[citation needed] From 1943 until 1945, the stadium hosted Spring training for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians when teams were forced to hold their training closer to their home cities due to restrictions in place as a result of the United States' participation in World War II.

[12] The project, at a cost of $20 million,[13] saw the stadium's configuration flipped, placing home plate in what had been center field.

[14] The original seating area was removed and made part of Columbian Park surrounding the stadium.

[15] The stadium's grass playing surface was replaced with a synthetic turf to allow the facility to host additional types of events, and the seating capacity was decreased from 3,500 to 2,600.

[10][15] Additionally, the playing surface was lowered by seven feet, allowing for improved sightlines from all stadium seats.