Dodd Stadium

Home plate entrance to Sen. Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium, Aug-2011.

The seating bowl, built for Double-A ball, hosting a New York-Penn League game 16 years later.

The view from behind the plate looks out over advertisements and trees.

• Location: Norwich Business Park, Stott Street, Norwich, Conn.
• Opened: 1995
• Home teams: Norwich Navigators (1995-2005), Connecticut Defenders (2006-09), Eastern League; Connecticut Tigers (2010-present), New York-Penn League
• Capacity: 6,275

Chronological Tour: Stop 78

Rating: 3 baseballs

There are two roads in, and they lead through an industrial park. The field can be approached by a long winding road off Conn. Route 2, or by another road that parallels the Connecticut Turnpike (I-395).

Is the drive worth it? Dodd Stadium is nice enough, but I really didn’t see anything here that was unusual or outstanding. The field’s at the top of a hill, so it really doesn’t look out on anything except a few surrounding trees.

Despite this, the field has been visited by ESPN. The main reason was the appearance of New York Yankees pitching prospect Hideki Irabu during the 1997 season.

After eight seasons as a New York Yankees affiliate, the Navigators became a San Francisco Giants farm club in 2003. The Yankees are now associated with the Trenton Thunder.

In 2006, the club changed its name to the Connecticut Defenders, dumping the Gator mascot that had been confusing as there isn’t an alligator to be found outside of captivity within hundreds of miles of Norwich Business Park. Then, in 2009, the team announced that it would no longer be defending Connecticut but instead moving to Richmond, Va. for 2010. However, the New York-Penn League relocated its Oneonta franchise to Norwich in time for the 2010 season.