Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)

[6][7] The Allegheny club abandoned Expo II in 1884, moving to Recreation Park, which was several blocks north and out of the flood plain.

[4] The final usage of Expo II for baseball came in the last week of August, 1884, where the struggling Union Association club dubbed the Pittsburgh Stogies finished out their schedule after moving from Chicago.

When the Players' League club began, they reconfigured the former racetrack for baseball purposes, including retaining a couple of the turrets left over from the track's grandstand.

[9] On June 10, 1890, Jocko Fields of the Pittsburgh Burghers hit the first home run at Exposition Park III.

The recurrent flooding which plagued the location through its entire existence led to this editorial comment about the Brotherhood (Players' League) club: "They have the most level grounds in the country.

After the 1903 season, Dreyfuss and Boston Americans owner Henry Killilea organized a best of nine-game series to match the two pennant winners against each other.

[11] On October 6, 1903, 7,600 people attended the first World Series game in a National League stadium—the Pirates won by one run.

The Pirates won the game 8–1 in front of 5,545 people,[14] with George Gibson achieving the final National League hit in the ballpark.

There were some cosmetic changes to the ballpark, including the removal of the rooftop turrets, and construction of a roof over the bleachers on the first base side.

In 1915, the team, renamed the Pittsburgh Rebels, improved from the previous season, finishing just percentage points behind the first place Chicago Whales.

The venue continued to host Semi-professional baseball games, circuses, scrap metal drives and other events, but "was eventually razed".

South Avenue later became General Robinson Drive, and the 700 address corresponds to the ballpark's main entrance, now part of a parking lot.

George Hubbard Clapp then organized a voluntary $5 "athletic fee" to be paid by students in order to allow the debt to be repaid and the school's football team to play home games at Exposition Park during the next season in order to give the WUP team a more permanent and stable home.

Mosse and university officials then obtained a lease to play at Exposition Park during the fall from Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss for 20% of the admission fee.

A gong, used to announce the beginning of Pirates games, was also sounded prior to the opening kickoff of WUP football contests.

[20] In 2018, the faded home plate paint was replaced by a metal plaque by the Society for American Baseball Research.

[5] Interstate 279 currently runs over portions of the site of Exposition Park just before crossing the Allegheny River along the Fort Duquesne Bridge.

Postcard ca. 1900 including Exposition Park
The Pirates, 1903
Baseball game, 1904
A view of Exposition Park III in 1915. Exposition Hall and its rollercoaster can also be seen in the foreground
University of Pittsburgh football game, 1908
1906 Sanborn diagram of Exposition Park