Hillsboro Ballpark

Hillsboro Hops, Northwest League

7/10

             The ballpark has a pretty basic exterior. On the left, you can see the football grandstand.

The Eugene Emeralds' hitter, clad in his tie-dyed jersey, tries his luck at the bat.

A pretty decent crowd on one of the last nights of the season.

I got to see the Hillsboro Ballpark in its first year in 2013 as the 2nd stop of my ballparking trip for the year. I took the scenic route down from Tacoma, enjoying some great views on the Oregon coast before making the trip inland to Hillsboro, a western suburb around a 20 minute drive west of downtown Portland. I arrived to find the newly minted Hillsboro Hops, the Arizona Short-Season A affiliate battling the Eugene Emeralds, the Padres' team, with the Hops attempting to reel in the Boise Hawks for the division flag. Not every fan was aware of the pennant race, but those that were very interested in the game, which was fun to be around for.

The Portland area had been without pro baseball after the Beavers moved away following the 2010 season. The Yakima Bears were dissatisfied with Yakima County Stadium, as well as the state of the local economy. Combine that with Portland being the biggest market for the NWL without a team, and the local government in Yakima not budging on renovations and the writing was on the wall. A proposal in Vancouver(the other Vancouver) just across the state line from Portland fell through, so the Hillsboro group made their play and got the job done, pro baseball is back the Portland area.

The park was built on a pre-existing rec complex, attached to a 7,600 seat football stadium, Hillsboro Stadium. It works out that the ballpark and football stadium share a concourse, on the third base side. You can see the football stadium clearly in the photos I've posted. Because of this, things like parking and access routes have already been figured out, so there weren't any headaches here. The concessions have numerous offerings, including local beers and there are more than a few of them, on the third base side, they're shared with the football stadium.  The atmosphere was enjoyable in general, nothing too overbearing, but nothing particularly unique either.

Hillsboro has a very sleek, clean looking park, with ample concessions, but there are a few issues that arose. First of all, the main entrance is just offset from the third base side and shared used with the football stadium. This means most fans head in this way. The only way to the seats on the first base side is to walk past the entrances to the suites, on a relatively narrow concourse. I got out of there prior to the game ending, but could see it being a chokepoint. As well, I watched the last inning from the third base side, to facilitate a speedy getaway.

Not.

So.

Fast.

Security gave us the stop sign going down the stairs, so we all waited. Out a side door the vanquished Eugene Emeralds had to walk right in front of us, to go down a path to the football stadium, to access the visitors clubhouse. I don't know if this wasn't planned, or if a tunnel for the visitors isn't ready yet, but awkward doesn't even begin to describe this. About 500 people or so had built up by the time the team was walking out and one fan broke the silence: "Well, thanks for comin'" After the team was gone, we filed out. It sticks out as probably the single worst logistical error at a ballgame I've ever come across. After an ugly game, it has the potential to turn into an ugly scene. I really hope it gets fixed.

Anyhow, besides that, Hillsboro has turf. Fair enough, most places seem to these days, but Hillsboro has A LOT. Including two different colours between the infield and outfield(this is supposedly an error by the company that installed it, which they are fixing for free during the offseason) as well as something else I've never seen before: turf base paths. Combine this with a few hours of rain before the game and sliding became an interesting proposition. I'm hardly a physics expert, but as I saw, it's pretty difficult to stop while sliding on wet turf. A torrent of water came up every time and even the slowest minor leaguer looked like Robbie Alomar doing a headfirst slide. The Hops' players seemed to know their park and were hooking at least one foot every time, or sliding right at the base, while a few Eugene players literally slid into the base coaches box, having to scramble to avoid a close play. I realize the Pacific Northwest is hard place to keep grass serviceable(I grew up in BC after all), but maybe dirt base paths aren't a lot to ask for at a pro game? I'd hate to see a bad injury or something...

Overall, don't get me wrong, I liked this park and it's a noticeable improvement for the club when compared to Yakima. I'm also glad Portland has a pro ball club right next door after losing the Beavers THREE TIMES. This looks like a good home for the team, and hopefully with time, it'll get a bit of a personality and some of the more obvious issues(as little as they probably matter in the long haul) will get ironed out. I'd be open to going back in a few years to see how things are coming along. For now, it's a 7/10.

Update 2016: Not much else to add here. The ballpark is now Ron Tonkin Field, named after a dozen or so car dealerships in the northwestern part of the state of Oregon. The Hops have won the NWL flag the last two seasons and are 3rd in attendance, only drawing behind Spokane and Vancouver. They have about twice as many fans on average as they did in Yakima. I would consider a return trip, but if I had a choice, my review in Salem needs to get touched up first.

Linescore
2009-08-29
                                        123    456   789    R H E
Eugene Emeralds(SD)        000   002    000    2 7 0
Hillsboro Hops(ARI)            004   301    01x   9 11 0
Temp:72F    Time: 2:59   Att: 4,535