© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

The Opener Wasn't at Home, But Hartford Yard Goats Get Their First Win

A party at a Hartford restaurant celebrated the Yard Goats and their first game.

Thursday was supposed to be the home opener for Hartford’s new minor league baseball team, the Yard Goats. 

But the stadium won’t be done for another month or so.

Still, that didn’t stop fans and sponsors from celebrating the city’s team’s first pitch. 

So, look on the bright side. Had the game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels been played in Hartford, it would have been rained out.

“And we’d probably be looking at a double header tomorrow, which would be two seven-inning games, back to back, in the middle of the day, in about 30 to 40 degree weather,” said Mike Abramson, the team’s assistant general manager. He was hosting a party at a Hartford restaurant for fans and sponsors -- people who wanted to celebrate the Yard Goats and their first game.

Credit Ryan Caron King / WNPR
/
WNPR
Mike Abramson, the Hartford Yard Goats' assistant general manager.

Abramason is a bright-side kind of guy. He knows that the difficulties getting the stadium built on time and on budget -- it is neither -- have been a downer. So he’s giving fans something else to look forward to.

"We open up against the Yankees' affiliate and the Red Sox affiliate for our first home stand," he said. "Which is an excellent diversion tactic against any disappointment people had. We say, when we finally do open, it's going to be much warmer, we're going to play the Yankees, then we're going to play the Red Sox."

I followed Jonathan Holden around the mini-burger bar. He’s a season ticket holder -- and he was when the team was the New Britain Rock Cats.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing," he said. "If it wasn’t raining, we’d be two blocks away outside. But that’s okay. And we know that, in...six weeks now, we’ll be here. And it’ll be good.”

And the first game ended well. The Yard Goats won their first game ever, beating the Flying Squirrels five to four.

Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content