FISHKILL – The Hudson Valley Renegades lost their final home game of the regular season to the Jersey Shore Blue Claws on Sunday afternoon by a score of 6-1. Thousands of fans and their pet dogs were on hand to see former baseball greats Shane Spencer, Mookie Wilson, and Doc Gooden throw out the ceremonial first pitches to start the final regular-season home game.
The Renegades are a High-A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees.
With a longer schedule and more home games, Renegades President Steve Gliner noted that attendance was up this year at Dutchess Stadium (The Dutch) which has a capacity of 4,500 guests. The home games started earlier this season with a win over the Brooklyn Cyclones on a cold April 19th home opener.
“It was a little quieter in the early part of the season with colder weather and needing time for fans to become educated on the expanded schedule,” Gliner said. “Once we turned the page to warmer weather and non-school schedules, we saw thousands of unique visitors who decided to visit The Dutch for the first time along with the familiar faces who have been coming to Renegades games for years.”
Gliner is optimistic about increased attendance in the early months of the season next year. “We have traditionally drawn fans from a smaller radius in years past, but the appeal of the Yankees and more opportunities to come see the team has expanded our geographical circle to include fans of many more counties and regions.”
Longtime Renegades PA announcer Rick Zolzer was pleased with attendance during the longer season. Known for crafting many of the fan-favorite games and contests put his crew to the test by creating additional contests that keep The Dutch a popular event for family entertainment. He gave his thoughts to Mid-Hudson News after Sunday’s game.
“It’s amazing to see how the number of fans grew and grew and grew as the summer went on,” Zolzer said. “There’s still a lot of people at the beginning of the season that dealt with COVID, and in April and May we had three games that had wind chill temperatures of 27 degrees.”
Zolzer is also optimistic about the future of the Renegades and The Dutch. “I’ve been around a long time and I’m grateful for the way the fans treat us, the way they respond to us, and April 7th is right around the corner.” The season tickets are on sale already and the Renegades will play their first game of the 2023 season on April 7th.
The Renegades begin a six-game series in Wilmington, DE on Tuesday. The playoffs for the division begin on September 13.
