Johnny Edwards: Memories of Crosley Field

Johnny Edwards debuted with the Reds in late June 1961 and took over catching duties, helping the club capture its first pennant since 1940. One of the most durable backstops of his generation, Edwards was a three-time All-Star (1963-1965) and won two Gold Gloves in his tenure with the Reds (1961-1967). Johnny’s interview with Gregory H. Wolf took place on March 7, 2017.

 

I had never been to Crosley Field as a kid. I played in Visalia (California) in my first year in the minors and after the season Cincinnati invited me to see a game. It was a rude awakening to see the stadium. It was shaped like a boomerang. I was a left-handed hitter and the farthest part of the ballpark was in right field with the Moon Deck. Then you had center field with a hill, and then there was the fence in left field with the big scoreboard in left-center. The stadium was a big surprise to me. I had played primarily in concentric baseball stadiums with left and right field about the same distance and center field the farthest from the plate. And here I was in a park that was different. In 1960, I played in Sulphur Dell in Nashville and that park had an even more unique shape.

I really enjoyed playing in Crosley Field. It was my home ballpark for six years. I liked it because the fans were right down on the field. There was a fence, maybe three feet high, between the field and the box seats. We’d warm up before the game right next to the fans. We got to know some of them really well. They became our friends. We’d sign autographs right on the field. When we left the ballpark, the fans would be waiting for us and we’d sign more autographs after every game. I remember my wife getting upset because I’d be late after signing autographs and talking to the kids.

We tried to keep the ball down in Crosley because it was so easy to hit home runs to left field and center field. We didn’t do anything special or out of the ordinary to the grass or the foul lines. In Los Angeles, they rebuilt the mound every day. Don Drysdale wanted it low and Sandy Koufax wanted it high. In San Francisco the baselines were sloped out so that you couldn’t bunt, they kept the grass high, and watered it down so much that you couldn’t hit a grounder through the infield. We just didn’t do those things at Crosley.

The dugouts were old-fashioned and there was nothing fancy about them. They didn’t have a tunnel like in a modern ballpark. When you left the dugout, you walked to the outfield and went through the stands to the clubhouse, which was on the second story. And obviously there were no bathrooms in the dugout.

My most vivid memories of Crosley Field are of the fans who were so close to you. The ballplayers today cheat the fans. In today’s stadiums, you have high walls separating players and fans. I remember how loyal our fans were. We had wonderful seasons when I played there. We won the pennant when I was a rookie in 1961 and played the New York Yankees in the World Series. We almost won the pennant again in 1964, the year Hutch [skipper Fred Hutchinson] was diagnosed with cancer and had to resign in August. We were competitive every year I played there.