Tinker Park

{{Short description|Former baseball stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox venue

| nickname = {{ublist|Seventh Street Park|Athletic Park}}

| city = Indianapolis, Indiana

| country = U.S.

| coordinates = {{coord|39|47|20|N|86|9|44|W|region:US-IN|display=inline,title}}

| yearsactive = 1884, 1887–1889

| tenants = {{ublist|Indianapolis Blues (1884)|Indianapolis Hoosiers (1887–1889)}}

}}

Tinker Park is a former baseball ground located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The ground was the primary home of the Indianapolis Hoosiers baseball club of the National League from 1887 to 1889,[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/IND/attend.shtml Indianapolis Hoosiers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors] at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 7, 2009. [https://archive.today/20130117161549/http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/IND/attend.shtml Archived] December 7, 2009 and also of the Indianapolis Blues of the American Association in 1884.{{Cite book|last=Lowry|first=Philip J.|title=Green cathedrals : the ultimate celebration of major league and Negro league ballparks|publisher=Walker and Company|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8027-1608-8|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/greencathedralsu0000lowr_u1c9/page/104/mode/1up|access-date=February 8, 2022|pages=104–105}}

The ballpark was named for Tinker Street, its adjacent street to the south, which was later renamed Seventh Street and then 16th Street. Other names for the ballpark were Athletic Park and Seventh Street Park. Other bordering streets were Mississippi Street (now Senate Avenue) to the west, Tennessee Street (now Capitol Avenue) to the east, and 9th Street (now 18th Street) to the north. In 1884 and 1887, home plate was located in the southeast corner of the site. In 1888, it was moved to the southwest corner. In both configurations the left field was {{Convert|286|ft}} and the right field was {{Convert|261|ft}}. The ballpark was used for weekday games. Due to blue laws, Sunday games were staged outside the city limits in Bruce Grounds (1887) and Indianapolis Park (1888–1889).

The 1887 Butler Christians football team hosted three games at Athletic Park.{{cite news |author= |title=The Foot-Ball Game To-Day |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-journal/158922101/ |newspaper=Indianapolis Journal |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |date=October 29, 1887 |page=3 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Another Victory For The Butler Boys |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-journal/158922336/ |newspaper=Indianapolis Journal |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |date=November 6, 1887 |page=9 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Foot-ball By College Boys |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-journal/158922523/ |newspaper=Indianapolis Journal |location=Indianapolis, Indiana |date=November 12, 1887 |page=7 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

The ballpark site is now occupied by the Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis.