Summer of Baseball: The “Dutch” a good spot to see a game

Since I started hitting up baseball stadiums a bit more, Hudson Valley has been on my radar.

For one, it’s in the New York-Penn League and being I used to cover a team in that league, I’ve wanted to see every stadium. For two, it’s not too far of a trip for me, so it seems silly to not go see it!

The chance to see the stadium finally came this year.

Dutchess Stadium was built in 1994 and holes nearly 5,000 people. For a stadium that is a little more than 20 years old, it’s aged well. It has the feel of a smaller stadium, though. One thing, though, is the Renegades draw a solid crowd.

What’s interesting about the stadium though is that it was constructed in fewer than three months (71 days). According to the team website, workers were bolting seats into place when the gates opened for the first game.

Needless to say, the seats are in place now.

We sat in an interesting spot – a single row of chairs and a table-style setup down the third-base line. It’s a great view for a game and it was comfortable because you actually had some space.

The food selection was solid, that’s for sure. But here’s a tip for the future – if you sit in the seats where we did, don’t worry about taking advantage of the “in-seat” service. I say this because when we were there, it was one person doing all the work. The service, unfortunately, was slow and I didn’t get my check until the ninth – and the change didn’t come until the game ended. That’s not a good thing.

On the flip side, the person I was with at the game went and got his own food and the selection and prices were all pretty solid. There was a pretty good beer selection. Though the concourse wasn’t fully open, it was a good stroll to check things out. The walk-in team store had a decent selection of items and the prices weren’t too out of the ordinary.

The views were nice from each part I walked around to see.

One downer worth mentioning is that going in and out of the stadium is a two-lane highway. So, depending when you arrive or when you leave, you could be in a long line. The parking is ample, though it’s a little pricy for short-season Single-A at $5. I usually take my time when leaving, so the line wasn’t that big of a deal. Still, it’s something to think about.

The baseball here is solid. You can be close to the bullpens. You aren’t far from the action. In the end, it’s a pretty solid place to watch a game.

A funny note from the game we attended – it was fireworks night. Dutchess is an artificial turf stadium, but it’s the newer turf. For about 15 minutes after the game, they were watering the turf in centerfield, likely because it’s a way to make sure no sparks from the fireworks actually do any damage to the surface. It was still funny to see them watering turf.

In the end, it was a nice trip to take and an easy down-and-back for a day. It was pretty good baseball, too, and another NY-Penn stadium checked off my list.

Park Notes:  

Dutchess Stadium
Wappingers Falls, NY
Home of the Hudson Valley Renegades (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays)
Visited on: June 26, 2015
Opponent: Vermont Lake Monsters (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics)

Ratings (out of 10)

• Stadium: 7.5/10
• Concessions: 8/10
• Parking: 6.5/10
• Ambiance: 7.5/10
• Friendliness: 8/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

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