Baseball has always been popular in Altoona. The men who worked in the railroad shops had their own league at the turn of the century. My dad played as a boy and now, some 50 years later he's still playing. I played as a boy on some of the same sandlot fields that he did. My brothers kids play there today.

At the turn of the century, the Cricket Field was built for the executives of the Pennsylvania Railroad to attend English style cricket matches. The game never really caught on and over the years various baseball leagues began to use the field. On one occassion the most famous baseball player of all time played an exhibition game there. Babe Ruth as well as stars of the Negro Baseball League played at the Cricket Field.

In 1999 the AA farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates began playing in a newly constructed stadium.... The Altoona Curve!

Locally, pitching legend Nolan Ryan and his son Reid have brought AA baseball to the Austin area. The Round Rock Express played their first home game on April 16th, 2000 in the brand new Dell Diamond. Check out all the news from Minor League Baseball at the official web site. NOW AAA !!

Welcome to Blair County Ballpark, home of the Altoona Curve.