Duly Health and Care Field
Joliet, IL
Review by Mike
Duly Health & Care Field is the home of the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League. I passed through Joliet in 2002 and saw the skeleton of this ballpark rising in the heart of downtown Joliet and was glad to drop by 21 years later to see the finished product. You have to appreciate the humor in the names of both teams that have called The Duly home as both the Jackhammers and Slammers pay homage to Joliet’s most famous institution, Joliet Prison.
The ballpark is built on what I call the “Atlantic League” template with generous field-level seating, a wide, 360-degree concourse, and luxury suites / press boxes on an elevated structure that runs from 1st base to 3rd base, providing shade for the concessions at concourse level. It’s a pretty typical layout, but there are some interesting features here in Joliet.
First, the seats and the superstructure are all done in a dark Forest Green, making the entire stadium seem, well, dark. Add to that the all turf field, including “dirt”, and the whole place has a bit of an otherworldly look about it. On the bright side, arches are the order of day as all entrances, plus every suite on the second level feature steel arches that are quite appealing and add a bit of class to the place.
There are a couple of trees growing right on the concourse down the right field line that leads to a small, raised deck in the right field corner where the concourse comes right up against the weathered brick of an old warehouse. The effect is excellent and quite arresting. From here a walkway takes you all the way around the outfield with views over the fence, despite the fact that there is no outfield seating. I like being able to circumnavigate a stadium during a game.
Another interesting feature is beyond the left field fence where a bar can be found with a party deck on top of it. It’s set back from the fence a bit and reminds me of the rooftop seats at Wrigley Field. To add to the Wrigleyesque neighborhood feel is the 560’ sign hanging on the firehouse across the street. It would be quite a manhunt for any ball that went over the wall and reached that sign.
Duly Health & Care Stadium is immaculately maintained and has just enough unique quirks to make it stand out above the many other similar parks around the country. It has been the home of independent baseball for more than 20 years and should carry on for many more. Thank you to the office staff who were kind enough to show me around.
The stadium and ballclub earn an extra half a hot dog for the “Miracle League Field” that is found just beyond the centerfield fence, within the footprint of the stadium grounds. This space has been built and donated to provide opportunities for children and young adults with disabilities to play baseball. This is an all-volunteer organization doing great work and kudos to everyone involved in keeping this good work going.
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2023
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