Sod replacement underway at Camden Yards

By Pete Kerzel

Orioles

November 10, 2016, 9:36am

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If you happen to stroll down Eutaw Street en route for M&T Bank Stadium for tonight's Ravens game - or anytime in the near future - don't be surprised if you glance toward the Camden Yards field and see a lot less green than usual.

Sod replacement at the ballpark began today and will run through about Dec. 1, the Orioles announced this afternoon.

As I type this, the infield grass is gone, reduced to brown dirt in the past couple of hours by a machine that chewed up the sod and spit it onto a waiting cart for disposal.

Approximately 105,000 square feet of grassy areas - including the bullpens and the sod farm in center field - will be replaced with new sod from Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, N.J.

The sod at Oriole Park - where the playing field is 100 percent sand-based Kentucky bluegrass - was last replaced in the fall of 2008.

The Orioles estimate that it will take approximately 12 tractor trailer loads, which equates to about 400 tons of new sod, to complete the project. The sod will travel roughly 130 miles from New Jersey to Camden Yards.

The Orioles played 651 home games, including postseason games, on the old sod between 2009-2016 and went 358-293 (.550), including a 3-3 mark in the postseason.

Check out MASNsports.com and our @masnOrioles Twitter feed to keep track of the sod replacement project in the coming weeks.