Wild Things Park
Washington, PA
Review by Gary
For many years, Wild Things Park was the Loch Ness Monster of ballparks for both Mike and me. We knew it was there, but we could only just catch a glimpse of it as we zipped along I-70, never having the time to drop in for a visit. At long last, I found a window of opportunity while driving from Michigan to Virginia. My luck held as there was a high school game being played during the day I stopped by, which gave me a chance to step inside for a look around.
Washington, PA is just south of Pittsburgh and is known as the location of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. This was one of the first open rebellions against the new U.S. government and Constitution. The outbreak of hostilities centered on a tax being imposed on whiskey distillation in the region.
Wild Things Park is home to the Frontier League’s Washington Wild Things. The ballpark is neighbor to the PONY Baseball & Softball International Headquarters. This HQ also houses the PONY Baseball and Softball Museum, whose collection holds artifacts from PONY’s inception in 1951 to the present.
The Wild Things have played their home games at Wild Things Park since the 2002 season. This multi-purpose and very inviting ballpark features both bleacher seating as well as individual field-level fold-down seats with back and arm rests. A generous concourse wraps from pole to pole and seems to have a larger capacity than the 3,200 seats advertised. I did find that the vast foul territory on both sides of the diamond did set the fans a bit further away from the action than I would have liked, but there is a great view of the hills beyond the outfield walls that serves a park and fitness trail for the locals.
I liked the clean, crisp look of Wild Things Park and was grateful for the staff person who allowed me to roam around the ballpark on this sunny August day in 2021.
2021
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170
