Baker Bowl Baker Bowl is the best - known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States . Its formal name , painted on its outer wall , was National League Park . It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds . It was on a small city block bounded by N . Broad St . , W . Huntingdon St . , N . 15th St . and W . Lehigh Avenue . The ballpark was initially built in 1887 . At that time the media praised it as state - of - the - art . In that dead - ball era , the outfield was enclosed by a relatively low wall all around . Center field was fairly close , with the railroad tracks running behind it . Later , the tracks were lowered and the field was extended over top of them . Bleachers were built in left field , and over time various extensions were added to the originally low right field wall , resulting in the infamous fence . The ballpark ' s second incarnation opened in 1895 . Its upper deck was notable for having the first cantilevered design in a sports stadium and was the first ballpark to be constructed primarily from steel and brick . It also took the rule book literally , as the sweeping curve behind the plate was about , and instead of angling back toward the foul lines , the wide foul ground extended all the way to the wall in right , and well down the left field line also . The spacious foul ground , while not fan - friendly , would have resulted in more foul - fly outs than in most parks , and thus was probably the park ' s one saving grace in the minds of otherwise - frustrated pitchers . The Baker Wall . The most notable and talked - about feature of Baker Bowl was the right field wall , which was only some 280 feet ( 85 m ) from home plate , with right - center only 300 feet ( 91 . 5 m ) away , and with a wall - and - screen barrier that in its final form was 60 feet ( 18 m ) high . By comparison , the Green Monster at Fenway Park is 37 feet ( 11 m ) high and 310 feet ( 94 m ) away . The Baker wall was a rather difficult task to surmount . The wall was an amalgam of different materials . It was originally a relatively normal - height masonry structure . When it became clear that it was too soft a home run touch , the barrier was extended upward using more masonry , wood , and a metal pipe - and - wire screen . The masonry in the lower part of the wall was extremely rough ( writer Michael Benson termed it " the sort of surface that efficiently removes an outfielder ' s skin upon contact " ) and eventually a layer of tin was laid over the entire structure except for the upper part of the screen . The wall dominated the stadium in much the same way as the Green Monster does , only some closer to the diamond ; and because of its material , it made a distinctive sound when balls ricocheted off it , as happened frequently . Name . The ballpark , shoehorned as it was into the Philadelphia city grid , acquired a number of nicknames over the years . Baker Bowl is the best - known name ; its formal name , painted on its outer wall , was National League Park . Huntingdon Street Grounds was a nickname for a while , as it was a side street running behind the first base line that intersected Broad Street , a major thoroughfare . Baker Bowl , also called Baker Field in the baseball guides , referred to one - time Phillies owner William F . Baker . The use of " Baker Field " was perhaps confusing , since Columbia University ' s athletic facility in New York City was also called " Baker Field " . How it acquired the unique suffix " Bowl " is subject to conjecture . It may have referred to the banked bicycle track that was there for a time , or it may have been used derisively , suggesting non - existent luxuriousness . The Hump referred to a hill in center field covering a partially submerged railroad tunnel in the street beyond right field that extended through into center field . The Cigar Box and The Band Box referred to the tiny size of the playing field . After the demise of the Baker Bowl , the terms " cigar box " and " bandbox " were subsequently applied to any " intimate " ballpark ( like Boston ' s Fenway Park or Brooklyn ' s Ebbets Field ) whose configurations were conducive to players hitting home run s . Philadelphia Phillies . During the 51½ seasons the Phillies played there , they managed only one pennant ( 1915 ) . The 1915 World Series was significant in that it was the first time a sitting president attended a World Series game when President Wilson attended and threw out the first pitch prior to Game 2 . The Series was also the first post - season appearance by Babe Ruth . While they were occasionally at least respectable in the dead - ball era , once the lively ball was introduced the Phils nearly always finished in last place , substantially helping them towards the 10 , 000 - loss " milestone " they reached on July 15 , 2007 . During its last two decades , the ballpark became heaven for batters ( both home and visiting ) , whereas having to play half their games there every year became hell for the Phillies ' pitching staff . For a number of years , a huge advertising sign on the right field wall read " The Phillies Use Lifebuoy " , a popular brand of soap . This led to the oft - reported quip that appended " . . . and they still stink ! " In 1936 , a vandal sneaked into Baker Bowl one night and actually wrote that phrase on the Lifebuoy ad . Conventional wisdom ties their failures to Baker Bowl , but they remained cellar - dwellers in Shibe Park as well . On June 9 , 1914 , Honus Wagner hit his 3 , 000th career hit in the stadium . Babe Ruth played his last major league baseball game in Baker Bowl on May 30 , 1935 . The ballpark was abandoned during the middle of the 1938 season , as the Phillies chose to move 5 blocks west on Lehigh Avenue to rent the newer and more spacious Shibe Park from the A ' s rather than remain at the Baker Bowl . Phils president Gerald Nugent cited the move as an opportunity for the Phillies to cut expenses as stadium upkeep would be split between two clubs . At Baker Bowl , the Phillies finished with a 30 - 38 - 1 record against the A ' s in City Series exhibition games . After the Phillies ' move , the upper deck was peeled off and the stadium was used for sports ranging from midget auto racing to ice skating . Its old centerfield clubhouse served as a piano bar for a while . By the late 1940s , all that stood of the original structure were the four outer walls and a field choked with weeds . What remained of the ballpark was finally demolished in 1950 - coincidentally , the year of the Phils ' first pennant since 1915 . The site now features a gas station / convenience store where the centerfield clubhouse once stood , garages , and a car wash . Philadelphia Eagles . Baker Bowl was the first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles who played there from 1933 through 1935 . In their three seasons there , they had a record of 9 - 21 - 1 . Eagles ' owner Bert Bell hoped to play home games at larger Shibe Park , but negotiations with the Athletics were not fruitful , and Bell agreed to a deal with Phillies ' owner Gerry Nugent . For Eagles games , 5 , 000 temporary seats were erected along the right - field wall . The Eagles played their first game at the ballpark on October 3 , 1933 , a 40 – 0 pre - season victory over a U . S . Marines team ; the game was played at night under rented floodlights . In the first regular - season game on October 18 , 1933 , 1 , 750 fans saw the Portsmouth Spartans beat the Eagles , 25 – 0 . Later that season , 17 , 850 fans watched the Eagles tie the Chicago Bears on Sunday , November 18 , 1933 . Under Pennsylvania Blue Laws , Sunday games had been prohibited . With the ballpark in poor condition , the Eagles left Baker Bowl after the 1935 season for the city - owned Municipal Stadium , which was then only ten years old and could seat up to 100 , 000 spectators . Other tenants . During its tenure , the park also hosted Negro League games , including those of the Hilldale Daisies and Negro League World Series games from 1924 - 1926 . The first two games of the 1924 Colored World Series between the Kansas City Monarchs and the local Hilldale Club were hosted at Baker Bowl on October 3 and October 4 , owing to its larger capacity . It was during a 1929 exhibition with a Negro League team that Babe Ruth hit two home runs that landed about halfway into the rail yards across the street in right . Rodeo s were occasionally held at Baker Bowl in order to raise additional revenue . That activity and mindset fit with the reported use of sheep to graze on the field during Phillies road trips , in lieu of buying lawn mowers , until sometime in the 1920s . Disasters . Fire destroyed the grandstand and bleachers of the original stadium on August 6 , 1894 . The $ 80 , 000 in damage ( equal to $ today ) was covered fully by insurance . The fire also spread to the adjoining properties , causing an additional $ 20 , 000 in damage , equal to $ today . Temporary stands were built in time for a game on August 18 . It was then fully rebuilt of fireproof materials with a cantilevered upper deck . It also contained a banked bicycle track for a while , exploiting the cycling craze that caught the nation ' s fancy in the late 19th century . In terms of pure design , the ballpark was well ahead of its time , but subsequent problems and the parsimony of the team ' s owners undermined any apparent positives , as the ballpark soon became rundown and unsafe . During a game on August 8 , 1903 , some carrying - on in 15th Street caught the attention of bleacher fans down the left field line . Many of them ran to the top of the wooden seating area , and the added stress on that section of the bleachers caused it to collapse into the street , killing 12 and injuring 232 . This led to more renovation of the stadium and forced the ownership to sell the team . The Phillies temporarily moved to the Philadelphia Athletics ' home field , Columbia Park , while Baker Bowl was repaired . The Phillies played sixteen games at Columbia Park in August and September 1903 . During a game on May 14 , 1927 , parts of two sections of the lower deck extension along the right - field line collapsed due to rotted shoring timbers , again triggered by an oversize gathering of people , who were seeking shelter from the rain . Miraculously , no one died during the collapse , but one individual did die from heart failure in the subsequent stampede that injured 50 . After both of those catastrophes , the Phils rented from the A ' s while repairs were being made to the old structure . Legacy . When Baker Bowl was first opened , it was praised as the finest baseball palace in America . By the time it was abandoned , it had been a joke for years . " The Chicago Tribune " ran a series of articles on baseball parks during the summer of 1937 , and the article about Baker Bowl was merciless in its ridicule of this park . The many futile attempts to keep it going , for a dozen years after its abandonment , only added to the ridicule due to the park ' s " lingering death " . The later Phillies ' ballparks , Shibe Park and Veterans Stadium , would similarly undergo the cycle of praise upon opening and disdain upon closure . A Pennsylvania Historical marker stands on Broad Street just north of West Huntingdon Street , Philadelphia . The marker is titled , " Baker Bowl National League Park " and the text reads , The Phillies ' baseball park from its opening in 1887 until 1938 . Rebuilt 1895 ; hailed as nation ' s finest stadium . Site of first World Series attended by U . S . President , 1915 ; Negro League World Series , 1924 - 26 ; Babe Ruth ' s last major league game , 1935 . Razed 1950 . The marker was dedicated on August 16 , 2000 at Veterans Stadium during an on - the - field pre - game ceremony . The marker was unveiled by former - Phillies shortstop Bobby Stevens , who played for the team in 1931 and then current - Phillies pitcher Randy Wolf . The marker was displayed at the Vet through the end of the 2000 season and then moved to the location of the ballpark , just behind where the right field foul pole would be . Some distinctive buildings visible in vintage photos of the ballpark remain standing and help to mark the ballpark ' s former location . One is the roughly 10 - story - tall , triangular building across Lehigh to the north - northeast , behind what was centerfield . It was originally a Ford Motor Company building , and was completed at some point prior to the 1915 World Series . Another is the neoclassical North Broad Street Station train depot building across Broad Street from what was the end of the first base grandstand . It was built in the 1920s and is visible in later aerial photos of the ballpark . The building itself now houses a different occupant . The modern North Broad ( SEPTA station ) stands nearby .