Throwback.
That’s the best way to describe Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, home of the short-season Single-A Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League.
It’s not that old of a stadium. Well, let me explain that. The stadium structure and such is from the mid-1990s. The playing field is the original from the late 1930s. So the spot has a throwback feel, but still has the feel of a newer minor league park.
Stamped in.
But the feel is throwback. There’s no walk-in team store (it’s a small concession-style trailer) or luxury boxes and such, but there’s a decent amount of food choices, pretty good beer, and good sightlines throughout the stadium. It didn’t take long to walk along the concourse, which runs behind the grandstand.
There’s not a lot of bells and whistles like in some of the newer stadiums, so it has a baseball feel. Tickets were easy to grab a couple of hours before the game. There wasn’t much of a line to get in.
Oh, and this was opening day for the New York-Penn League!
We sat on the first-base line and had front-row seats. What was nice was sitting next to an old-time season-ticket holder and some other fans who enjoyed the game and were there to watch some baseball. The crowd was small, though, which is normal (Batavia has been last in league attendance in all but one year since 2010), but it was baseball.
Play ball!
Stadiums like these are quickly becoming homes for college wood-bat leagues as teams leave for greener pastures, so it’s nice to hit these stadiums while you still can. Batavia has been rumored to move for years, so who knows if/when it will happen. The reality is, it’s tough to tell what will happen.
But Batavia was a good place to watch a game overall. People were friendly. The food was decent. The spot was nice. Parking was extremely simple and there were ample spots. I wanted to visit this stadium several years ago while they were still an affiliate of the Phillies, but that is no longer the case (they are the Marlins now).
Still, the team maintains its history with all of its affiliates, which was nice to see.
In the end, it was a good spot to watch a game. Though my ratings weren’t super high for some of this spot, it was still nice to see a game here. Ticket prices were average and it was an enjoyable night.
Park Notes:
Dwyer Stadium
Batavia, NY
Home of the Batavia Muckdogs (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins)
Visited on: June 20, 2015
Opponent: Auburn Doubledays (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals)
Ratings (out of 10)
- Stadium: 6/10
- Concessions: 6.5/10
- Parking: 7.5/10
- Ambiance: 7.5/10
- Friendliness: 9/10
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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