Classic Park

Classic Park has been home to the Lake County Captains since 2003.
Classic Park has been home to the Lake County Captains since 2003.

Classic Park opened in time for the 2003 baseball season, when the new Lake County Captains played in the South Atlantic League before joining the Midwest League before the start of the 2010 season. The facility seats 7,273 fans, putting it right in the middle of the pack in terms of Midwest League ballpark capacities. Classic Park has dimensions of 320 feet to left field, 400 feet to center field and 320 feet to right field. Unbeknownst to some fans, the park’s name is corporate; the word “Classic” comes from Classic Automotive Group, an area car dealership chain that owns the naming rights to the ballpark.

The field at Classic Park has received several accolades since the facility opened. In 2003, 2004 and 2007, the field was named the South Atlantic League’s best playing surface.

One of the park’s trademark sights is the Chevy Classic Lighthouse, located behind the center field fence. If a home run hits the lighthouse, one fan will walk away with $1,000. This isn’t the only giveaway to watch out for — if a player’s home run ball hits the banner on the front of the bleachers, a fan wins $250.

Classic Park boasts a scoreboard that is large by Midwest League standards — perhaps inspired by nearby Progressive Field’s trademark board. It features a video board on the upper half and a standard statistics/box scoreboard on the lower half.