Could MLB have a future “Field of Dreams” game in New Jersey?
Hinchliffe Stadium, a Negro League stadium in Paterson, NJ that is currently undergoing a $94 million restoration project, is on MLB’s radar as a potential option for a future game, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media.
The stadium, which was home to the New York Black Yankees, New York Cubans and Newark Eagles, is one of two remaining ballparks that have hosted Negro League games (the other being Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama).
Per Kuty, MLB officials have done their homework on Hinchliffe, which is expected to finish its renovation by the fall, but a future game is not quite a foregone conclusion.
The stadium, which opened in 1932, has been dormant for the last 25 years after a sinkhole developed and the city delayed investing in the repairs needed to fix it.
The city plans to use the stadium, which will hold approximately 7,800 fans, as a venue to host local high school sports, concerts and other events.
But Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh hopes that MLB can play a Field of Dreams game there, too.
“It would be a nod to our nation’s history, specifically when it comes to the civil rights struggle when African Americans were excluded from playing in the majors,” he told NJ.com. “They had a home at Hinchliffe.”
As for which teams could potentially play a game at Hinchliffe, Sayegh said the Mets could play as the New York Cubans while the Yankees would play as the Black Yankees.
“It just makes so much sense,” he said.
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Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, also likes the idea.
“It wouldn’t just encapsulate the spirit of the Negro Leagues,” Kendrick told NJ.com. “But you’re going to see it actually come into play. A project like this is going to create jobs and give kids an opportunity to dream about the possibilities, whether it’s to play at the next level at the major leagues or if it’s opportunities associated with our great game. All these things come to life through efforts like this, along with instilling a great sense of self and community pride.”
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