Red Wilson Field

{{short description|Baseball venue in Yarmouth, Massachusetts}}

{{Infobox venue

| name = Red Wilson Field

| nickname =

| image = RedWilsonField1.jpg

| caption =

| fullname = Merrill "Red" Wilson Field

| former_names =

| address = 210 Station Ave

| location = Yarmouth, Massachusetts

| coordinates = {{coord|41.6774|-70.1940|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| broke_ground =

| built =

| opened = 1957

| renovated = 2009

| expanded =

| closed =

| demolished =

| owner =

| operator =

| surface = Grass

| scoreboard =

| construction_cost =

| suites =

| architect =

| project_manager =

| structural engineer =

| services engineer =

| general_contractor =

| main_contractors =

| capacity = 5,500

| record_attendance =

| dimensions = Left Field: 346 ft
Center Field: 352 ft
Right Field: 338 ft

| tenants =Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox

}}

Merrill "Red" Wilson Field is a baseball venue in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, home to the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School is located to the southwest of the field. Red Wilson Field is one of three CCBL ballparks that does not have lights.

Constructed in 1957, the field began to be used regularly as the home field of the then "Yarmouth Red Sox" in 1973.{{cite news | title = A house-keeping session for D-Y School Committee | pages = 5 | newspaper = The Register | location = Yarmouth, MA | date = June 7, 1973 | url = http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Sturgis/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=DPLTR%2F1973%2F06%2F07&id=Ar00502&sk=35DCE415&viewMode=image }} In 1981 the field was renamed in honor of Merrill "Red" Wilson, a beloved teacher, administrator, coach and athletic director at Dennis-Yarmouth High School. Wilson was a seven-time CCBL all-star catcher for Yarmouth in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He went on to manage the team for 16 seasons and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/index.html?article_id=1040 |title=Red Wilson Honorary Captain For Game in Brockton |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |access-date=August 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://ydredsox.pointstreaksites.com/view/ydredsox/news-1154/news_457816 |title=Y-D To Host Red Wilson Night On July 29 |publisher=ydredsox.pointstreaksites.com |access-date=August 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/season/index.html?article_id=2230 |title=Cape League Hall of Fame Coach Merrill ‘Red’ Wilson remembered |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |access-date=August 16, 2019}}

File:RedWilsonField2.jpg

Major improvements were made to Red Wilson Field thanks to a 2009 grant from the Yawkey Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/index.html?article_id=1271 |title=Y-D and Orleans Receive Yawkey Grants |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |date=March 19, 2009 |access-date=August 16, 2019}} The ballpark hosted the CCBL's annual all-star game and home run derby festivities in 1996, 2006 and 2013, and has seen the Red Sox claim eight CCBL league titles, most recently in the three consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2016. The ballpark has been the summertime home of dozens of future major leaguers such as Buster Posey, Craig Biggio and Chris Sale.

The creative culinary offerings of the concession stand at Red Wilson Field have garnered national media attention from such publications as Baseball America,{{cite web|author=Shawn McFarland |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/ultimate-road-trips-northeast/ |title=Ultimate Road Trips: Northeast |publisher=baseballamerica.com |date=August 7, 2017 |access-date=August 16, 2019}} The Boston Globe,{{cite web|author=Stan Grossfeld |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/06/24/touching-all-bases-cape-cod-league/qYOZHzTtvsdlErBiOs6cOK/story.html |title=Touching all the bases in the Cape Cod League |publisher=bostonglobe.com |date=June 24, 2016 |access-date=August 16, 2019}} and MLB.com.{{cite web|author=Michael Clair |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/yarmouth-dennis-red-sox-have-a-jelly-doughnut-burger/c-192033078 |title=Hidden in the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox's snack shack is the deceptively tasty doughnut burger |publisher=mlb.com |date=August 8, 2016 |access-date=August 16, 2019}} Thousands of "donut burgers" have been sold at the ballpark since the concept was introduced in 2004 by its creator, "Burger Bob" Phillips.{{cite web|author=Marc Parry |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20050805/news01/308059947 |title=Ask me what I ate at the Y-D Sox game! |publisher=capecodtimes.com |date=Aug 5, 2005 |access-date=August 16, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://pointstreaksites.com/view/ydredsox/news-1154/news_52406 |title=Red Sox serve 7000th donut burger |publisher=pointstreaksites.com |date=July 22, 2012 |access-date=August 16, 2019}} In lieu of a traditional hamburger bun, patrons can opt to order their burger served between the sliced halves of a donut. Various donut and topping combinations are given baseball-themed nicknames with gastric double-entendres such as "The Hurler", "The Sinker", and "The Boston Screamer".