Trenton Thunder Ballpark

Trenton Thunder Ballpark, formerly known as Mercer County Waterfront Park and Arm & Hammer Park, is a ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the home park for the Trenton Thunder, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They were previously a Double-A level Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League (1994–2020). For 2021, it served as temporary home of Triple-A East's Buffalo Bisons, as their regular stadium, Sahlen Field, was being used by the Toronto Blue Jays due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The official seating capacity is 6,440.[1]

Trenton Thunder Ballpark
Former namesMercer County Waterfront Park (1994–2012)
Arm & Hammer Park (2012–2021)
LocationOne Thunder Road
Trenton, NJ, 08611
Coordinates40.2032°N 74.7609°W / 40.2032; -74.7609
Public transitMainline rail interchange NJ Transit River Line
at Cass Street
OwnerMercer County
OperatorGarden State Baseball, LP
Capacity6,440[1]
Field sizeLeft Field: 330 feet (100 m)
Center Field: 407 feet (124 m)
Right Field: 330 feet (100 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 29, 1993[2]
OpenedMay 9, 1994
Construction cost$16.2 million
($32 million in 2022 dollars[3])
ArchitectClarke & Caton
Faridy Thorne Fraytak P. C.[4]
Project managerBurris Construction Company- Phase 2[2]
Structural engineerHarrison-Hamnett, P.C.[5]
Services engineerPaulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, LLC.[6]
General contractorV.J. Scozzari & Sons Inc.- Phase 1
Tenants
Trenton Thunder (EL/MLBDL) 1994–present
Buffalo Bisons (AAAE) 2021

History

The park was built for the 1994 season, although it opened several weeks late due to a rough winter that hampered construction. The sod also was unable to take properly that season, and the field did not properly drain, leading to rainouts on evenings where the sun had been out since noon. The drainage problem was fixed in 1995.

The stadium's original name was "Mercer County Waterfront Park" when it opened in 1994. "Samuel J. Plumeri Sr. Field" was added to the original name in 1999 by Trenton Thunder owner, Joe Plumeri (Chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings). Samuel J. Plumeri Sr. was Joe Plumeri's father. In November 2012, the New Jersey-based Church and Dwight company / Arm & Hammer purchased the ballpark's naming rights.[8] Following the 2020 season the sponsorship was discontinued as the professional minor league Thunder lost their affiliation as part of the 2021 reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[7]

On July 8, 1996, the ballpark hosted the Double-A All-Star Game in which a team of National League-affiliated All-Stars defeated a team of American League-affiliated All-Stars, 6–2, before 8,369 people in attendance.[9]

In June 2014, the park hosted the first-ever, gold- and bronze-medal games in baseball for the Special Olympics USA National Games.[10][11] In 2018, it hosted the Eastern League All-Star Game.[12]

Attendance records

The ballpark set a record for game attendance on July 3, 2011, when the Thunder played the Altoona Curve. The game had the fortune of falling on the Independence Day holiday weekend, as well as featuring an injury rehabilitation appearance by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, the Thunder's major league affiliate at the time. The official attendance for the game was 9,212.[13]

When Alex Rodriguez played two games on back-to-back nights in August 2013, the official attendance was reported at 8,080 and 8,113, respectively.[14]

Features
The exterior of Waterfront Park in Trenton.

While the outfield in left and center field is covered with advertising signs that obscure views of Route 29 and nearby houses, the right field fence was kept as a short structure so that fans could see the Delaware River and Pennsylvania beyond. The river is also an inviting target for left-handed sluggers, several of whom have deposited baseballs into the water. Similar to Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio and its river border with Kentucky, the ballpark also holds the possibility of having someone "hit one out of the state" since the middle of the Delaware River is the border with Pennsylvania.

On June 7, 1994, Tony Clark became the first player to hit a fair ball into the Delaware.[15]

The stadium anchors an area of rejuvenation in Trenton that also includes office buildings, nightclubs, and the CURE Insurance Arena, several blocks away, for ice hockey, basketball and arena football.

References
  1. "Trenton Thunder Ballpark". Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. McCarthy, Tom (2003). Baseball in Trenton. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-1310-5.
  3. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. Knight, Graham (July 7, 2012). "Waterfront Park". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  5. "Stadium Projects" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  6. "Entertainment". Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, LLC. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  7. "Blue Jays to Buffalo, Bisons to Trenton". Ballpark Digest. April 9, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  8. Brill, Emily (November 14, 2012). "Mercer County Waterfront Park Baseball Venue to Be Renamed Arm & Hammer Park". The Times (Trenton). Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  9. "Helton's HR Powers NL Minor-League Stars". The Courier-News. Bridgewater. July 9, 1996. p. C-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Teicher, Benjamin (June 19, 2014). "Special Olympics baseball games debut at Trenton Thunder ballpark". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  11. "New Jersey Wins Special Olympics Gold At ARM & HAMMER Park". Trenton Thunder. June 20, 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-21. Team New Jersey captured the Gold Medal in the Special Olympics USA Games Inaugural Baseball Finals. Team Rhode Island earned the Silver Medal, Team Delaware earned Bronze and Team Alabama finished in fourth.
  12. "Trenton To Host 2018 All-Star Game". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  13. Tomasino, Dan (July 4, 2011). "Jeter Finishes Rehab; Set to Rejoin Yankees". New York Post. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  14. Wilson, David (August 3, 2013). "A-Rod Makes Strides As Rehab Stint Ends". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  15. Frankllin, Paul (April 10, 2013). "Tony Clark was a huge hit with the Trenton Thunder". NJ.com. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arm & Hammer Park.
Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Trenton Thunder
1994 – present		 Succeeded by
Present
Preceded by Home of the
Buffalo Bisons
2021		 Succeeded by
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