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Bowling Green Hot Rods |
Single-A Affiliate of the Rays |
Bowling Green Ballpark Facts, Figures, Firsts & Footnotes
Construction cost: $28 million
Financing: The creation of a tax increment financing (TIF) district that was approved by city commissioners on June 12, 2007 was to have been the source of ballpark funding, but the City of Bowling Green issued $25 million worth of bonds on June 17, 2008 so that construction could begin. The city still hopes that proceeds from the TIF district will pay off their bond investment. Bowling Green's debt service on the bonds is about $1.6 million annually.
Architect: DLR Group
Construction manager: Alliance Corporation
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on June 4, 2008 and construction began two weeks later.
Owned by the City of Bowling Green.
First game: The Bowling Green Hot Rods beat the Kannapolis Intimidators 8-4 on April 17, 2009 in front of an overflow crowd of 6,886
The Hot Rods drew 232,987 fans in the team's and ballpark's inaugural season, averaging 3,576 for 66 home games. Their total attendance number ranked the team 7th in the 16-team South Atlantic League. In 2010, Bowling Green changed leagues, joining the Midwest League.
Other firsts (all of which occurred on 4/17/09, unless noted):
Pitch | Batter | Hit (double) | Home Run | Winning Pitcher | Losing Pitcher | Save (4/18) |
Frank De Los Santos | Justin Greene | Jake Jefferies | Eduardo Escobar | Tommy Rafferty | Leroy Hunt | Dan Remenowsky |
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