Pilot Field

Coca-Cola Field is an 18,025-seat baseball park in Buffalo, New York that hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 14, 1988, as the tenants of the facility, the Buffalo Bisons, defeated the Denver Zephyrs, 1–0.Oriole Park at Camden Yards is often considered the trendsetter among American cities towards retro-styled, baseball-only stadiums located in downtown cores. However, the architectural firm that designed Camden Yards, HOK Sport , originally implemented its design with Coca-Cola Field, which opened four years prior.HistoryAt the time of the stadium's construction, Buffalo was hoping to get either an expansion Major League Baseball team or a relocated team. The ballpark was built with a seating capacity of 19,500 people, which makes it the third largest stadium in minor league baseball. In its current configuration Coca-Cola Field would still be much too small for a major league team. The design allows for future expansion to accommodate a major league team, however; the capacity could be increased to nearly 40,000 by double-decking the existing mezzanine.The Montreal Expos and Pittsburgh Pirates were often mentioned as candidates for relocation in the late 1980s. Buffalo was one of the five finalists in the early 1990s National League process, which led to the 1993 debuts of the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins.