04/16/2026
First impressions from the home opener last night:
Unfortunately, the weather disrupted the first home game for the Keys after returning as an Oriole affiliate. Starting around 8:30pm, after two innings, the rain came back with a vengeance and the game was eventually. suspended around 10:15 at a score of 4-2 Renegades. The consolation is that we can use our tickets on another date. The game was finished the next day (today) as part of a double-header, Losing to the Yankees affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades 10-2.
As to the stadium renovations. It looks fantastic. It's on the level of a major league stadium, only on a smaller scale. Each team has it's own off-field bullpen. The players now enter the field through a tunnel from the field house. There is a beautiful open concourse where the kids section used to be. It looks clean and professional. For looks, I give it an "A".
However, grading for family-friendliness is not going to be great.
I already mentioned the loss of the kids section (with Merry-go-round) unless it's been moved to someplace I didn't see. The small grass sections on either side of the field adjacent to the outfield where kids used to chase foul balls are now gone. The screen goes all the way around the field, so I doubt baseballs will be tossed to kids in the stands. I suppose you could, but the player would have to toss it way up and over the screen.
A huge experience that is now gone is one of greeting the players as they exit the clubhouse for the field and then on the way back again. It was the favorite spot for anyone to go to ask for autographs and it was common to see players outside the clubhouse door cleaning their shoes as they prepared for a game. Maybe the players like not having the distraction, and that's fine if they do. But the fan experience, especially for kids, will be diminished. I can't help but think that the players could benefit from some encourging fan contact at this level.
Maybe I'm wrong, and perhaps the team has other things planned to make up for that. This is just my initial thoughts. I have not yet seen a complete game. (But that should be remedied soon.)
Having said that, I don't want to give the impression that a game would not be a positive experience for families. The family behind us had a four or five year-old and the mother was doing her best to explain the game to her son. It was cute hearing the boy referring to the other team's players as "the bad guys".
Go Good Guys!
