What’s in a name? Many fans you talk to will use the name Waterfront Park or Mercer County Waterfront Park to describe the home of the Trenton Thunder, but the ballpark’s full name, as of the 2013 season, is Arm & Hammer Park. If you’re a trivia buff, you might be interested to know that the playing surface at the ballpark is called Samuel J. Plumeri, Sr. Field.
The ballpark opened in 1994, back when the team was affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. It wasn’t completely ready for Opening Day that year, as construction was delayed over the winter. Once it was open, the playing surface had drainage issues, leading to numerous rainouts before the situation was fixed during the off-season.
Arm & Hammer Park’s official capacity is 6,341, but the park has occasionally seen enormous crowds enter its gates. When Derek Jeter rehabbed in Trenton in July 2011, the game’s attendance was 9,212. The dimensions of the field are 330 feet to left field, 407 feet to center field and 330 field to right field.
Perhaps the most unique feature of Arm & Hammer Park is its location. It’s smack dab between Route 29 and the Delaware River. How close to the river? During batting practice, it’s normal to see home runs to right field land in the river on the fly, and these water shots are also common during games. The Delaware River divides New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so some fans will joke that a long home run ball can actually leave the state.
You’ll notice during your visit that like most MiLB parks, many billboards are mounted above the fence at Arm & Hammer Park. But the big difference here is that the billboards only run from the left field foul pole to the power alley in right field. This design is on purpose. By leaving the top of the right field fence devoid of billboards, fans can enjoy a beautiful view of the Delaware River.