Opened: June 24, 2001
Capacity: 7,171
Affiliated with the New York Yankees
Richmond County Bank Ballpark
Hit this on my trip to New York in 2018. I had driven through Staten Island before but had never actually gotten out of the car. I visited a few breweries and there are two just down the street. You never know what to expect when visiting a new stadium but it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
How did I get there?
I did some touristy things on Staten Island and was coming here from Fort Wadsworth so it was an easy drive up Bay St. Parking was in a garage just north of the park for $6. Not much in the area to see other than the Staten Island 9-11 Memorial.
Ticket Prices
Well, this is New York so prices are a bit higher than usual. Paid $14 for a ticket since I walked up on the day of the game. Expensive for this level but there is nothing that you can do sometimes.
Finding my seat and amenities
This stadium has the look and feel of Scranton’s stadium. Most seats are in the bowl but there are a few seats out in the grandstand in right field. That’s where I sat. It wasn’t hard to find them, this isn’t exactly Yankee Stadium. They served the usual foods and I didn’t really see anything out of the ordinary. The team played the game as the Pizza Rats so pizza was half price (which I found out after I ate something else). The main amenity here is the view of Lower Manhattan across the harbor.
In game experience
As with most minor league parks the in game entertainment is geared towards kids and there were a lot of kids there. I sat right behind the visitor’s bullpen and by the 3rd inning they had attracted a crowd of kids who wanted hi-fives and baseballs. The Ironbirds put up with them the best they could but they had few balls to give. They also did mess with their heads a bit before telling them to go over to the home bullpen to pester them. I will say when a kid has two baseballs already in his hands and is asking for another that just rubs me the wrong way.
Getting out
Just like getting in it was a fairly straight forward drive down Bay St. I could have also taken Victory Blvd. but since I was new here I went back the way I came. I could have also ridden the Staten Island Railroad to the game but I chose to just drive.
Wrap
This is certainly a nice park but I am not going to go out of my way to come back. I can see Staten Island and all of the other Yankee farm teams except for their one in Tampa during the year. I will probably find myself back here at some point in the future though.