Explore the real-world places that appear in Two in the Field by Daryl Brock. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include League Park, Chicago White Stockings Grounds, Pittsburgh Alleghenys Field, Cincinnati Red Stockings Ballpark, St. Louis Browns Field and 10 more.
Philadelphia — Home base for fictional team
League Park is where the novel's protagonist, the fictional catcher Cud Halliday, plays for an integrated team in the late 1880s. The ballpark serves as a crucial anchor point where Cud's journey begins and where he must prove himself as a skilled player in America's pastime. It represents the glimmers of racial integration possible in baseball during this turbulent period.
League Park in Philadelphia was built in 1887 and served various baseball teams through the late 19th century. It was one of the venues where integrated baseball was occasionally attempted in this era, though segregation remained the norm.
The original League Park site no longer exists as a baseball venue. A plaque and historical marker commemorate the location in North Philadelphia, though no ballpark structures remain.
Visit: League Park Historical Marker (historic site)
Chicago — Midwest baseball powerhouse
Cud Halliday travels to Chicago to compete against the White Stockings, one of the era's dominant teams. The matchup tests his skills against some of baseball's finest players. This game becomes significant as Cud faces both formidable opponents and the prevailing prejudices of the time.
The Chicago White Stockings (later the Cubs) were founded in 1871 and played in Chicago throughout the 1880s. They were one of the National League's most successful franchises and represented the modern professional baseball game.
Wrigley Field, built in 1914, now stands in a different location than the original White Stockings grounds. The site of the original ballpark is now part of the North Shore neighborhood.
Visit: Wrigley Field (landmark)
Pittsburgh — Industrial city baseball venue
Cud travels to Pittsburgh to play the Alleghenys, Pittsburgh's National League team. The gritty industrial city serves as a backdrop for one of the novel's crucial games. Pittsburgh's working-class character mirrors the struggles Cud faces as he navigates the color line in professional baseball.
Pittsburgh's Alleghenys (later the Pirates) joined the National League in 1882 and became one of baseball's competitive franchises by the late 1880s. The city's steel industry made it a prosperous hub for professional sports.
The original Alleghenys field site no longer exists. PNC Park, built in 2001, is now the Pirates' home stadium in a different location on the North Shore.
Visit: PNC Park (landmark)
Cincinnati — Birthplace of professional baseball
Cud journeys to Cincinnati to play the Red Stockings, America's first professional baseball team. Cincinnati's significance as the birthplace of professional baseball frames Cud's journey within American baseball history. This matchup carries symbolic weight as Cud competes in a city foundational to the sport he loves.
Cincinnati's Red Stockings, founded in 1869, were baseball's first fully professional team. By the 1880s, the city was home to one of the National League's strongest franchises and remained central to baseball's identity.
Great American Ball Park, opened in 2003, is now the Cincinnati Reds' home stadium. The original Red Stockings ballpark site is now part of downtown Cincinnati's riverfront development.
Visit: Great American Ball Park (landmark)
St. Louis — Gateway City baseball competition
Cud faces the St. Louis Browns in one of his pivotal contests during the novel's baseball circuit. St. Louis, a major American city, represents another crucial test of Cud's abilities and his attempt to break racial barriers in baseball. The city's river setting frames an important segment of his journey.
The St. Louis Browns were a National League team in the 1880s and represented one of baseball's competitive centers. St. Louis had become a major baseball hub by this period, rivaling Chicago and New York.
Busch Stadium, built in 2006, is the Cardinals' current home. The original Browns field site has been redeveloped as part of downtown St. Louis's transformation.
Visit: Busch Stadium (landmark)
New York City — Premier baseball venue
Cud's journey culminates with an appearance at New York's famous Polo Grounds, where the Giants play. New York represents the apex of baseball's world, and Cud's test against the Giants becomes the novel's crescendo. Playing in baseball's most prestigious venue tests both his skill and his nerve against America's most prominent team.
The Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan hosted the New York Giants from 1889 onwards and became one of baseball's most iconic venues. Its unique configuration and location made it a showcase for the sport's elite players.
The original Polo Grounds were demolished in 1964. A housing complex now stands at the site in Washington Heights, with a plaque marking the historic location.
Visit: Polo Grounds Historical Marker (historic site)
Philadelphia — Main lodging and gathering point
Cud stays at the Grand Hotel when playing for Philadelphia's team. The hotel serves as his home base and a space where he grapples with his identity, relationships, and the moral complexities of his position. Key conversations and moments of reflection occur here as Cud navigates his precarious status in baseball and society.
Grand hotels were prominent establishments in late 19th-century Philadelphia, serving as lodging for traveling businessmen and professionals. These hotels functioned as social centers and information hubs for their guests.
While numerous grand hotels operated in Philadelphia during the 1880s, many have been demolished or repurposed. Historic hotel buildings from this era remain scattered throughout downtown Philadelphia.
New York — Baseball journalism center
The Sporting Life, a real newspaper, covers Cud's journey through the baseball circuit. Newspaper accounts and sporting press reports frame much of the novel's narrative, documenting Cud's performances and the reactions of the baseball world. The press becomes a crucial element in either celebrating or condemning Cud's integration into professional baseball.
The Sporting Life was a major sports newspaper founded in 1883 that covered baseball extensively. It had offices in New York and served as one of the most influential sporting publications of the era.
The Sporting Life ceased publication in 1917. Historic newspaper archives and microfilm of The Sporting Life are available at the New York Public Library and other archival institutions.
Visit: New York Public Library - Research Division (library)
Baltimore — Rising baseball power
Cud travels to Baltimore to face the Orioles, a rising team in the late 1880s baseball world. The match tests Cud against increasingly competitive opposition as he travels the circuit. Baltimore's role in the novel represents another crucial juncture in Cud's attempt to prove his worth in professional baseball.
The Baltimore Orioles of the American Association and later the National League were becoming competitive by the late 1880s. The city was a major baseball center positioned between New York and Washington.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, built in 1992, is the Orioles' current home. The original Orioles field from the 1880s no longer exists.
Visit: Oriole Park at Camden Yards (landmark)
Washington, D.C. — Nation's capital baseball venue
Cud travels to Washington to play the Senators, the nation's capital team. Washington's significance as the seat of American government adds symbolic weight to Cud's journey through the country. The capital city represents both the promise and the reality of American racial politics during the Reconstruction era.
The Washington Senators competed in the National League in the 1880s and represented the nation's capital. Washington was home to a significant African American community, making it culturally complex during this period.
The original Senators field from the 1880s no longer exists. Nationals Park, opened in 2008, is the current baseball venue in Washington.
Visit: Nationals Park (landmark)
Boston — Historic baseball venue
Cud's journey includes a matchup against the Boston Beaneaters, one of the era's strongest teams. Boston, with its abolitionist history, represents complex promise and limitation for an African American ballplayer. The city's role in American civil rights history contrasts with contemporary racial realities in professional baseball.
The Boston Beaneaters (later the Braves) were one of the National League's most successful franchises in the 1880s and competed for multiple championships. Boston was baseball's strongest market outside New York.
Fenway Park, opened in 1912, is now the home of the Boston Red Sox. The original Beaneaters field location is no longer used for baseball.
Visit: Fenway Park (landmark)
Detroit — Industrial city baseball competition
Cud faces the Detroit Wolverines in one of the novel's crucial contests. Detroit's industrial character mirrors the working conditions and class struggles that frame Cud's story. The match tests Cud against another major market team as he pursues his ambitions.
The Detroit Wolverines competed in the National League during the 1880s and were among baseball's strongest teams. Detroit had become a major industrial center by this period.
Comerica Park, opened in 2000, is the Tigers' current home. The original Wolverines field site has been redeveloped.
Visit: Comerica Park (landmark)
Philadelphia — Cultural and social center
Philadelphia's race course serves as a gathering place for the city's African American community and reflects broader racial dynamics of the era. References to horse racing and sporting culture at the track connect to themes of competition, spectacle, and racial separation in late 19th-century American leisure culture.
Horse racing was a major sporting pastime in Philadelphia during the 1880s, with the race course attracting crowds from across the region. Racing culture reflected and reinforced class and racial hierarchies of the period.
The original race course site in Philadelphia no longer exists as a racing venue. Modern development has transformed the area.
Philadelphia — African American education and community
The Institute for Colored Youth represents Philadelphia's significant African American community and educational institutions. This real institution anchors the cultural context in which Cud operates. The existence of such institutions provides historical grounding for the African American presence and achievement that the novel explores.
The Institute for Colored Youth, founded in 1837, was one of the first institutions of higher education for African Americans in the United States. It played a crucial role in Philadelphia's Black community throughout the 19th century.
The Institute relocated and eventually became part of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Historical markers and documentation of the original Philadelphia location remain in archival collections.
Visit: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (historic site)
Across America — The novel's central theme
The color line—W.E.B. Du Bois's famous concept of the great dividing problem of America—structures the entire novel. Cud Halliday's journey is fundamentally about his attempt to cross this color line in professional baseball. The novel explores how the color line manifests in every city, every ballpark, every hotel, and every interaction Cud experiences across the United States.
The color line was the informal but rigid racial segregation that divided American society in the 1880s and beyond. In professional baseball, the color line was unwritten but absolutely enforced, preventing African American and multiracial players from participating in the major leagues.
While legal segregation has ended, racial disparities in baseball and American society persist. Historical markers and exhibitions across the United States now commemorate the color line and its impact.
More by Daryl Brock: All Daryl Brock books
Other nearby maps: Murderland: A Thousand Miles of Killing on the Highway by Caroline Fraser locations map