📍 Charleston, West Virginia
⚾ Home of the Charleston Dirty Birds

For more than twenty years, the brick confines of GoMart Ballpark in downtown Charleston have welcomed excited fans from every corner of the mountains of West Virginia. The premier minor league baseball venue in the state, this unassuming 4,500-seat ballpark served as the home of the affiliated West Virginia Power for many years and is now a nest for the independent Charleston Dirty Birds.

The capital city of the Mountain State, Charleston has been a minor league hotbed since the early 20th century. Many teams have risen and fallen in the city, including a few Double-A and Triple-A franchises. However, since 1987, Charleston’s MiLB entry has been primarily a Class-A affiliate. Playing out of old Watt Powell Park in the Kanawha City neighborhood, it was the Charleston Wheelers – renamed the Alley Cats in 1995 – who became the direct predecessors of today’s Dirty Birds team.

Affiliated with more than a half dozen Major League clubs over the years, the Alley Cats ditched a decaying Watt Powell in 2005 for greener pastures over at the brand new Appalachian Power Park – now GoMart Ballpark – and the franchise was rechristened the West Virginia Power. In 2021, the Power were sadly cut from the minor leagues and subsequently joined the independent Atlantic League as the rebranded Charleston Dirty Birds. Their current moniker was chosen based off of the “canary in a coal mine” idiom, a genuine practice that was surely common at mines in the nearby hills.

But truly, no matter what team has been on the field, fans here have always flocked to the ballpark on hot summer days to cheer on their boys. And at GoMart Ballpark, the gameday excitement often extends well beyond the diamond. Kids can go crazy in the makeshift bouncy house area, families can enjoy the tiny mini golf course in the outfield and the adult crowd can relax in the luxury suites or picnic areas. It’s a true community hub, hosting high school and college games in addition to the Dirty Birds’ home slate.

Perhaps the biggest and most entertaining element of the Charleston baseball experience is “Toast Man.” Known by the name of Rod Blackstone in real life, Toast Man is the ballpark’s craziest character by far, tossing toast and unleashing chants at just about every game. He even has his own electrical outlet behind home plate – especially installed during stadium construction just for his antics – enabling Blackstone to prepare scores of burnt toast in his little overworked toaster. Whether it’s a good play or a bad call, his flying toast has become a signature part of the Dirty Birds experience.

Despite the many changes over the years, GoMart Ballpark has remained a beloved community gathering place and a top-notch facility where fans both young and old can enjoy the unique gameday traditions that make Charleston baseball so special.