Historic baseball field featured in ‘A League of Their Own’ burns down in Ontario

The saying goes, “there’s no crying in baseball,” but fans of the movie “A League of Their Own” and kids in Ontario all have a reason to shed a tear.

The baseball field where Tom Hanks’ character coach Jimmy Dugan declared that line to a weeping outfielder burned down overnight Thursday, the Ontario Fire Department said.

The Ontario Fire Department said that a fire broke out at Jay Littleton Ball Park, located at Grove Avenue and 4th Street, around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, according to news reports.

A scorched baseball lies among the remains of the historic wooden grandstand and dugouts after a late Thursday morning fire destroyed the historic filming location at Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. A beloved community baseball stadium used for scenes in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” and other Hollywood movies was damaged in a fire late Thursday in Ontario, California. Flames tore through the wooden grandstand and other parts of historic Jay Littleton Ball Park, a decades-old baseball gem that is currently home to Little League games and amateur leagues. Witnesses said they heard an explosion at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The blaze had erupted from the dugout and the stands by the time firefighters arrived, officials said. No injuries were reported and investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire Friday.

The ballpark is owned by the city of Ontario and was designated a historic landmark in 2003.

In addition to “A League of Their Own,” an episode of “The X-Files” was filmed there, along with “Eight Men Out,” and “The Babe,” which portrays the story of Babe Ruth.