Pirates, TLI Sports finish work on field three

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Florida partner TLI Sports of Clearwater have completed an overhaul of field number three at Pirate City in Bradenton. As part of the renovations, 125,000 square feet of Bermuda grass and six inches of topsoil have been removed and replaced with synthetic turf, a crushed aggregate sub-base and drainage system.

The new synthetic field incorporates a twisted helix fiber, imported from Germany, designed to eliminate the glare from more typical synthetic grass. The turf will be clay-colored in the infield, including the base paths, and green in the outfield. The cutouts around all three bases, home plate and the pitcher's mound will be filled with real clay. A crushed shell warning-track will be installed around the perimeter of the field.

The work began at the end of Spring Training on April 5.