Today, when fans enter the stadium through the home plate entrance, they are greeted by a statue in the concourse depicting Vonachen handing a foul ball to a young fan.ĭozer Park, originally known as O’Brien Field, is located in downtown Peoria, a few blocks west of the Illinois River. Baseball,” Vonachen later played a key role in laying the foundation for Dozer Park. During this time, the team, led by owner Pete Vonachen, set a number of Midwest League attendance records. A Class A circuit until 2020, the Midwest League was reclassified to High-A in 2021 as part of a major reorganization of minor league baseball.ĭimensions: left field, 310 feet midfield, 400 feet right field, 310 feetįrom 1983 to 2001, the Chiefs played Meinen Field, which they shared with the Bradley University baseball team. After two seasons as the Angels’ farm team, the Chiefs began alternating with their area’s two most popular major league clubs: Cubs (1985-94), Cardinals (1995-2004), Cubs (2005-2012), and finally Cardinals (2013-present).
Peoria was without a minor league team from 1958 to 1982 The following season, the Peoria Suns began playing in the Midwest League and changed their name to the Chiefs in 1984. Prominent Peoria teams of the late 19th and early 20th centuries include the Distillers (1898-1917), Tractors (1919-35), and the first iteration of the Chiefs (1953-57). America’s pastime has long been played in Peoria, when the Illinois River town first hosted a team in the 1870’s. This vaudeville-era question, most prominently voiced by Groucho Marx, simply meant, “Will it appeal to mainstream audiences?” Peoria, in this case, was a proxy for America on a grand scale. Notable Graduates : Greg Maddux, Ryne Sandberg (Manager), Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Kerry Wood, Joe Maddon (Manager), Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Grace Louis Cardinals since 2013)īallpark: Dozer Park (opened in 2002 as O’Brien Field) If you want to see how it plays in Peoria, plan a trip to the hometown Chiefs. Welcome to Dozer Park, a downtown stadium with an affinity for heavy machinery.
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