NEW YORK — There is so much to see and do in New York City, and indeed, baseball is one of the great attractions in the “City That Never Sleeps.”
While the city’s major league attractions make for a great addition to any itinerary, don’t overlook their minor league counterparts.
The Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees play in stadiums perched in the heart of their respective namesake boroughs. If nothing else, taking in one of these teams’ games makes for the perfect excuse to visit a borough beyond Manhattan.
Both the Cyclones, a New York Mets affiliate, and the Yankees, a New York Yankees affiliate, play in the Short-Season A New York-Penn League.
The Cyclones have played in the city since 2001. The minor league Yankees have played in the city since 1999.
Both teams’ stadiums opened in June 2001 and are as much a part of the experience as the games themselves.
The Cyclones’ stadium, the 7,000-seat MCU Park, sits along the Coney Island boardwalk. Attendees have unbelievable views of the Atlantic Ocean and several Coney Island landmarks: the Parachute Jump, the Wonder Wheel and the Coney Island Cyclone.
The Yankees’ stadium, the nearly 7,200-seat Richmond County Bank Ballpark, sits within walking distance of the Staten Island Ferry’s St. George Ferry Terminal. It offers one-of-a-kind views of New York Harbor and the Manhattan Skyline.
Of course, MCU Park is home to a tribute to a famous Major League Baseball predecessor. A statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, stands outside the stadium.
The Cyclones are the first professional baseball team in Brooklyn since 1957. That year, the Dodgers abandoned the city and moved to Los Angeles.
