- Mercer County Waterfront Park
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Coordinates: 40°12′12″N 74°45′39″W / 40.2032°N 74.7609°W
Mercer County Waterfront Park 
Waterfront Park
Location One Thunder Road
Trenton, NJ, 08611Broke ground September 29, 1993[1] Opened May 9, 1994 Owner Mercer County Operator Trenton Thunder Surface Grass Construction cost $16.2 million US
($24 million in 2011 dollars[2])Architect Clark Caton Hintz Project Manager Burris Construction Company[1] Structural engineer Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, LLC.[3] General Contractor Scozzari Builders Inc. Capacity 6,341 Field dimensions Left Field - 330 ft
Center Field - 407 ft
Right Field - 330 ftTenants Trenton Thunder (1994-present) Samuel J. Plumeri, Sr. Field at Mercer County Waterfront Park (sometimes referred to as simply Waterfront Park) is a stadium in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the home baseball park for the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League. Official seating capacity is 6,341.
The park was built for the 1994 season, although it opened several weeks late due to a rough winter that hampered construction. The sod also was unable to take properly that season, and the field did not properly drain, leading to rainouts on evenings where the sun had been out since noon. The drainage problem was fixed in 1995.
While the outfield in left and center field is covered with advertising signs that obscure views of Route 29 and nearby houses, the right field fence was kept as a short structure so that fans could see the Delaware River and Pennsylvania beyond. The river is also an inviting target for left-handed sluggers, several of whom have deposited baseballs into the water. Similar to Great American Ball Park and its river border with Kentucky, Waterfront Park also holds the possibility of having someone "hit one out of the state" since the middle of the Delaware River is the border with Pennsylvania.
The park was named by the owner of the Trenton Thunder, Joe Plumeri (Chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings), after his father in 1999.[4][5][6]
Waterfront Park set a record for game attendance on July 3, 2011, when the Thunder played the Altoona Curve. The game had the fortune of falling on the Independence Day holiday weekend, as well as featuring a injury rehabilitation appearance by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees. The official attendance for the game was 9,212.[7]
The stadium anchors an area of rejuvenation in Trenton that also includes office buildings, nightclubs, and the Sun National Bank Center, several blocks away, for ice hockey and basketball.
References
- ^ a b Tom McCarthy (2003). Baseball in Trenton. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738513105. http://books.google.com/books?id=mvFmZ2kPiBAC&pg=PA10&dq=plumeri+trenton&hl=en&ei=J14-TNrgN8Oclge6_cz4BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=plumeri%20&f=false.
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ "Entertainment". Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, LLC. http://www.psands.com/markets/ent.php.
- ^ "Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues – Samuel J. Plumeri Field at Mercer County Waterfront Park – Trenton Thunder". Littleballparks.com. http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2002/Trenton/trenton.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Tom McCarthy (2003). Baseball in Trenton. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738513105. http://books.google.com/books?id=mvFmZ2kPiBAC&pg=PA10&dq=plumeri+trenton&hl=en&ei=J14-TNrgN8Oclge6_cz4BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=plumeri%20&f=false. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ Josh Pahigian (2007). The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip: A Fan's Guide to AAA, AA, A, and Independent League Stadiums. Globe Pequot. ISBN 159921024X. http://books.google.com/books?id=1DaQ8oNXuE0C&pg=PA45&dq=plumeri+trenton&hl=en&ei=J14-TNrgN8Oclge6_cz4BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^ "Jeter finishes rehab; set to rejoin Yankees". New York Post. July 4, 2011. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/captain_america_HqTEhedh2YHh9BYk1DTaOO. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
External links
- Mercer County Park Commission
- Trenton Thunder
- Samuel J. Plumeri Field at Mercer County Waterfront Park Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
Trenton Thunder Founded in 1980 • Based in Trenton, New Jersey The Club Ballparks East Field • Labatt Memorial Park • Mercer County Waterfront ParkCulture Yankees Organization New York • Scranton/Wilkes-Barre • Tampa • Charleston • Staten Island • GCL Yankees • DSL Yankees1 • DSL Yankees2Retired Numbers Key Personnel Owner: Garden State Baseball, LP • General Manager: Brad Taylor • Manager: Tony FranklinEastern League
Championships (2)Northern Division
Championships (4)Seasons (29) 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008www.trentonthunder.com Current ballparks in the Eastern League Eastern Division FirstEnergy Stadium · Hadlock Field · Mercer County Waterfront Park · NYSEG Stadium · New Britain Stadium · Northeast Delta Dental StadiumWestern Division Blair County Ballpark · Canal Park · Jerry Uht Park · Metro Bank Park · Prince George's Stadium · The DiamondCategories:- Eastern League ballparks
- Minor league baseball venues
- Baseball venues in New Jersey
- Trenton, New Jersey
- Buildings and structures in Mercer County, New Jersey
- Visitor attractions in Mercer County, New Jersey
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