Bellingham got off to a terrific start in 1973 when they welcomed the first of many future impact players. Too young to buy a pack of cigarettes, 17 year old Jeffrey Leonard more than held his own, batting a very impressive .278 before returning to the following season to Bellingham to bat .324 with 12 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR and 26 Stolen Bases for an .827 OPS. By 1977, Leonard was in the Majors and well on his way to becoming the very first MLB All-Star to be produced by this stadium. Leonard's best season came in his 2nd All-Star season of 1989 when he batted .254 with 20 2B, 24 HR and a 93 RBIs. After finishing in 3rd at 42-37, the new Bellingham Dodgers drew a total of 38,000 fans which was 2nd best in the league for this short-season team, just below the Portland Mavericks (who played in the Triple-A sized 25,000 seat Multnomah Stadium) and they actually beat the Single-A Seattle Rainiers in attendance who of course played in the former Seattle Pilots' Major League park, Sicks Stadium.