Historic Damaschke Field

The Historic Damaschke Field of Oneonta, NY opened it’s gates in 1906 and is still going strong as one of the oldest active ballparks in America. It was originally named Elm Park until 1968, when the City of Oneonta decided to rename it in honor of Earnest C. “Dutch” Damaschke, a longtime Commissioner of Recreation for Oneonta. During the first two decades of existence, Damaschke hosted a variety of teams ranging from amateur and college all the way to semi-pro and minor league professional baseball. This included a game involving the Sultan of Swat himself, Babe Ruth. His All-Star team played an exhibition game against an Endicott-Johnson team on October 16, 1920. The legend goes as following, “Babe Ruth hit a home run over the right field fence during the eighth inning of the barnstorming game. In the fifth inning of that game, Ruth reportedly fractured a small bone in his left wrist while attempting slide into first base, although the following day in Jersey City he hit another of his exhibition home runs, suggesting that his wrist was fine.” This was just the beginning of the rich history of Oneonta Pro Baseball. The first professional baseball . . . Read More Here!