Sportsman's Park

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The site hosted baseball as early as 1867, but the first grandstand was built in 1881 for the American Association's St. Louis Brown Stockings. After the team moved to a new location called New Sportsman's Park (later Robison Field) and changed colors to Cardinal Red, the original site sat quiet until 1902. That year, the American League Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis as the Browns and built a new version of the park at the northwest corner of the block. In 1906, Saint Louis University's football team, coached by Eddie Cochems, made history here with their "air attack," including a pass by Bradbury Robinson reported to have traveled up to 87 yards. By 1920, the Cardinals returned as tenants after abandoning Robison Field. The park saw its capacity jump from 18,000 to 30,000 in anticipation of a Browns World Series that never came; instead, the Cardinals upset the Yankees there in 1926.

In Their Own Story

In September 1906, Sportsman's Park witnessed Bradbury Robinson launch an amazingly long pass against Kansas, described by sports historian John Sayle Watterson as "truly a breathtaking achievement." The game ended in a 34–2 trouncing of the Jayhawks before some 7,000 fans. Decades later, on May 5, 1901, the old park proved unworkable for the Cardinals after a fire at their own field forced them to play there briefly; they spent a month on the road while rebuilding. The most famous story of the shared era came in 1944 when the Cardinals and Browns met in a World Series played entirely within these walls, won by the Cardinals four games to two. This remained the last such series until the neutral-site play of 2020. By 1964, brother Ken Boyer faced off against Clete Boyer of the Yankees in the park's final World Series, a seven-game triumph that led to managerial changes for the Yankees.

Reader's Guide

The physical street address was 2911 North Grand Boulevard. The 1909 structure featured a new steel and concrete grandstand at the southwest corner, the third such stadium in the major leagues. Parking became a critical issue as the neighborhood declined; by 1948, crime had increased, and in 1964, a fan was shot and killed during an armed robbery on his way to the home opener. The concrete-and-steel incarnation was designed for trolley riders, not cars, making it ill-suited for modern automobile access. In February 1953, Cardinals owner Fred Saigh sold the team to Anheuser-Busch due to tax evasion charges. Browns owner Bill Veeck subsequently sold Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals for $800,000 on April 9. The brewery renamed it Busch Stadium after August Busch Jr., though Commissioner Ford Frick vetoed "Budweiser Stadium." A large neon A-B eagle sign was added to the left-field scoreboard, flapping its wings after every Cardinal home run.

Did You Know?

• In 1906, Saint Louis University's Bradbury Robinson threw a pass at Sportsman's Park reported to have traveled up to 87 yards in the air.
• The 1944 World Series was the last played entirely in one stadium as the home venue for both competing clubs until the neutral-site 2020 series.
• Browns owner Bill Veeck once lived with his family in an apartment located under the park's stands.
• Anheuser-Busch originally wanted to name the ballpark "Budweiser Stadium," but Commissioner Ford Frick vetoed the name due to public relations concerns.

Shared Home and Dual Tenancy

From 1920 to 1953, Sportsman's Park hosted both the American League St. Louis Browns and the National League St. Louis Cardinals. The physical address was 2911 North Grand Boulevard. The Cardinals returned as tenants of the Browns in mid-1920 after leaving Robison Field. Although the Browns were initially stronger, the Cardinals' victory over the Yankees in the 1926 World Series shifted the balance, making them St. Louis's favorite team. The two teams met in the 1944 World Series, which remains the last to be played entirely in one stadium as the home venue for both clubs. In April 1953, Browns owner Bill Veeck sold Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals for $800,000. The Browns then relocated to Baltimore and were rebranded as the Orioles before the next season.