Polar Park Prevails in Ballpark Digest's "Best of the Ballparks" Fan Vote
The fans have spoken: After five rounds of voting with over 87,000 participants, Polar Park is the winner of Ballpark Digest’s Triple-A Best of the Ballparks vote, as the home of the Worcester Red Sox (International League) beat Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Pacific Coast League)
The fans have spoken: After five rounds of voting with over 87,000 participants, Polar Park is the winner of Ballpark Digest’s Triple-A Best of the Ballparks vote, as the home of the Worcester Red Sox (International League) beat Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Pacific Coast League) in the championship final round.
All 30 Triple-A ballparks started in a bracket-style competition. Polar Park beat Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA in Round 1; defeated Coca-Cola Park in Lehigh Valley, PA in the Sweet 16; bested Southwest University Park in El Paso, TX in the Elite Eight; got past Truist Field in Charlotte, NC in the Final Four; and then earned the title by beating Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, OK in the Championship Round.
Opening exactly two years ago today with the first-ever Worcester Red Sox game played on May 11, 2021, Polar Park has a capacity of 9,508 and is the centerpiece of downtown Worcester’s development in the city’s historic Canal District.
The Polar Park design team was led by WooSox Chairman & Principal Owner Larry Lucchino (a Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres Hall of Famer) and renowned ballpark designer Janet Marie Smith (who worked with Lucchino to create Camden Yards in Baltimore in 1992 and save Fenway Park with 10 years of improvements, among other ballpark projects), along with D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects of Somerville, MA.
Polar Park features an open, fan-friendly design with many unique seating and dining options for fans of the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox to enjoy. This past April 30th, the park hosted its 1,000,000th fan in less than two years of WooSox games.
“We want to thank, among others, City of Worcester officials, our fans nationwide, our business partners, the State of Massachusetts, the construction workers, and of course Ballpark Digest for this award,” said Worcester Red Sox Chairman & Principal Owner Larry Lucchino. “We are honored and proud of Polar Park and the impact it has had in Central Massachusetts and beyond and we appreciate this recognition.”
"Polar Park had a stressful birth, with construction briefly shutting down at one point because of COVID concerns," said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. "Despite those difficult times, Polar Park is now one of the leading ballparks in baseball and a very popular draw. Congratulations to the entire WooSox ownership group and management team for bringing an innovative project to fruition and ultimate success."
PREVIOUS TRIPLE-A BEST OF THE BALLPARKS CHAMPS
2022: Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas Aviators
2021: Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas Aviators
2020: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City Dodgers
2019: Las Vegas Ballpark, Las Vegas Aviators
2018: Huntington Park, Columbus Clippers
2017: Huntington Park, Columbus Clippers
2016: Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville Bats
2015: Huntington Park, Columbus Clippers
ABOUT BALLPARK DIGEST
Ballparkdigest.com is part of August Publications, a Minneapolis-based publisher of websites and books. Other offerings from August Publications include Arena Digest, Soccer Stadium Digest, Football Stadium Digest, Spring Training Online and Yellowstone Insider. The website runs an annual Best of the Ballparks fan vote, beginning with spring training and college ballparks to regular-season MLB, MiLB and independent-baseball facilities.