Stadium Review: Fifth Third Field Home of the Toledo Mudhens

By Bill Jordan
Updated: February 9, 2009

Fifth Third Field is located in the center of downtown Toledo and provides a picturesque addition to the city. Although it is obviously a modern day ballpark, it is built with brick and illustrates the deep history that Toledo baseball possesses.

The Mudhens were recently voted as having the best nickname in all of sports and many fans of the television show M*A*S*H may remember the excellent press they were given when Jamie Farr’s character, Max Klinger spoke about them and wore their jerseys.

It seems to be a bit larger than most AAA stadiums generally are, but the fans in Toledo come out for their team as their games are often sold out.

Inside the ballpark, fans will find the team shop, aptly named The Swamp, which is above the standard size for shops at this level and with its position down the first base line; it does not interfere with the general flow of the stadium. It also seems to have something for everyone, including the female fan, which usually has some reasonably priced items.

Since the team’s big league affiliate, the Detroit Tigers are so geographically close; it provides an opportunity for fans to be able to closely follow the up and coming players in the organization.

The inside of the stadium is that of a modern day traditional built ballpark with great views of the field from every seat including the upper deck. Even the fixtures of the ballpark such as the door handles and the sides of the seats scream baseball with their creative logos using a mitt and a bat.

The outside of the stadium creates a great ambiance for baseball fans. There are statues of children in the outfield peering through man made holes in a fence as if they are attempting to see the game.

There are also plaques on the walls throughout the stadium chronicling the history of baseball in Toledo. Even the street names surrounding the ballpark have been renamed to bring back memories of old Mudhen greats.

Across the street from the stadium and next to a statue of a father teaching his kid how to step to the plate is Toledo’s most famous restaurant, Tony Packo’s. The establishment exhibits the same tradition as the ballpark with plaques and old newspaper clippings throughout to go along with a good number of flat screen televisions.

The ballpark truly has something for every age group. Their playground for the younger crowd outside, beyond the outfield fence, is nicer than most in the big leagues.

Due to the fact that their stadium is so nice, they have recently hosted the AAA All Star Game and Homerun Derby. As probably one of the better known minor league baseball teams across the country, they live up to their name and fame with the truly state of the art ballpark.

Overall, Fifth Third Field in Toledo is a very nice stadium, especially for those interested in minor league baseball. While it doesn’t completely blow the attendee away (like very few stadiums do), it is without a doubt one of the best stadiums in minor league baseball.

Minor League Stadium Grade: 4.5/5

Overall Stadium Grade: 4/5

Bill Jordan is a contributor to BaseballReflections.com. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] .