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Hartford Yard Goats Set To Welcome Back Fans For 2021 Season

Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford, where the Yard Goats play.
Carrie Healy
/
NEPM
Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford, where the Yard Goats play.

The minor league baseball season was canceled a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hartford Yard Goats, the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, were among those impacted by the shutdown.

However, as residents across Connecticut continue to get vaccinated and with Governor Ned Lamont's announcement that outdoor restrictions for businesses across the state will soon be lifted, fans will enjoy the sights and sounds of baseball once again in Hartford's North End.

The team's home opener is this coming Tuesday.

Tim Restall, president of the Yard Goats, said he's most excited about getting fans back into the park.

Tim Restall: That's our true test of how we operate and what we do. It's not so much the wins and losses or the strikeouts or home runs, but it's the fans' experience that's the most. That is what I have missed the most, is that fan interaction. Just because a year ago, we had no baseball, we had no fans. And it's exciting to have people back in the ballpark.

Michael Lyle Jr., NEPM: At first, you will operate at 50% capacity, but are allowed by the state to grow to 100% by the end of the month. Do you think fans will be comfortable and safe sitting that close to each other?

Yeah. I mean the part of it, when we say it's been a long time, is we've done a lot of preparing and a lot of being ready to get people back into the ballpark. Our big thing is communication. Every individual ticket holder or season ticket holder before they go, they'll get an email and it will say, "Know Before You Goat" — like "know before you go."

And it will have all the information, from hand sanitizer locations, to that Dunkin' Donuts Park is going to be a cashless facility — so using credit cards, debit cards or gift cards, to wearing your masks unless you're actively eating or drinking, and all the different situations that we'll outline so they'll know. 

So we do feel that fans coming back to the ballpark will feel safe, have a fun time. It's a great outdoor venue to watch baseball, spend time with friends, family, and cheer on the Yard Goats.

The Red Sox Triple-A affiliate has now moved from Pawtucket to Worcester. It means your stadium, Dunkin' Donuts Park, is no longer the newest around. Are you worried about losing some ticket sales to Worcester?

No. I think that we're excited for Worcester to open up. I've seen photos and videos and that ballpark is going to be beautiful. It just brings more options to the area and more opportunities. More baseball being played in the area is a good thing. With declining Little League registrations and baseball really revamping the game and looking at different things with new rules and modifications and testing things out in the minor leagues, more baseball is always going to be a good thing.

So my hope is people will go up to Worcester, they look at it, and Worcester fans will come down and look at Dunkin' Donuts Park and they'll be able to see the best of both worlds.

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