Unveiling The History Of Seattle’s Baseball Stadiums Before T-Mobile Park

Before the days of T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field),  pro baseball in Seattle had a far different look. 

Dugdale Field, Seattle’s First Pro Baseball Stadium

Originally, minor-professional baseball was played at Dugdale Field. Dugdale was built in 1913 in the Rainier Valley and was the home of the Seattle Indians and Seattle Giants. The park’s capacity of 15,00 was named for Danue Dudgale, a Baseball Pioneer who founded several teams. However, the park eventually burned down in 1932 due to suspected arson. 

After Dugdale burned to the ground, a new stadium emerged. Seattle’s Sick Stadium would be built on the exact site of the former Dugdal ballpark. 

Read more on Dugdale Field here.https://610kona.com/babe-ruth-seattle-baseball/

Why was the Ball Park Named Sick’s Stadium? 

Sick’s Stadium opened on June 15, 1938, as the Seattle Rainiers’ home turf in the Pacific Coast League. It was named after Emil Sick, the team owner and head of Rainier Brewing Company. The Rainiers, later renamed the Seattle Angels, played there until 1968. In 1946, it briefly hosted the Negro League’s Seattle Steelheads. After Emil Sick died in 1964, the park’s name changed from “Sick’s Stadium” to “Sicks’ Stadium” to reflect shared ownership among his family members.

1965, the city bought the stadium due to plans for a nearby freeway. The field layout, with the home plate facing southeast, caused visibility issues for the left side of the defense in the early evening. It’s recommended that it be aligned east-northeast instead.

Major League Baseball Comes to Seattle (The first time)

Major League Baseball’s Seattle Pilots would call Sick’s Stadium home for just one season in 1969 before moving to become the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pilots had dismal attendance, and the MLB said the facilities were not up to their standards. 

In the late 70s, Major League Baseball returned to Emerald City with the expansion of the Seattle Mariners club in 1977.  The Mariners would play their home games in the Kingdome near downtown in “SoDo.”

Sick’s Stadium Today

In 1979, Sicks’ Stadium was torn down, and in its place, an Eagle Hardware & Garden store emerged in 1992. This store transitioned into a Lowe’s home improvement store in 1999. Today, the Stadium’s former location is commemorated by a sign at the corner of Rainier and McClellan, a replica of the home plate near the store’s exit, and markings inside the store representing where the bases once stood.