Staten Island Yankees, Richmond Park

On a very hot 02 June we got the Staten Island ferry from South terminal, near Battery Park at the southernmost tip of Manhattan and travelled to St George on Staten Island. Once we got off the ferry we were instantly acquainted with the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, which was a modern complex with great vistas across New York harbour to Manhattan.

 

The Staten Island Yankees are affiliated to the New York Yankees

The ferry motors in to St George's ferry terminal, the Ballpark is just visible on the right.

Ferry terminal at Staten Island

The entrance to the Ballpark has large sails above it which gives it a nautical feel. The Ballpark has a capacity of 7,171 and opened in 2001 at a cost of $38.6 million dollars.

The scoreboard has a replica of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge mounted on top of it and the 'batter's eye is retractable so that spectators can get a great view of the Manhattan skyline.

This walk way leads to a nice path to the waterfront where there is a moving memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks (see below).

Brooklyn Cyclones, MCU Park

New York City boasts two well established Minor League Baseball teams that play in the New York Penn League. The first one that we visited was the Brooklyn Cyclones on 01 June 2012. The Brooklyn Cyclones are based in Coney Island and so we took the NY Metro from Manhattan, through Brooklyn and up to Coney Island. The journey reminded me of the film 'The Warriors', when they escape from Manhattan in the epic film from the 70's.

 The Brooklyn Cyclones are affiliated to the New York Mets.



MCU Park

Sue posing on a windy boardwalk at CI.

The Wonder Wheel.

MCU Park, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones was opened in 2001 and has a capacity of 7,500. The original site was occupied by a former amusement park, but it became run down with crime, hence, the build of the MCU Park was part of a wider redevelopment project to clean the area up and deal with local crime.

Right Field is dominated by the famous 'Parachute Jump'. 

The Ball Park has the feel of an amusement park which is in keeping with its origins.

Just outside the Ball park is the Jackie Robinson Statue which depicts Jackie and his team Captain 'Pee Wee' Reese facing up to racist taunts from some of the crowd during their playing careers with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  

On the way back to the metro we pass Nathan's Famous and grab a portion of outstanding French Fries and an awesome Hot Dog. 

New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium

A trip to New York City is not complete without a visit to the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Unfortunately for us, the Yankees were not at home so we had to make do with the stadium tour. So on 30 May 2012 we left Times Square and headed out to the Bronx.

Yankee Stadium is located in South Bronx and is easily accessible by metro, just get off at East 153rd Street Metro - North station.

The local neighbourhood.

On arrival at Yankee Stadium we bee line for the Yankee's very own Hard Rock Café. Its just gone midday so Sue decides to have the first pint of the day! 

The concourse at ground level resembles a hall of fame in a very windy amphitheatre.

In the museum we see a model of the new Yankee Stadium which opened in 2009 and was the 2nd most expensive stadium ever built at a cost of $1.5 Billion.

Monument Park is the ultimate memorial park for past greats that donned the famous pin striped baseball uniform.

Joe DiMaggio

Babe Ruth



.......and friends

A view from the dugout.

The view across Left Field from the dugout (note the yellow foul post)



The score board at Yankee Stadium is the largest in MLB

Sue in the dugout.

The view across Right Field.

The impressive entrance to Gate Number 4 at the Yankee Stadium.

I meet a fellow veteran, a USMC Gunnery Sergeant who runs a charity that looks after homeless NYC veterans.



New York Mets, Citi Fields

During our visit to NYC in late May 2012 we got blooded on the All American national obsession that is baseball. NYC has two major league teams, the 'Yankees' and the 'Mets', but we chose the latter, mainly because the Yankees were playing away from home. However, we were not disappointed because the Mets have a brand spanking new $900 million stadium that was opened in 2009 following the demolition of their former home, the Shea stadium.

We were staying in a swish hotel right in the heart of Times Square, so in order to get to Citi Field we had to get on the NYC Metro to Queens. The first game started at 1.10 in the blazing heat of the early afternoon and we were determined to be at the start. The match was played against the San Antonio Padres on the 27 May 2012.

The approach to Citi Field from the Willets Point metro station.

Refreshments from the recreational zone behind Left Field (where the famous Shake shack is).

Centre field. Notice that all of the seats in the stadium are Green, which is a tribute to the Polo Ground which was the long time home of the New York Giants. 









The recreational zone behind right field is known as 'Pepsi Porch' and is accessed via the Shea bridge from centre field.

The spectacular view from behind the Bullpen. Just below the right score board is the Shea Bridge which is a tribute to Hell Gate Bridge, one of the many bridges that link all of the boroughs of NYC.

Sue enjoying the game in Left Field.

Outside of the stadium is impressive.



On the way back to Willets point we cross the bridge to Flushing Meadows tennis courts and Corona Park.

We were so hooked after our first game that we came back to Citi Filed for an evening game against the Philadelphia Phillies on 30 May 2012.  On entering the stadium we pass by the 'Shea Home Run Apple' which was preserved from the old stadium and located on Mets Plaza just in front of the 'Jackie Robinson Rotunda' 

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda

After a short queue we finally get to taste the best burgers in town at the famous 'Shake Shack'.

Left of field in front of all the Green seats.

Great skyline showing 'Shea Bridge' and 'Pepsi Porch'.

View from the top.

'Shake Shack' taken from above.

Go Mets!

The ball game gets under way

The Mets hit a home run and we are fortunate enough to see the Home Run Apple rise from its perch just below us in Centre Field. Two days later on 2 June the Mets were to record their first ever 'no-hitter', when the Mets' Pitcher Johan Santana plays the perfect game against the world champions, Saint Louis Cardinals.

We received the news of the 'no hitter' whist on the ferry to Statten Island.  A no hitter is extremely rare and can only be awarded if the Pitcher pitches at least 9 innings and does not concede a single scoring hit.