In a previous blog, I wrote about my recent visit to Frawley Stadium and a pre-game walk down the Riverwalk of Downtown Wilmington (Delaware). For some reason or another, I am finding myself arriving way, way too early for baseball games recently. Good thing is…around the baseball stadiums, there is a “whole nother world” out there for me to explore and experience. The Riverwalk was awesome and it filled up a few hours of my time pre-game. Highly recommend it if you are in the Downtown Wilmington (DE) area for a Blue Rocks game.
So, I was in line at or around 5:15pm with about 50 elementary school kids, their parents and a bunch of dogs and dog owners – all of us waiting to get into Frawley Stadium for the Wilmington Blue Rocks vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods game. The school kids were there to sing the pre-game anthems and to take in the game, if they so chose. Game time was at or around 6:30pm, so when the gates opened at 5:30pm there was a mad dash to get up the stairs and into the stadium. Tuesday was a very hot day and shade was in demand for many of us humans and most of the doggies. I hopped up the stairs, excited to see Frawley from the inside, and snagged a few photos before getting my phone charged up via a left field bleachers outlet.
Officially, Judy Johnson Field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium opened in 1993 and has been the home field for the Wilmington Blue Rocks since its opening. The Blue Rocks are the High-A Affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Their opponent on Tuesday night was the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who are the High-A Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Hot Rods feature a Rhode Island High School baseball star, Ryan Andrade, who played at Middletown High School, then went on to play at URI and University of Pittsburgh before being drafted in 2024. Part of my reasoning for the trip to Frawley on Tuesday was to perhaps catch Andrade pitching. Fast forwarding a bit, I did not see him pitch. No worries, it is still cool when I see RI players in the Minors and Major Leagues, even if they are just sitting in the dugout or in the bullpen!
I was psyched to find an outlet to charge my cellphone. On these baseball adventures, I use a lot of my phone’s battery on directions, photos, fact checking, and sometimes video recording. After my trek down and back on the Riverwalk, my phone was at about 25% capacity. After my charge in left field, it was near 80%, so I headed out for some photography and to experience the Frawley Stadium I couldn’t see on my last trip to Delaware. Along the way, I asked a stadium valet if they had a POW/MIA Seat of Honor. She pointed to the seating area where I could find the seat and pay my respects to our military heroes. I hope you will do the same if you see a Seat of Honor at your baseball or sports stadium.
As I mentioned earlier in the blog, Tuesday was a Bark in the Park event. It always so much fun seeing all the great dog breeds, big and small, having a blast at the park with their dog owners. Many of the dogs and their owners found seating with a lot of seats in between them and the next dog or group of fans, just in case their dog needs extra space to roam. Some dogs playfully bark at other dogs, many just sit on their owner’s lap, some just find shade under a stadium seat. On Tuesday night, I saw a ton of great dogs and all were well trained and having a nice night at the ballpark.
I got the feeling that the seating arrangements and where everyone sat on Tuesday was somewhat up for personal interpretation. On a non-sellout night, I love when the stadium valets let you sort of roam around and sit where you want. With the exception of the suites, and right behind home plate, on a non-sellout night at the ballpark, it is nice to be able to sit in left field, then behind home plate up towards the concourse, and other spots around the stadium and get a great sense of what fans see from different vantage points. I mostly stayed in LF/3rd base because the sun was setting behind me and there was no glare there. I tried taking a photo earlier from the 1st base side of the stadium, and the sun was right in my eyes and photograph. I ended up watching about 6 innings or so of the game from the 3rd base area before heading out.
I mentioned earlier that BG Hot Rods RHP Ryan Andrade did not pitch on Tuesday night. He did pitch on Thursday and Sunday against the Blue Rocks, going a total of 3 innings, striking out 4, with no hits or runs allowed. Pretty cool and I am psyched that he threw the ball well. To finish up on Tuesday’s adventure to Wilmington, I had a blast both inside Frawley and walking the nearby Riverwalk. Frawley is a really cool baseball stadium, more of a classic design and style like my nearby Harbor Park. My view from the 3rd base area was perfect. Plus, there were a ton of dogs around my spot, and that is always fun to be a part of. Overall, for the day, it was an incredible Wilmington nature and baseball experience walking the Riverwalk and catching the Blue Rocks at Judy Johnson Field, Frawley Stadium.
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