A regular professional ball field at Coney Island
would pay in July and August for exhibition games;
but it would cost a good round sum to construct
such a ground properly.
-- Brooklyn Eagle, September 14, 1884
In 2000, the City of New York spent $39 million on construction of a
ballpark for the New York Mets' new minor league team, the
Brooklyn Cyclones of the short season single-A NY-Penn League. This
was the second most expensive minor league stadium ever built,
trailing only the Staten Island
minor league stadium built at the same time, which cost the city $71 million.
The new ballpark was built at Surf Avenue between 16th and 19th Streets, on the
former site of Steeplechase Park. This legendary Coney Island amusement
park opened in 1897 and survived fires in 1907, 1936, and 1939,
before eventually closing its doors in 1964. The steel structure for
the Parachute Jump ride still stands, and from within the stadium
appears to be almost in play in right field.
Take the Q train to Coney Island, grab a Nathan's hot dog
before the game, and catch a foul ball. The perfect night out.
The ballpark was designed from the start to appeal to two types of
fan. In some respects, it evokes memories of an earlier age. The field
was made noticably asymmetrical, and the Brooklyn Baseball Gallery installed
within the stands. Later, a statue of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie
Robinson was placed outside the entrance. Also, oddly, the roof
along each baseline brings the Dodger Stadium pavilion to mind. No opportunity for flash or
modern amenity was missed, however. The the designers added luxury
boxes, a bar on the outside of the stadium, many concession stands
within, and a huge merchandise shop. The stadium lights are ringed
with neon, and we believe the sound system can be heard in Brighton
Beach.
On January 31, 2001, the ballpark was officially dubbed Keyspan Park.
Neither the Keyspan energy company nor the Mets disclosed the amount
of money paid for naming rights. In February, 2010, Keyspan having been absorbed by the
National Grid company almost three years earlier, the Cyclones arranged a new sponsorship
with the Municipal Credit Union. Keyspan Park is now known as MCU Park.
Keyspan Park entrance, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson
The New York Times was critical of Keyspan Park's external appearance: "it
resembles one of those newfangled, community-friendly sewage treatment
plants." This did not deter fans, however, and sellouts have been
routine from the beginning. To accommodate demand, bleachers were built
along the right field wall in 2001, raising capacity from 6,500 to around 8,000. On
days when all the seats are sold out, $5 buys a standing room only ticket.
The first game at Keyspan Park was on June 25, 2001. After Edgar
Rodriguez tied the score with a two out, two run homer in the ninth,
the Cyclones went on to win 3 to 2 over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers
in the tenth inning. Former Dodger pitcher Ralph Branca and surviving
members of the Dodger Sym-phony were present for the grand opening.
Left field wall with scoreboard, first base line
Keyspan Park has seen many exciting games already, but a few stand out
as perhaps the best. On August 23, 2002, 19 year old Cyclone hurler
Miguel Pinango went within one strike of pitching a no-hitter against
the Lowell Spinners, eventually winning 5 to 0 and giving up just a
single. On July 11, 2004, in a tense game against the Staten Island
Yankees, Derran Watts tried for a bunt single in the bottom of the
tenth, and got all the way home on a comical series of errors to win
the game 3 to 2.
Less happily for the home team, on July 20, 2006, Keyspan Park saw the
longest game in NY-Penn League history. Brooklyn and Oneonta finished nine innings
knotted 1 to 1, and played another 16 innings without a run being scored. In the
end, the Cyclones ran out of pitchers, outfielder Mark Wright was hammered
for five runs in the top of the 26th, and the Tigers won 6 to 1. A week later, in
classic minor league fashion, a night of promotions centered on the number 26 took place
to honor the extra inning epic. The hot dog race was a 26 yard sprint, the prize for the
plunger toss was 26 toilet rolls, and so on.
The best seats in the house
Keyspan Park also occasionally hosts professional boxing, for pay per
view television. The first such event was on July 7, 2001. It has also been
used as the final destination for Coney Island's Mermaid Parade, as well as
for rock concerts. Local high schools are granted one home game each at Keyspan Park, too,
and charity baseball or softball events are common.
Beginning in 2007, each June the Brooklyn Cyclones have fielded a staff team for twelve straight
games, played in 24 hours from Friday noon to Saturday noon. A dozen opposing teams pay a fee
which is donated to charity. In 2008, the staff won three, tied one, and lost eight, largely
as sleep deprivation took its toll. The staff is a big part of the Keyspan Park atmosphere -
Jay, Party Marty, King Henry, Sandy the Seagull and his sidekick Pee Wee, racing hot dogs,
Kyle the juggling, unicycling peanut vendor, and the always smiling Beach Bums have kept the
fans entertained through dramatic games and endless rain delays alike.
The widest possible view Photo courtesy Stacy Cowley
The location of Keyspan Park, immediately next to the boardwalk at
Coney Island, can create unusual weather conditions. While a
sea breeze blowing in from right field is the norm, there have been games played in glue-like
humidity and even a deep, ghostly fog, through which the outfielders
become unrecognizable and the gigantic Parachute Jump completely
disappears from view. On such days, we might close our eyes a little
and imagine that Carl Furillo stands in right field, with Zach Wheat
in left, Adonis Terry on the mound, and "Death to Flying Things"
Ferguson patrolling the infield beside "Home Run" Johnson. But whoever is on the field, base
ball belongs in Brooklyn, and we are thrilled to witness it.
