Estadio Hiram Bithorn

• Location: San Juan, PR
• Built: 1962
• Seating Capacity: 18,000
• Playing Surface Grass
• Left Field Wall: 325 ft.
• Left Center: 375 ft.
• Center Field Wall: 404 ft.
• Right Center: 375 ft.
• Right Field Wall: 325 ft.

History

Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, PR is named after pitcher Hiram Bithorn, the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues. Estadio Hiram Bithorn, which is located next to the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, is operated by the Municipal government of San Juan, and although it is smaller than Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium in nearby Carolina, PR, it is the only Puerto Rican stadium to have hosted Major League games.

In 2001 Estadio Hiram Bithorn was the site of MLB's opening day in which the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Texas Rangers for one game on April 1st. Hiram Bithorn Stadium was home to the Montreal Expos for 22 games each in 2003 and 2004. San Juan made an unsuccessful attempt to lure the Expos to Puerto Rico permanently before the franchise moved to Washington, DC in 2005. In 2006, 2009 and 2013, Estadio Hiram Bithorn was home to a pool in the first round of the World Baseball Classic. The Florida Marlins hosted the New York Mets for a couple of games at the ballpark in 2010, and the renamed Miami Marlins were planning do so again, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, on May 30-31, 2016 in celebration of "Roberto Clemente Day", but that series was cancelled because of concerns over the Zika virus. Another series took place on April 17-18, 2018 between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. Shortly after that series was announced, the stadium suffered significant damage as a result of Hurricane Maria, with the outfield fence, the batting cages and the statue of Bithorn all being affected, but the series went ahead as planned anyways and was a success. MLB was slated to return in 2020 for another series, but that was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unique Features

During the off season, Estadio Hiram Bithorn is home to the Atléticos de San Juan and Academia Quintana, two soccer teams playing in the Puerto Rico Soccer League founded in 2008. The field is converted into a soccer field with one goal facing the third base grandstands, and one goal facing the right field bleachers.

One of the downsides to Estadio Hiram Bithorn is that fans in the outfield bleachers are completely segregated from the fans in the more expensive box seating. There is no way for a fan to venture from the outfield to the infield concourse, and there is no cover from the hot Puerto Rican sunshine when in the outfield bleachers.

Teams Calling Hiram Bithorn Home

• San Juan Senators- LBPPR
• San Juan Metros- LBPPR
• Montreal Expos- National League (2003-2004)
• Cangrejeros de Santurce- LBPPR, Puerto Rico Baseball League

• Atleticos de San Juan- Puerto Rico Soccer League
• Academia Quintana- Puerto Rico Soccer League

Further Reading

• Joe Mock: "MLB in Puerto Rico: How Hiram Bithorn Stadium was salvaged in Hurricane Maria aftermath", USA Today Sports, April 17, 2018. [1]
• Kevin Spain: "Puerto Rican stadium, which is scheduled to host MLB series in 2018, damaged during Maria", USA Today Sports, September 20, 2017. [2]