May 29, 1998
Frontier Field (Capacity: 10,840)
Rochester, NY
Rochester Red Wings vs Durham Bulls
Final Score: 3 – 1
* The ballpark was re-visited August 6, 2021
* The ballpark was renamed Innovative Field
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Frontier Field hosts the oldest team in Minor League Baseball, the Rochester Red Wings, who began as a franchise in 1899. After moving into their own stadium in 1929, the team took on the Red Wings nickname that has remained to this day. In 1957, the Wings were about to be sold and moved, when local businessman Morrie Silver saved the day as he led the charge for a publicly owned franchise. Rochester Community Baseball and its shareholders still own the team today. Rochester has won 10 Governor’s Cups and they spent 41 years affiliated with Baltimore before that relationship turned sour (they are now partnered with Washington). Frontier Field was built in 1996, though it didn’t host baseball until a year later. The reason for my ‘first official visit’ coming in 1998 was that I spent my summer nights in 1997 watching the Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer team, who used the facility for a decade before moving into their own stadium. Frontier is modeled loosely after Camden Yards and the food has always been the biggest highlight of this ballpark.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
Rochester is the third largest city in New York with a population around 200,000 and it is located in the western part of the state, just south of Lake Ontario. Built on the rapid growth of places like Kodak and Xerox, the decline of those companies led to the city reinventing themselves as a technology and education hub. Rochester’s entertainment options aren’t too expansive, though the Strong Museum and Eastman Museum are good visits. Frontier Field is situated in downtown Rochester, near the Kodak building. There is not much surrounding the immediate stadium, however if you walk a little down Morrie Silver Way, you’ll find High Falls. This district could and should be so much more, but development has failed and the only thing to do is to look at the Falls (which is quite nice).
Location Ranking: 5.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
The ballpark is right off of I-490, but it can be a tad awkward to get to. Thankfully, everything is signed well and once you see the park, it’s easy to navigate. There are two huge and convenient parking lots that take care of most parking. During the daytime in the workweek, these parking lots are used by city employees (mostly from Kodak), so the Wings’ website needs to be looked at for alternate parking options. Traffic usually isn’t an issue.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
The exterior is fine as a red brick layout is intertwined with green beams. Shape is standard and the main entrance is behind home plate. I would have liked to seen a little grander of an entrance as fans walk through gates to the visible concourse. Only some small “Frontier Field” signs are placed above the gates. Meanwhile, the front plaza has a nice mix of old-style lampposts and occasional brick in the sidewalks.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
Moving past the opening gates, the entrance into the concourse is quite large and it quickly becomes apparent how wide and spacious the concourse is. Plenty of space ensures that walking through is no problem. The only slight downside is being closed off with no views of the field, though the breezeway to home plate has a very wide opening. Walls are brick and beams from the seating bowl can be seen throughout. There is also a team store near the main entrance.
Concourse Ranking: 4 out of 5
Food
Likely the best feature at Frontier Field is the food. Since its opening (and before it was cliché to upgrade stadium food), the ballpark has had terrific offerings and it continues today. Local delicacies are always great to try, like a Zweigle’s White Hot (dog) or a “Plate”, which is a version of Nick Tahou’s famous Garbage Plate. The plate consists of meat (a hot dog or burger) mixed with homefries, beans and/or macaroni salad combined with hot sauce. It’s a Rochester thing and make sure you have bread with it or be close to a bathroom. Other popular and very good items include Red Osier’s Prime Rib Sandwich and Chicken French. Meanwhile, Frontier has entire food stations devoted to Crepes, Coffee and Macaroni and Cheese. There are plenty of deserts too. Beer has a Rochester flavor with varieties of Genesee and the Rohrbach Brewing Company, which makes a special Red Wing Ale. Save your appetite for a Wings game because eating here is a must.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8
Interior
The set-up features a single level seating bowl that is split in the middle by a walkway. Most of the green seats in the ballpark are in the upper sections, where the slope of seating is not terribly steep. One noticeable thing is the large openings that go to the concourse, as they create some holes in the bowl. Seats end at the same point on both sides, about halfway between 3rd base and the warning track. A small grassy, general admission section is located at the end of the seats. The third base side features a lot more open space along with picnic areas, while a few more separate picnic sections are found on the other side. At the top of the seating bowl is the press box and luxury suites, of which there are 28. Designers didn’t build a roof, much to the dismay of locals, so an overhang was added after the stadium was built over multiple section towards the end of each side (they also turned these suites underneath into party areas). Frontier Field’s view is good, with the large Kodak building on the 3rd base side and the Rochester city skyline in right field. However, there is not too much to look at (besides a parking garage) for your main view at the center of vision beyond the wall. Overall, the park is nice, though nothing spectacular.
Interior Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard in left field is dated as the center video screen has panels that are broken. Clarity of video is poor as well and it’s almost useless since they moved the box score to a separate spot just over the left field bullpen. What used to be a dot-matrix board in right-center now is all video and that one is more clear. The size still isn’t large enough though. During the game, that board is too busy as all of the graphics, text and numbers present a muddled look that is nauseating to look at.
Scoreboard Ranking: 2 out of 4
Displays
Bricks make up a big part of this ballpark and there are a couple spots where personally inscribed messages can be spotted on the sidewalks. One of these areas is in the left corner, where a “Walk of Fame” can be found as Rochester’s sports legends are honored. There are inductees each year and they do a nice job of honoring those from all over the sporting world in Rochester. The Wings have their own Hall of Fame and that is displayed eloquently on a concourse wall. The three most famous Wings have retired numbers with one of the best displays I’ve seen on an outfield wall as it includes a picture of each person. Luke Easter, Joe Altobelli and Morrie Silver are those that are honored and the latter two also have statues at the ballpark. Also on the wall are the team’s 10 Governors Cup Titles.
Displays Ranking: 5.5 out of 6
Cost
Parking is $6, which is to be expected for a mid-size city in minor league baseball, but still on the higher end. Tickets have understandably gone up in 2021, though they are a bit higher than their counterparts on each side of the New York State Thruway. Average prices for a seat are between $15 and $20. Concession prices are up as well compared to my last visit as hot dogs are $4.75 and French Fries $3.75. Beer prices are getting close to $10.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
Being community owned, there is a close-knit feel to the team. A good base of fans exist and that can be seen with occasional apparel and bumper stickers around the city. However, it doesn’t necessarily translate well to the gate as even weekend fireworks nights struggle to see the park at more than half capacity. Rochester is typically in the lower half of the International League’s attendance standings.
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a little better than normal as the crowd pops quite nicely at things that matter during the game. There was one particular close play at First Base that elicited a big “awwww” when the Umpire made the out call. One thing that greatly enhances the game atmosphere (in my opinion) are the organ tunes played by Fred Costello, which helps set the stage for an excellent, old-time baseball feel.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Frontier is a local telecommunication company that has naming rights. That certainly makes for one of the better corporate ballpark names. It also partially explains why there are pay phones still hanging in the concourse. My kids were confused when they saw those…..General Manager Dan Mason has been at the helm since 1995 and deserves mention as one of the classiest, well-respected guys in the business….There’s an interesting display in the concourse worth checking out as a replica horse is built out of baseball gloves…..With a large deaf community in Rochester, the team hosts a popular Deaf Culture Night each year, which is a very thoughtful move. A similarly great gesture by the team, is the designation of a “nut-free zone”, where kids with allergies can enjoy the game without worry, something that is normally difficult with peanuts being synonymous with baseball. Additionally, there are food stands free of gluten and dairy.
Game (Initial Visit)
In my first game, the Wings scored all of their runs in the fifth inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead and hang on for the win.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
