Classic Auto Group Park

• Name: Classic Auto Group Park
• GPS-able Address: 35300 Vine Street, Eastlake, OH 44095
• Ballpark Owner: City of Eastlake
• Architects: DLR Group
• Groundbreaking: 3/1/2002
• Minor League Baseball Teams: Lake County Captains (A+) 2021-present; Lake County Captains (A) 2003-2020
• Class/League History: A+/Midwest League 2022-present; A+/High-A Central 2021; A/Midwest League 2010-2020; A/South Atlantic League 2003-2009
• First Professional Baseball Game: 4/10/2003; stadium debut of Class A Captains
• Others Playing or Operating Here: Lake Erie College Storm
• Previous Ballpark Names: Classic Park 2004-2022; Eastlake Stadium 2003
• LF: 320 CF: 400 RF: 320
• Seats: 6,150
• Stated Capacity: 7,273
• House Baseball/Softball Record Attendance (as currently configured): 10,253, 8/22/2003

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the home of the Lake County Captains, the Cleveland Guardians' High-A Midwest League farm team. It was also the then-Indians' 2020 Coronavirus pandemic alternate training site.

The nearby Guardians could use their territorial rights to veto any other parent club. Opened in 2003, then-Eastlake Ballpark blends nostalgia and modern design. With specialty seating and standing room, its crowds can top 10,000.

The stadium name changed two seasons later when Classic Auto Group owner Jim Brown, whose dealership had grown from his start-up Classic Chevrolet.[1] That name could of course be seen as descriptive rather than corporate, and possibly the better to identify the sponsor, the name was slightly changed going into the 2023 season.

The stadium quickly became a "money pit"[2] but appears to have emerged into success. Pitched as a project that would not "cost the residents of Eastlake a dime" by then-Mayor Dan DiLiberto, it was projected in 2012 to cost $35 million when it's paid off in 2031 - although that figure is the total outlay, unmitigated by its economic impact.[3] Eastlake's 2003 was bookended by the ballpark's April 10th debut and a fiscal crisis that started emerging in November - with the stadium cost clearly playing a large role. A fiscal emergency was declared in May 2004. The city reworked its debt the following December and sold naming rights to the stadium in April 2005, but it would be December 2007 before the city's fiscal emergency would be declared over.[4]

Perhaps the signature moment of the debacle came on February 18, 2005, when DiLiberto's mayoral successor, Ted Andrzejewski, and city workers physically ripped from the stadium a plaque labeling the facility "THE HOUSE THAT DAN BUILT".

MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization expanded existing standards for stadiums hosting affiliated teams. The city of Eastlake and Lake County agreed to $4.3 million for the necessary upgrades.

In 2010, the Caps and Bowling Green Hot Rods changed circuits - jointly jumping from the South Atlantic League to the MwL and providing their stadiums the rare pre-2020 boast of hosting the same team in two different leagues.

While it has more than 6,000 seats with a stated capacity of 7,273, its largest home baseball crowd - back in its SAL days - was 10,253.

In 2024, the ballpark made the news by offering seats in a row entirely consisting of "Porta-Potties". According to the Captains, the "'Roto-Rooter Toilet Row' seats aren't your average seats -- or toilets, for that matter. There are eight of these unique seats available during each game that come equipped with comfortable padding and a prime view of the action going on the field. Each ticket comes with a special service from Horatio, the section’s bathroom attendant."

Further Reading

• Jesús Cano: "Potty like a rockstar: High-A club rolls out must-see seating option", mlb.com, June 28, 2024. [5]