The Portland Sea Dogs have unveiled completed renovations at Hadlock Field.
The upgrades include a new home player clubhouse, batting cages and offices, along with a bigger bullpen.
The new clubhouse opened to players on the Red Sox Double-A affiliate in mid-June, but the Sea Dogs gave a tour to members of the media last Wednesday.
The project began four years ago, when Major League Baseball determined that Hadlock Field didn't meet requirements for stadiums serving serving Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams.
"With the mandates, we were forced to have to do this, or we could have to move or be forced to move," Geoff Iacuessa, Sea Dogs president and general manager, said Wednesday. "So our plan, our philosophy and our thought all along is that we want to do everything we can to make sure we stayed in Portland."
Last year, the team signed a lease extension with the city of Portland, which owns Hadlock Field, through 2045.
Prior to the renovations, visiting players used the basement of the Portland Expo as a clubhouse. Now, the visiting team uses the former Sea Dogs clubhouse, clearing up space in the Expo.
Plus, Iacuessa said the Portland team is enjoying the additional space and new, state-of-the-art technology in the batting cages.
"It ended up being a great thing for the city of Portland and the high schools, because it definitely freed up a lot of space," he said.
Fans coming to a Sea Dogs game won't notice much of a difference from the stands, Iacuessa said, except for the visiting team now occupying the first base dugout. The Sea Dogs are now on the third base side.
The stadium also lost 500 seats due to the bullpen expansion. The stadium now has 6,868 seats, compared 7,368 before the renovations.
The project cost about $10 million and was paid for by Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns the Sea Dogs and about 40 other minor league teams.
The project will receive a $2 million tax break, to be paid out over the next 15 years. Maine lawmakers agreed to provide the tax credits last year after some debate over providing public funds for a privately owned team.
