Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium has been housing the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962. A classic pitcher's park, Dodger Stadium is located in Los Angeles, California. The park is sometimes referred to as Chavez Ravine Stadium, named after the site where it was constructed. Dodger Stadium stands as an artifact of the recent past, the time when bigger was considered to be better. Nestled in Chavez Ravine, it is a tribute to that era when the size reflected the glory of the stadiums. Boldly and beautifully it conceals the current belief that baseball requires a small, intimate theater. It was also the home of the Los Angeles Angels between 1962 and 1965. The stadium hosted Major League Baseball All Star Game in 1980. The stadium was also a site for the World Series 1963, '65, '66, '74, '77, '78, '81, & '88. In the 1988, World Series Kirk Gibson's in the ninth inning of Game 1 hit a home run. In 1999, Cardinals' Fernando Tatis's earned two grand slams in one inning in 1999. After more than four decades of its existence, Dodger Stadium remains one of the finest ballparks in the country and a landmark to West Coast expansion in Major League Baseball.

Originally located in Brooklyn, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley began lobbying for a new stadium in the mid-1950s, although Ebbets Field was still in excellent shape. But when his plans failed, the Dodgers along with the Giants moved to California after the 1957 season. Los Angeles heartily welcomed the two teams by agreeing to exchange 300 acres of land in Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers in return for the Dodgers' commitment to build a 50,000-seat stadium. On September 17, 1959, construction of the new stadium began. Meanwhile, the Dodgers played at the L.A. the stadium was scheduled to open its doors in 1961, but several court proceedings and landslides pushed the opening to one year later. The top of a local hill was removed and the soil was used to fill in the actual Chavez Ravine, to provide a level surface for a parking lot and the stadium. Finally, the stadium was inaugurated on April 10, 1962 when the Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2. 52,564 fans filled the five levels of the stadium. Dodger Stadium was the first Major League Baseball stadium since the initial construction of Yankee Stadium to be built using private financing only.

From 1962 to 1965, the Anaheim Angels called the facility their home. The stadium was designed in such a way that its seating capacity can be increased to over 80,000. But the backed bleachers and their distinctive covers still dominate the outfield and the Dodgers never expanded their home. Built at the cost of $23 million the stadium has five levels of seating that expand from foul pole to foul pole. The top upper deck expands from the first base side to the third base side. Two scoreboards are installed above the bleachers are located behind both left and right field. Before the 2000 season, the Dodgers added new field level seats down the foul lines beyond the dugouts and a new expanded dugout section with an adjacent club area. The luxury suites were also modernized to provide the same facilities that newer ballparks provide. After the 2002 season, a new scoreboard, DodgerVision video board and cutting edge control room were added to make the fan experience a memorable one.

The Dodgers installed a brand new state-of-the-art grass field after the winding up of the 1995 season. Beneath the playing surface a vacuum chamber is laid over a watertight plastic barrier that powerfully extracts water during heavy rains. Before the 2005 season, dugouts were pushed forward and additional seats were installed down the foul lines. However, the seating capacity remained same as several sections of seating in the upper levels of the stadium has been covered with tarps. The stadium is immaculately clean and is thoroughly scrubbed down after every home game, and is repainted during every off-season. The stadium has also hosted various non-baseball major events. On Sept. 16, 1987, Pope John Paul II addressed a Mass at Dodger Stadium. The pop and rock bands and performers from around the world have performed at the stadium, such as KISS, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Genesis, Eric Clapton, U2, the Dave Matthews Band, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. In 1994, the stadium staged internationally renowned tenors when Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti reunited for a spectacular concert performance "Encore - The Three Tenors".