History
RCB Ballpark opened in 2001 and was designed by Populous. The design of the ballpark features sails at the entrances inspired by the Staten Island Ferry and the St. George Ferry Terminal, which is about 0.33 miles (0.53 km) away and less than a five-minute walk from the ballpark. The S40 and S44 buses directly serve the stadium, but the stadium is accessible from the buses that terminate at the St. George Ferry Terminal. The St. George station of the Staten Island Railway is also at the ferry terminal. From 2001 to 2009, on game days during the baseball season, SIR trains served the RCB Ballpark station adjacent to the stadium with trains from both St. George and Tottenville. In 2010, train service to RCB Ballpark station was suspended due to budget cuts from the MTA.
The site on which the ballpark was built was once the site of the B&O Railroad rail yards for the City of New York, and the current stadium parking lot was the site of Major League Baseball in the 1880s. The New York Metropolitans of the American Association played at the St. George Grounds in 1886-1887 and the New York Giants played there while awaiting the construction of the second Polo Grounds.
Richmond County Bank Ballpark was part of a deal with both the Yankees and New York Mets, brokered by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Due to Major League Baseball territory rules, the Yankees and Mets have veto power over each other (and any other Major League Baseball franchise), if they want to bring an affiliated minor-league team in to the New York City metropolitan area. The Yankees and Mets had attempted to move minor-league teams to the area in the past, only to be turned down with their rival. With help (and public money) from the mayor, both teams agreed to allow each other to have a minor-league team in the city in return for new stadiums. The Mets moved a franchise to a new stadium, called Keyspan Park, (renamed to MCU Park in 2010), in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.
In 2005, RCB Ballpark hosted two of the four concerts of the Across the Narrows Festival. The other two concerts took place simultaneously at KeySpan Park.
On August 17, 2010, RCB Ballpark hosted the NY-Penn League All Star Game. This was the ballpark's first opportunity to host the game and the second time that it was held in New York City.
Read more about this topic: Richmond County Bank Ballpark
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