Hudson Valley Renegades christen renovated stadium with walkoff win before excited fans
FISHKILL - Jacqueline Imperati remembers well Rascal’s Playhouse and still has vivid memories of herself as a yay-high, when she was far more enamored with the inflatable slide than the games.
Attending the Hudson Valley Renegades games has long been a summer routine, accompanying her parents and older sister to the ballpark. Her attention at first was drawn to the for-kids attraction in left field, but the baseball began to matter as she got older.
“This is where I fell in love with the sport,” said Imperati, who went on to star for the Our Lady of Lourdes High School softball team. “In our household, we watched the Yankees and went to Renegades games, so there was always a joy in coming here.”
The Poughkeepsie native now is an adult, but she was again drawn to left field on Tuesday evening. But this time, the allure was the amenities, dining options and field view from the clubhouse and lounge that was debuted to the public at Heritage Financial Park.
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As the Renegades played their home opener, the audience got its first look at the renovated stadium since it underwent a $25-million makeover. Adding to their enjoyment, of course, was the Yankees' High-A affiliate scoring twice in the ninth inning for a walkoff 3-2 win over the Aberdeen IronBirds.
“It’s beautiful,” the 24-year-old Imperati said of the spruced-up ballpark. “It’s kind of amazing, watching the gradual changes over the years as I’ve grown up coming here.”
The stadium has matured too, in a stylistic sense, having been outfitted with some expensive accessories.
There is a new turf field and the remade left field includes fan seating for the first time. The structure to its rear houses the decked-out clubhouses and a training center for the athletes, as well as an indoor sitting room for spectators with a restaurant and bar.
The slowed traffic along Route 9D and the overflowed parking lot were immediate indications of the local buzz that had built about this opener. And, before the first pitch was thrown, fans moseyed along the concourse to get a glimpse of the new building.
“It was the best opening day turnout I've seen in a few years,” said Lynne Versaci, a Dutchess County legislator who also has worked for years as a bartender at the stadium. “The good weather played a part, but there was a lot of hype about this because people wanted to see the new clubhouse; what the county spent that money on.”
The reported attendance was 3,168 — about 300 more than the opener last season and 1,100 more than the year before ― but the excitement was palpable, and certainly was audible.
“I love this atmosphere,” said John Gorman, a Wappingers Falls native who has been a regular there for more than 20 years. “I've been to a lot of stadiums across the country and it's not that often you find something that's advanced and still feels homie.”
The 38-year-old once worked there as a bat boy and, he said, even befriended former big-league star Josh Hamilton when he played for the Renegades in the late 90s. Gorman now serves as an unofficial “crowd enthusiast.” He cheered vociferously throughout the game Tuesday and encouraged others to do the same while standing along the concourse.
Never was the crowd louder than when Omar Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk that forced in Nelson Medina with the winning run.
Garrett Martin put the Renegades on the board in the fourth inning with a two-out triple that drove in Josh Moylan. The IronBirds then tied it on Tavian Josenberger’s sacrifice fly in the sixth and went up 2-1 on Creed Willems' homer in the seventh.
Medina kept the Renegades within a run in the top of the ninth, charging in to make a catch in shallow center and firing home to catcher Rafael Flores, who put the tag on a diving Mac Horvath, who was attempting to score from third.
The Renegades’ rally was aided by a spate of errant pitches from Luis Sanchez. Martin was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, before Sanchez struck out the next two batters. But Medina was then hit by a pitch and Roc Riggio walked to load the bases. Jared Serna drew a walk that brought in the tying run, and Martinez followed with the winning walk.
Baron Stuart started for the Renegades and allowed a run and two hits with three strikeouts in 5⅓ innings. Leonardo Pestana pitched a scoreless ninth for the win as Hudson Valley improved to 6-3.
Among the attendees were some local politicians and representatives from Dutchess Tourism. County legislators passed a 2023 budget that included the $25 million allocated for construction work, which began last spring.
The upgrades are in accordance with an MLB edict that set new minimum standards for minor league facilities, and the county funding fulfilled an obligation tied to a 25-year rental agreement struck with the Renegades in 2021. One of the long-term goals, Versaci said, was to “make the ballpark a tourist attraction.”
The fan-accessible area of the clubhouse is adorned by fire pits and dining tables outside. The walls inside the lounge are decorated with Renegades photographs and memorabilia and artwork depicting baseball legends like Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth.
The restaurant, operated by an executive chef, includes buffet-style meals. Among the favorite items, some diners said, were the macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, chocolate chip cookies and cannoli. The bar had gotten about 200 patrons before the game began, Versaci said.
There is obviously also the baseball aspect of this and the prospect development, which is a significant draw. The Renegades, previously an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, became partnered with the New York Yankees in 2020 and several former Renegades have made it 65 miles south to the Bronx since then. Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells, most notably, are part of the Yankees’ core now.
As well, the Renegades reached the South Atlantic League championship series last season.
“It's fun to see them at this level, watch them work their way up, and then I'm watching them on TV with the Yankees,” said 17-year-old Charlie Welsh, a junior at John Jay High School. His mom is a season ticket holder, and they attend as many games as possible. “That definitely adds to it, watching these games and knowing there’s a good chance some of the guys you’re seeing in person will be in the big leagues.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Martinez walkoff caps home opener as Renegades debut upgraded stadium