Sam Lynn Ballpark was a baseball venue in Bakersfield, California and was the oldest ballpark of the Class-A Advanced California League. It was built in 1941 for the Bakersfield Badgers who began that season as a charter member of the California League. The current tenant is called the Bakersfield Train Robbers, who play in the Pecos League and are not affiliated with any team in Major or Minor League Baseball.It is one of two ballparks in organized professional baseball where the batter faces west, and as such, faces directly into the setting sun . This forces the Blaze to start most games later than any team in professional ball. From mid-June to mid-August, it's not unusual for games to begin as late as 7:58 PM.Sam Lynn Ballpark was named for the former local owner of a Coca-Cola bottling company who donated much of his income to youth baseball leagues in the area.Former teamsThe following is a list of Bakersfield franchise names dating back to 1941.note: Bakersfield did not field teams in 1943, 1945, 1980 and 1981.StructureSam Lynn Ballpark originally featured a covered wooden grandstand that was demolished in 1993 and replaced with the current concrete main stand. It has the shortest center field in all of professional baseball at 354 feet from home plate. The outfield wooden wall is 15 feet high and, in right field, there is a catwalk that is located under the current electronic scoreboard. The site of the catwalk used to be the location of a hand-operated scoreboard. The catwalk remains, and any ball hit onto it is a home run.
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