Josh Gibson Field in Pittsburgh vandalized by suspicious fire
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Josh Gibson Field in the Hill District was vandalized earlier this week after a suspicious fire, according to police.
Photos given to KDKA-TV by the Josh Gibson Foundation show the third base dugout destroyed by the flames.
"The Josh Gibson field is a real asset to the community," Chris Cox, who sits on the board of directors with the Josh Gibson Foundation, said.
"It's something that we're very lucky to have here in Pittsburgh."
The field was rededicated and renamed the Josh Gibson Field in 2008. Josh Gibson played on the field throughout his career in the Negro Leagues.
"Josh Gibson, for those of you who don't know, was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He grew up here in Pittsburgh. He starred in the Negro Leagues for both the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Because of segregation, he was denied the opportunity to play in the white major leagues at the time, but fortunately, recently, Major League Baseball just integrated the Negro League statistics into the official Major League records and Josh is now the all-time leader in multiple different batting categories," Cox said.
Cox also added that many players and community members were shocked to hear what happened to the dugout, which has already been torn down.
"I really would like to thank the city of Pittsburgh Public Works Department for jumping on this so very quickly. We were here last night and the dugout was still a burnt-out husk, and we come back here this morning and the old structure has been completely razed and removed, and the crews already fast at work on rebuilding a new one," Cox said.
Pittsburgh Public Works workers could be seen building a new dugout on Thursday.
"We have maybe 50-to-60 baseball games here every year, youth games primarily, and this is going to be the site of the Josh Gibson Youth Classic Baseball Tournament, August 9 through 11. There will be little league teams from across the country converging here to play to celebrate Pittsburgh's rich heritage in the Negro Leagues and the history of Josh Gibson and the many great Nigro players who've been here," Cox said.
Cox said having games here is something many players look forward to.
"It's a lot of fun to be able to know that you're playing where Josh Gibson and these other Negro League legends played, you know, 'Hey, I'm in the same batter's box that Josh Gibson once stepped into,'" Cox said.
Police said there were no cameras in the area where the fire happened. Anyone with information is being asked to call (412) 323-7800.
