The Asheville Tourists
We did see plenty of visitors in Downtown Asheville, but I’m referring to the minor league baseball team. One of our all-time favorite movies is Bull Durham, and Asheville is where Crash Davis hits his record-setting home run and hangs up his cap. Naturally, we wanted to see a baseball game here. Lucky for us, on our last night, there was a home game in McCormick Field: the Asheville Tourists versus the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
It was an evening game, and it was 70℉ - perfect! We liked being able to walk to the stadium, which was nestled against a big hill. The stands were less than half full, so after the second inning we moved to different seats for more elbow room. Minor League Baseball games are relaxed and very family-oriented, and we enjoyed watching the kid contests between innings. And we ate hot dogs, something we almost never do, because they always taste great at a ballpark.
It was an interesting game! The pitch clock kept things moving along at a good pace. We saw three home runs (two over the wall), a broken bat that landed near second base, and an attempt to steal Home plate. And we saw plenty of runs scored; by the time we had to leave, the Tourists were leading, 8 to 3 in the seventh. (Final score: Asheville 12, Greensboro 3.)
Fun Facts
McCormick Park opened in 1924 and is the third-oldest ball park in Minor League Baseball (the older parks are in Daytona Beach and Bradenton, Florida).
Professional baseball has been played in Asheville since 1897, with the Asheville Moonshiners. They adopted the name Tourists in 1915.
Other teams in the South Atlantic League include the Brooklyn Cyclones, the the Rome (Georgia) Emperors, and the Hub City (Spartanburg) Spartanburgers.
More Fun
One of my favorite scenes from Bull Durham
