The Ballpark at Harbor Yard

The Ballpark at Harbor Yard is a 5,300-seat baseball park in Bridgeport, Connecticut that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 21, 1998, as the tenants of the facility, the Bridgeport Bluefish, lost to the Aberdeen Arsenal. The stadium is located next to the Webster Bank Arena. It was named "Harbor Yard" as an allusion to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.Located on Bridgeport's Long Island Sound waterfront, Harbor Yard is encircled by Interstate 95 and the Northeast Corridor rail line. The site has navigable ingress and egress routes to northern Fairfield County and the Naugatuck River Valley via the 8/25 connector.HistoryThe Ballpark at Harbor Yard opened on May 21, 1998 on the site of the former Jenkins Valve factory. The demolition of the Pequonnock apartment buildings in 2002 improved the parking situation for fans attending games at the Ballpark. The Ballpark and Webster Bank Arena are accredited for revitalizing the city into a prosperous waterfront attraction and destination.The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was constructed in between 1997 and 1998, and its $19 million price tag was funded through public and team contributions. It has a seating capacity of 5,300, with room for 200 more fans for sold-out games. Believing that Harbor Yard would be one of the important pieces of Bridgeport's renewal, team co-founder, Jack McGregor, chose its name as an allusion to Baltimore's renewal of the Camden Yards neighborhood.