LaGrave Field: A New Ballpark on a Historic Site
LaGrave Field has been the home of the Fort Worth Cats during two different baseball eras, 1926-1964 and 2002 to the present day.  The park has been the place to be in Fort Worth when in comes to baseball.  LaGrave Field, located off North Main between downtown and the stockyards, has a history unmatched by any ballpark in Texas.

Fort Worth Cats' owner Carl Bell helped bring a renaissance of the Cats back to Fort Worth in 2001.  The Cats have been a part of his life since his boyhood days when he attended games at the old LaGrave Field.  In 2002, his dream came full circle when he built the new LaGrave Field where the old ballpark once stood.  Home plate is exactly where it was in 1926 when the old facility opened. 

Fans have the opportunity to watch baseball at the same historic place where former Cats such as Bobby Bragan, Duke Snider, Maury Wills, Sparky Anderson, Carl Erskine, Rogers Hornsby and other Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams and Stan Musial played and ran the bases.

 In 2001, Carl Bell purchased the 14 acres where the old ballpark once stood.  The Cats were gone almost 40 years when Bell had the idea of bringing minor-league baseball back to Fort Worth. 

The View
LaGrave Field features one of the most breathtaking views in all of professional baseball. Located just north of downtown, LaGrave allows fans to enjoy a look at the towering skyscrapers and historic Tarrant County Courthouse shimmering in the setting sun.

The Dugouts
LaGrave Field is the only ballpark in America with four dugouts. When excavation began, the original dugouts which stood from 1926-1967 where unearthed, rennovated, and are now used as Dugout Suite which can be rented on a nightly basis.

The Bobby Bragan Dugout Suite, named for the legendary Cats' Player/Manager is on the first base side, right next to the Cats' dugout. This was the dugout used by the Cats during the height of their popularity in the 1940s and 50s.

The Paul LaGrave Dugout Suite, named for former Cats' executive Paul LaGrave, is on the third base dugout and offers fans the chance to sit in the dugout once occupied by some of the biggest names in baseball history as they came through Fort Worth for exhibition games.

Accolades
The Fort Worth Cats led the league in attendance in each of the first three seasons LaGrave Field was open. Also, LaGrave was named the Central League's Playing Field of the Year from 2002-2005. 

In 2003, the park was named one of the Top 10 Independent Ballparks in the nation by Baseball America and has been featured in the 2004 and 2007 Baseball America "Great Parks" Calendar.

On July 4, 2003, LaGrave Field set a new Central Baseball League record when a crowd of 9,126 watched the Cats and Jackson Senators. The Cats eclipsed that mark and set a modern LaGrave Field record when 12,457 fans saw the Cats defeat Wichita 9-3 on July 4, 2008.

In 2003, 2004 and 2006, 500 fans were allowed to watch the game from the left-field warning track on Independence Day.  

In addition to baseball games, LaGrave has been the host of a variety of different events such as concerts, weddings, boxing matches and more.

This bell, originally given to Bobby Bragan in the 1950s and mounted to the Cats' dugout, was donated to the Cats when LaGrave was rebuilt in 2002. It now resides beyond the outfield wall and rings with every Cats' home run and victory.	The only ballpark in America with four dugouts -- two have been restored from the original LaGrave and now serve as dugout suites. The first-base dugout is named for Bobby Bragan and the third-base dugout (above) named for former Cats' executive Paul LaGrave.	The Cats kick it old school with the manually-operated scoreboard in left field directly underneath the video board.

Dick Butler Flag Pole 

The Cats honor former Texas League president Dick Butler with a special plaque underneath the flag pole in front of LaGrave Field. The plaque reads "In Memory of Dick Butler, Baseball Ambassador, 1911-2003."

He was president of the Texas League from 1953-1966. He was also special assistant to major league commissioner Happy Chandler in 1946. Butler served as vice president and general manager of the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs from 1964-69. He lived many years in Fort Worth and died in December 2003.

 
Hall of Fame Sign
A part of LaGrave Field's treasured past is the number of Baseball Hall of Famers who played at LaGrave Field. All-time legends such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays and many others played in exhibition games as their respective teams were returning from Spring Training.

Also, Duke Snider (1946) and Sparky Anderson (1955), Rogers Hornsby (1942, manager) , Billy Williams (1959), Dick Williams (1948-50, '55) and Carl Hubbell (1927) are all members of the Hall of Fame who've actually worn the Cats' uniform.


 

Hall of Famers Who've Played at LaGrave Field
Babe Ruth Hank Aaron Pie Traynor George Sisler Sparky Anderson Ted Williams Jackie Robinson Warren Spahn Carl Hubbell Luke Appling Bobby Doerr Stan Musial Pee Wee Reese Willie McCovey Charlie Gehringer Dick Williams	Duke Snider Ralph Kiner Kiki Cuyler Lou Gehrig Brooks Robinson Lloyd Waner Paul Waner Earle Combs Heine Manush Joe DiMaggio Herb Pennock Tony Lazerri Rogers Hornsby Harry Heilman Chick Hafey	Bill Dickey Jim Bottomley Richie Ashburn Don Drysdale Monte Irvin Leo Durocher Larry Doby Yogi Berra Bob Feller Lou Boudreau Roy Campanella Red Schoendienst Eddie Mathews Willie Mays Bob Lemon Johnny Mize