Not every nook and cranny of the ballpark was finished, but the excitement of opening day at a new stadium brought a crowd of 13,000 to a fever pitch in downtown Louisville.
The Louisville RiverBats and Norfolk Tides played the first-ever game at Louisville Slugger Field under clear night skies on April 12, 2000. The primetime event impressed Louisville leadoff hitter Deion Sanders, who was in town for a rehabilitation assignment for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds.
"It's a wonderful facility," the future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee said of the $27.8 million baseball stadium. "Nicer on the outside than it is on the inside (the clubhouses were unfinished at the time). But it's beautiful. I've been involved in a number of firsts in my life, and I'm glad this is another first for me."
Sanders was also the first Louisville player to score a run at Slugger Field. He dashed to home plate from second base in the fifth inning, helping the RiverBats cut into Norfolk's lead after the Tides had scored the first three runs of the game. Louisville ultimately lost its home opener, 8-5.
Construction crews were still active in the hours before opening night, collecting debris and tucking away wires around the new yard. The main entrance to the stadium was not quite complete when baseball fans passed through. Nevertheless, many of the spectators in attendance were in awe of Slugger Field, The Courier Journal reported in the April 13, 2000 edition.
Most of the reported stadium complaints were related to traffic jams downtown, which were expected to calm as the season went on, and from pitchers who thought the park was too hitter-friendly.
Slugger Field, with its downtown location and modern features, looked like a significant upgrade from the old Cardinal Stadium, where the Louisville Redbirds played from 1982-98. The RiverBats (the team dropped the "River" part of their name ahead of the 2002 season) played at Cardinal Stadium in 1999.
"It's way beyond anything I'd ever dreamed we'd be playing in," RiverBats chairman Dan Ulmer said of Slugger Field in 2000. "This is a two- or three-generation upgrade from Cardinal Stadium. I can't tell you how many people were asking for tickets who haven't been out to a game in 10 years."
Now a quarter-century after Slugger Field opened its doors for the first time, the Bats are highlighting the team's legacy as the RiverBats in its new secondary logo. The RiverBats logo depicted Buddy Bat, the team's mascot, wearing a cap and swinging a baseball bat.
"Our secondary logo takes heavy inspiration from (the original RiverBats design) with the aim to blend the past, present, and future of the Louisville Bats," according to a statement from the organization.
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal:
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