Chicago AL: South Side Park III 1901-10 (Revised Dec. 2005)

 

 

The first use of South Side Park III for baseball was by the White Sox (initially called the White Stockings) in the 1900 season.  The AL was still a minor league in 1900, and it was 1901 when major league baseball made its first appearance at South Side Park III. 

The park was located at West 39th St and Princeton.  The White Sox stayed at South Side Park III until mid-season 1910 when they moved into one of the first Classic Era ballparks-Comiskey Park.  Previously South Side Park III had been used by the Wanderers Cricket Club, and was located only four blocks south of the future site of Comiskey Park. 

A 1911 Sanborn fire insurance map was found (in 1911 the park was called American Giants Base Ball Park).  Unlike the ballpark photos for 1902-09, the 1911 Sanborn showed the only seating to be the grandstand and a set of 1B bleachers-no bleachers shown in LF, CF, or RF ^{(1, 2)} .  The Sanborn did provide the land plat of South Side Park III that measured 445 ft east-west along 39^th St on the southern boundary, and on the western side 540 ft north-south along Princeton Ave.  The park’s eastern boundary was setback about 150 ft from the street on the east, Wentworth Ave. The J. F. Kidwell greenhouses intruded on a portion of the eastern boundary of the park about 250 ft north the southern boundary (39^th St).  As a result, a short section of the perimeter fence in the right center field area ran nearly parallel with the southern boundary for about 60 ft and thus limited the distances in right center field.  The northern boundary of the park, that was parallel to the southern boundary, extended only 330 ft east from Princeton Ave.  At that corner of the property, the eastern boundary ran south until meeting a short diagonal section that joined with the aforementioned section of fence that was nearly parallel with the southern boundary.  The total area of the park was 5.0 acres, a size that was roughly typical of the early 20^th Century wooden pre-Classic ballparks

From a study of photos of South Side Park (from Library of Congress, American Memories), configuration information about the ballpark was obtained.  The covered grandstand (all of the stands were of wooden construction) extended in three separate sections from beyond 1B to well beyond 3B.  The main section of grandstand included roof tops box seats (added in June 1901) and extended between about halfway to 1B and halfway to 3B ^{(1, 3)}.    Beyond the 3B end of the main section of the grandstand, another section of the grandstand began after a gap and extended mote than halfway to the LF corner.  There were bleachers in nearly every part of the park: (1) in LF there were bleachers that were parallel to the park’s northern boundary, extended into CF, and in CF they hooked over and ended in right center,  (2) a separate set of bleachers (in the 3B-LF area) extended a moderate distance across the LF foul line at an angle of more than 90 degrees until joining the main LF bleachers,  (3) bleachers reached from the end of the 1B side of the grandstand towards the RF corner, and  (4) RF bleachers that began in foul territory, faced home plate, and extended about 50 ft past the RF foul line into fair territory.  There was a  scoreboard (about 25 ft long and 10 ft high) that was mounted above the RC fence (which was itself about 10 ft in height) and was in play.  There was a substantial amount of foul territory down the RF line. 

From game accounts, and notes on the White Stockings in the Chicago Tribune, it was learned that the RF fence was moved back in mid-season 1901 and again before the start of the 1903 season ^{(4, 5)}.  Configuration No. 1 was in use at the park for 31 games from April through June 1901.  The RF fence was moved an unknown distance back in early July.  Configuration No. 2 was in use from July 1901 until the end of the 1902 season.  Before the start of the 1903 season, the RF fence was again moved back further from home plate ⁽⁵⁾.  Again the distance of the move of the RF fence is unknown.  Configuration No. 3 was in use until the White Sox moved to Comiskey Park in mid-season 1910. 

The effect on home runs of the first move of the RF fence was both immediate and substantial.  In the original 1901 (No. 1) configuration of April-June 1901, 19 home runs were hit in 31 games at South Side Park.  In the remaining 41 home games of the 1901 season, only six additional home runs were hit.  Of these six, five were Over-the-Fence (OTF) home runs of which three were to RF.  In summary the mid-season 1901 relocation of the RF fence led to a tremendous reduction in the rate of OTF home runs to RF (see table following).  The second move of the RF fence led to further but less dramatic falls in per season total home runs, and OTF home runs to RF.  The home run data for all three ballpark configurations are shown below:

 

                                               Home Runs (HR) at South Side Park

 

Configuration       G    Total HR     OTF HR*      OTF HR to RF   OTF HR to RF/G

1  Apr-Jun 1901    31         19               14                    11                           0.355

2  July 1901-02    112        13                 6                      3                           0.027

3  1903-10           575         31               18                    10                           0.017

 

* Excludes Bounce Home Runs

 

From the home run data and the study of photos of South Side Park, home plate was located on the Sanborn and the following dimensions and average outfield distances were estimated:

 

                                                 Dimensions

 

Configuration     Time Period          LF        LC        CF         RC           RF

No. 1                   Apr-Jun 1901       330       397        386        360          270

No. 2                   July 1901-1902    330       397        386        360          300

No. 3                   1903-1910           330       397        386        360          325

 

                                                 Average Outfield Distances

 

Configuration     Time Period               LF               CF                 RF

No. 1                   Apr-Jun 1901            378              386                314

No. 2                   July 1901-1902         378              386                335

No. 3                   1903-1910                378              386                355

 

 

These dimensions must be considered in part rather rough estimates.  The RF dimensions are reasonably consistent with the number or OTF home runs (excluding Bounce home runs) to RF at two other AL ballparks in the 1901-03 seasons.  The average RF distance at Sportsman’s Park III in St. Louis was 331 ft, and OTF home runs to RF averaged 6.1/season (1902-08).  Hilltop Park in NY, with the short RF configuration (average RF distance estimated at 305 ft), produced 12 OTF home runs to RF in 1903-the only season with this configuration.  Philadelphia’s Shibe Park averaged 9.8 OTF home runs to RF for the time period 1901-08 while the average distance (adjusted for the fence height) was 307.  At South Side Park in the first half of the 1901 season OTF home runs to RF were on a pace to amount to 25 for the season.  Thus in early 1901 (with the No. 1 configuration), RF at South Side Park must have noticeably less than at any other AL park.  RF at South Side Park was estimated to have been about 270 (with an average RF distance for home runs of 304).  In the late 1901-02 configuration during which OTF home runs to RF dropped to two per season, the average RF distance must have less than before, and more than at 1903 Hilltop.  The average RF distance (for home runs) in Configuration No. 2 was estimated to have been 327.  In the 7.5 seasons (1903-10) at South Side Park, OTF home runs to RF averaged 1.3 per season.  The rate of home runs was more than at Bennett Park in Detroit, or AL Park II in Washington.  In both Detroit (1903-10) and in Washington (1904-10), OTF home runs to RF were known to have been less than one per season.  Bennett Park in Detroit had an average RF distance (1903-10) of 366, and AL Park II in Washington of 386, thus the greater rate of OTF home runs at South Side Park is consistent with the lesser estimated RF average distance (for home runs) of 347.

The estimated LF distances were developed consistent with an analysis of AL home run data for the 1904-10seasons.  OTF home run data for all eight AL ballparks were compiled using the SABR Home Run Log and game accounts in Deadball Era newspapers.  Information was obtained for each AL ballpark on the number of OTF home runs to LF, CF, and RF.  The time period for each park was selected such that there were no changes in the LF dimensions.  The results are shown below:

 

Club-Park                       Time Period    OTF HRs               Average LF                                                                                                                                                                                                    To LF                  Distance**

BOS-Huntington Ave         1904-09           1.0                        370

CHI-South Side                 1903-09           0.9                        374

CLE-League I                    1904-09           5.0                        349

DET-Bennett                      1901-09           0.8                        392

NY-Hilltop                         1903-09           1.1                        367

PHL-Shibe                         1904-08           4.8                        358

STL-Sportsman’s               1902-08           7.3                        355

WAS-AL II                       1904-10           0.7                        375

 

• *  Per Season
• ** Adjusted for Fence Height, Average of all LF points and Home Run weighted

 

From the HR data South Side Park had OTF home runs/season to LF very similar to BOS, DET, NY and WAS.  The locations of the LF bleachers and of the angled 3B-LF bleachers were estimated consistent with an average LF distance of 378.  On the Sanborn the LF dimension for South Side Park was derived as 330 ft.  Because of the angle of these 3B-LF bleachers, the home run distances increased rapidly as one moved away from the foul pole.  The average LF distance (weighted for home runs) at South Side Park was estimated at 374 which compares with the composite of BOS, DET, NY and WAS average LF distance of 376.  On the Sanborn, the LF distances could have been greater as the derived location of the LF bleachers was not up against the park’s’ northern boundary-this same LF bleacher configuration and location can be seen in Baseball Memories 1900-1909 (Marc Okkonen) ⁽³⁾.

Once the LF and RF distances had been derived, the Sanborn based ballpark diagram was completed with the RF fence (in its three locations) at more than 90 degrees to the foul line and the LF fence at less than 90 degrees to an extension of the LF line (excluding the short portion where it was the front of the 3B-LF bleachers).  The location of the CF bleachers was based on the relationships of the bleachers to the right center field fence and to the LF bleachers in the ballpark photos from the Library of Congress.

 

 

 

 

 

(1)   South Side Park photos from the Library of Congress, American Memories Collection

(2)   Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Chicago IL, 1911: Volume  2, Sheet 127

(3)   Baseball Memories 1900-1909, by Marc Okkonen

(4)   Chicago Tribune July 30, 1901

(5)   Chicago Tribune April 30, 1905