop Jeff Blauser found that his cleats had melted on the artificial after the field temperature rose to 120 degrees. The next day, the mercury on the field reached 152 degrees! 
• Cinergy was the first stadium to paint metric distances on outfield walls: 100.58 down the lines, 114.30 to the alleys, 123.13 to center.
• The ballpark used Crosley Field’s home plate until April 1, 1997, when a new home plate was installed.
• Basepads have been filled with dirt from a local graveyard.
• Second base occupies the spot where the home of Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy, once stood.
• A circle in left-center marked "4,192" commemorates Pete Rose’s 4,192nd hit, which broke Ty Cobb's record here on September 10, 1985.
• The retired Reds jerseys include former manager Fred Hutchinson (No. 1), Ted Kluszewski (18) and Hall of Famers Frank Robinson (20), Johnny Bench (5), Joe Morgan (8) and Tony Perez (24).
• The Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates played the slowest game ever here on August 30, 1978 - 80.6 minutes per inning, called off after 3½ innings and 3½ hours of rain delays at 12:47 a.m.