As you know, our own Joe Mauer was recently elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. And as a proud supporter of the St. Paul Parks, you likely noticed that Joe grew up playing ball at Dunning Field. What you may not know is that Joe is not the first St. Paul and Dunning Field native to be elected to the Hall of Fame, or even the second or third. Joe is the fourth St. Paul native to be elected to the Hall of Fame behind legends Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Jack Morris. Joe is the first to have his St. Paul Parks and Rec jersey retired. Joe’s Number 7 maroon Griggs Recreation Center jersey was retired during a ceremony at Toni Stone Field in the Dunning Sports Complex in St. Paul. Joe said he and his brothers used to ride their bikes to these baseball fields just west of Central High School.
Andy Rodrigues told the Pioneer Press recently, “I cannot stress enough how important this park has been for the game of baseball. Four MLB Hall of Famers have played here. It has just such a storied history. It’s really the epicenter for St. Paul in the game of baseball.”
The Conservancy helped build the new playground at Dunning Field in 2023. We hope that a future Hall of Famer is playing on it right now.
Article by Ann Folkman