With the success of this year’s Field of Dreams game, it’s not a surprise for Major League Baseball to look at other unique sites to have a regular season game. If MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds had it his way, the next special game would take place at one of the few prominent Negro League stadiums that’s still standing.
Reynolds already expressed his desire to have a game at Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey around the time of the Field of Dreams game. But now things seem to be getting more serious as Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh revealed in a social media video that he and Reynolds are talking to MLB officials about possibly having a game at Hinchcliffe Stadium.
Hinchcliffe Stadium is in the middle of a $94 million renovation project for the stadium and the surrounding area. Designated as a historic landmark, Hinchcliffe Stadium had been closed and abandoned for more than two decades and was recently profiled in the Peacock series Lost Speedways due to its use as a racetrack in the first half of the 20th century.
For baseball, the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans played in Paterson and Hinchcliffe Stadium is a Negro League stadium that hasn’t been demolished. That’s why people like Reynolds feels it’s important to have a MLB game there. Sure, renovations will need to be completed before a game can be played but if there is a game at Hinchcliffe, it would be a great opportunity for people to learn about the Negro Leagues and its important contribution to modern-day baseball.
