New Jersey Jackals at Hinchliffe Stadium for 2023 home opener

PATERSON — Diehard fans and curious locals were among the 400 spectators at the home opener of the New Jersey Jackals, the minor league baseball club's first game at historic Hinchliffe Stadium.

Sporting Larry Doby's Cleveland Indians baseball jersey in honor of the Paterson-born Negro Leagues phenom, Corey Kronengold, 49, drove to the game with his wife, father and two children from their home in Livingston.

Kronengold said he had been attending Jackals games the past four years at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls and nothing could have stopped him from seeing the team's latest win, 10-6 over the Sussex County Miners, which included six home runs.

"I was immediately charmed by this local ball club," said Kronengold, who said the minor league players are more interactive with fans. "It's fun for the kids to have a connection with the players that you just can't get with Major League Baseball."

Kronengold's father, Chuck, said he knew Doby personally as the player's eye doctor.

"I have so many nice things to say about that guy," he said.

The elder Kronenberg, who at 76 travels with a walker, said the only hitch in the family outing was the lack of an Americans with Disabilities Act entrance into the stadium. In fact, to reach a ramp to his seat in Section 17, he had to pass through the women's restroom.

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Mayor Andre Sayegh said he was aware of the issue and planned to speak to the developers about a solution.

Other fans, most of whom seemed to have arrived by car, experienced minor hiccups throughout the day. The crowd size was underwhelming, the ticket booth was a bit disorganized, and longtime Jackals fans said the prices at the concessions were higher than what they paid in the past.

Thomas Monahan, 28, of Saddle Brook said the $8.50 he paid for an ice cream cone and $6.50 for a can of beer were steep.

"I’ve been coming to these games since I was a little kid," Monahan said.

But all seemed forgiven after he caught a foul ball for his 9-year-old nephew.

Some folks in the stands were Paterson residents, like Courtney McCain, 46, who lives on the city's Eastside and had never been to a Jackals game before but decided to see the restored stadium for the first time in almost three decades.

"This stadium was an eyesore," he said. "I thought the wrecking ball would come through here."

The last time McCain came to the stadium was for his brother's high school graduation in 1994. Three years later, the building was condemned, and it remained abandoned for two decades.

"I can't believe they were able to save this place," McCain said. "It almost brings a tear to my eye — if I was the crying type."

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The Jackals weren't part of the original plans at Hinchliffe. The $105 million restoration had already begun when Al Dorso, owner of the team, announced last September that he would move the team from Little Falls.

Hinchliffe Stadium, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of only two remaining Negro League ballfields. The New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans played at Hinchliffe between 1932 and 1944.

At the start of Sunday's opening ceremonies, the Black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," was played to honor that history. A number of fans wore Negro League jerseys.

History comes alive:When baseball returns to Hinchliffe Stadium, players will retrace steps of legends

Michael Hanrahan, principal architect at Clarke Caton Hintz, the firm tasked with the renovation, said the key to the stadium's success is offering "something for everyone" and enhancing the nearby park at the Great Falls.

"This stadium is more than just baseball," said Hanrahan. "It anchored the community from the 1930s to the 1990s — it had a 60-year run."

Darren Tobia is a contributing writer for Paterson Press.