Ottawa Titans 0 at New Jersey Jackals 2 (7, Frontier League, Game 1) - May 16, 2024

A couple of years ago, I went to Yogi Berra Stadium to see the New Jersey Jackals, and I figured that would be the only time to see the club at home. But last season, they moved to historic Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, necessitating another visit in order to maintain my goal of seeing a game at every MLB Partner League ballpark. This past Thursday was a perfect day as Sussex County had a morning game, while the Jackals were in the evening, but the previous day's games were rained out and so the Jackals set a doubleheader for 4 p.m.

I drove the 50 minutes from Skylands Stadium and arrived at around 2:15, giving me time to explore the area. Paterson is not a nice place to drive, with narrow roads that curve every which way. I eventually made my way to a parking lot atop a hill next to the stadium, from where you can see the town, with NYC in the distance (above). Most fans park in the lot right next to the stadium (part of a seniors residence), which seemed to be free on this day but usually costs between $3-7 according to the team.

This parking lot allows you to walk to the top and take a picture of the stadium from above. As you can see, it is not a typical ballpark configuration, as it was also used for football, track, and other events, even auto racing. It is more like a classic amphitheatre, which leads to an odd setup with right field so close and left field far away.

The stadium was opened in 1932 and is named for Mayor John Hinchliffe who was instrumental in getting it built. It is located atop the Great Falls of the Passaic River and next to the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park, which makes for a good stop before a game. Upon opening, it immediately hosted Negro League and barnstorming games, and in 1933 it was the site of the Colored Championship of the Nation between the New York Black Yankees and Pittsburgh Crawfords. The Black Yankees later played here regularly, as did the New York Cubans. This page has a lot more about the early history of the stadium and is worth reading.

Although the stadium continued to be used by local high schools after the integration of Major League Baseball, it slowly became run down and was closed in 1996. Fellow sports traveler Marc, a New Jersey native, happened to visit in 2020 while it was in a serious state of disrepair and his YouTube video is worth a look for comparison to the photos on this page.

Fortunately, the stadium was not demolished and local politicians eventually found the funding for an extensive renovation, which was dependent on the return of professional baseball. The Jackals ended up being that team, though for many reasons, it has been a difficult move. Still, from an aesthetic point of view, the renovation is incredible. The building looks brand new and all of the original touches remain, including the ticket windows, with athletic logos along one side of the exterior.

I picked up a ticket for $12 and although it said Section 17, I could not find section numbers anywhere inside. Not that it mattered, with the early start, fans were few and far between. This was quite the difference from their home opener, where they sold 7,122 tickets (5,000 were bought by a local philanthropist) and 2,652 showed up. For this game, attendance ended up being announced at 1,532, though there were maybe 150 fans there for the first game of the doubleheader.

The entire field is artificial turf, including the pitcher's mound. This sort of setup is getting more common at lower level fields as it is much easier to maintain.

All seats here are benches and comfort can be a problem after sitting for an hour or so. Fortunately, you can move around easily and stand on the concourse above to stretch out. The parking lot is seen to the left in the photo above.

The "dugouts" are more like soccer benches, with the home team once sitting next to the track which allows a bit of advertising to be displayed, while the visitors are against the stadium wall. 

Because the right field fence is so close, a giant screen has been erected to make home runs somewhat more difficult. A few balls hit off the screen and played true, which makes some certain doubles turn into long singles.

Farther down, the fence is much lower, though no balls came close to this area during the game I attended.

As you walk around, you will see pennants representing those old Negro League teams, a nice touch. The Newark Eagles, for whom Larry Doby played, are represented here as well.

Recently, a new museum opened and I was looking forward to visiting it, but for whatever reason, it was closed. I did speak with GM John Hunt who said that there is only one staff member now so generally it is open from when gates open an hour before first pitch until about 30 minutes after the game starts. I guess the time change for the game altered the schedule for this day, as it was closed both before the game and after the first game, at least when I checked.

The museum is in the building out in center field and I was able to see in and take a picture. Paterson is accessible on public transit, so I will probably revisit at some point to see this part of the stadium.

The venue is a national historic landmark and this fact is duly noted on a plaque next to the concession stand, which has mostly typical ballpark fare (I recommend the empanada for $5). This was Thirsty Thursday and specific draft beers were $3, but as I was driving immediately afterward, I did not bother.

I alluded to the fact that the Jackals are having difficulty attracting fans (attendance averaged 725 last season), with several reasons behind this. Paterson is not a particularly safe area and the NJ Transit station is not close, so fans must drive. Parking was expensive last year ($15!), though it has come down this year. There are no box seats either, so as mentioned, it can get a little painful on the posterior if you are sitting for a while. Hunt recognizes this and penned an open letter to fans which outlines how these issues will be addressed. It is still early in the season but if anyone can turn things around here, it is Hunt, who has a track record of success in baseball management. I hope that he and the Jackals succeed because venues like Hinchcliffe Stadium need to be seen by as many sports fans as possible. If you are in the NYC area in the summer, consider a visit to Paterson to see this beautiful and historic sports stadium.

The Game

My hometown Ottawa Titans were visiting and it was a pitchers' duel for Game 1 with Jake Kuchmaner taking the hill for the Jackals, while Bryan Pena toed the rubber for the Titans. New Jersey had yet to get a hit as we entered the bottom of the fourth scoreless, but Luis Acevedo led off with a double to end the no-no. After a couple of strikeouts, Camden Williamson launched one high and deep and it cleared the screen in right field to give the Jackals the 2-0 lead.

And that was all the scoring. Ottawa had runners on second and third in the 7th off reliever Roniel Raudes, but AJ Wright grounded out to end things. This was a great game (except Ottawa losing) that took less than 2 hours. Sitting so close with so few fans, I was able to hear the umpires and managers, something that adds a bit of colour to the game. Rather than wait around for Game 2 in the drizzle, I decided to head home, missing a sweep as New Jersey won 4-3.

Notes

This was my 1,075th venue lifetime and 366th baseball stadium, one for each day of the leap year.

Both the Miners and the Jackals are owned by Al Dorso, a local business, so that should bring stability to the franchise. 

Next Up

A quick family trip to Canada where I will stop in to see the woeful Blue Jays and the renovated Rogers Centre. Then in June, I'll head to Oakland to see more Blue Jays as well as the Oakland Ballers, one of the new Pioneer League teams. Check back as always for recaps.

Best,

Sean