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MLB

From Sopranos and Martians to Cy Youngs and a Side of Disco Fries: A Memorable Two Week Homestand in Somerset

June 14, 2024

Bridgewater, New Jersey – There are often stretches or moments that occur during a long and grueling baseball season that stick out and become memorable as days and weeks pass. No matter how a respective team finishes their season, when that somber day comes and the schedule hits its final

Bridgewater, New Jersey – There are often stretches or moments that occur during a long and grueling baseball season that stick out and become memorable as days and weeks pass. No matter how a respective team finishes their season, when that somber day comes and the schedule hits its final date, they are the moments that you reflect on and ponder just how special they were. As Somerset is currently mired in a quick six-game road trip to Binghamton, it can be certain that their last homestand, a season-long 12-game slate spanning May 28 – June 9 will go down as one of those distinguished stretches that won’t soon be forgotten.

The Patriots fanbase is one of the most dedicated and loyal bunches across the game – they are Yankees fans to be sure, but the surrounding community has come out to support the franchise long before the thought of Pinstripes and the interlocking NY was even a pipedream. TD Bank Ballpark is a place that is only a few miles from home for most, but for a few hours a fan can come out to the park and drift into a world where you can envision players like Spencer Jones homering over the short porch in right to the delight of The Bleacher Creatures or Brock Selvidge tipping his cap after tossing a shutout in “The House that Ruth Built”.

A total of 73,105 fans passed through the turnstiles and took in a Patriots game over the last two weeks – that is an average of 6,092 per game. The team sold out the 6,100-seat stadium and were at standing-room only capacity seven times and drew north of 8,000 twice over the historic 12-day span. While getting an intimate view of the Yankees stars of tomorrow is always an enticing draw, it’s the other fun stuff that draws added excitement. It’s what turns a game into an event and on this last home stretch, fans were treated to Sopranos Night, Cy Young winners, a bobblehead, fireworks and some good ol’ diner flavor.

The homestand kicked off on May 28 with former Yankees and Mets star and Rutgers alumni Todd Frazier throwing out the first pitch and partaking in an autograph signing on the concourse courtesy of Monmouth Sports Cards. Mere hours later 6,763 fans, mostly kids getting a day out of the classroom, took in a thrilling 2-1 Patriots victory over Bowie in a STEM Education 11:00 am matinee.

One of the most anticipated giveaways of the year is always those in the scheduled bobblehead series. The Patriots played host to rehabbing top-prospect Jasson Dominguez and as fate would have it, Thursday, May 30 was Jasson Dominguez bobblehead night. Just under 5,000 fans came out to the park to take a piece of The Martian home with them, many of which began lining the sidewalk in front of the ballpark as early as three hours prior to scheduled first pitch. Needless to say, the night was out of this world.

A night after 7,462 fans came out for an action packed 13-5 Patriots victory and stayed to watch the sky light up from one of the best fireworks shows in New Jersey, the Patriots brought one of the most recognizable and iconic personalities in the state’s lore to the yard. Somerset hosted their first ever Sopranos night on Saturday, June 1 headlined by special guest Steve Schirripa, the character best known as Bobby Baccalieri on the hit HBO drama series. The 7,619 in attendance were given a special themed tee shirt while having the chance to enjoy food offerings like Karen’s Last Ziti while partaking in unique in-game promotions that paid homage to the show, like a ketchup packet eating contest. The cherry on top was getting the opportunity to take photos and meet Schirripa and his viral-sensation wiener dog, Willie Boy. It was a night so special, not even Quasimodo could have predicted it.

Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole made a rehab start for Somerset in his first live game action on Tuesday, June 4 to kick off the second leg of the homestand. The six-time MLB All-Star tossed 3.1 strong innings in front of a record-setting 8,260 fans – the most that the Patriots have drawn since joining the affiliated ranks of minor league baseball in 2021. As if getting to see the best pitcher in baseball wasn’t cool enough, fans got to indulge in $1 hot dogs for the duration of the night, too. Talk about value!

The Patriots unveiled over the winter that they would be taking on an alternate identity as the Jersey Diners for three dates over the course of the 2024 season to pay homage to a true Garden State staple. There is something very identifiable and relatable about walking into your favorite neighborhood diner, ordering a warm cup of coffee from a familiar face and indulging in comfort food. In many ways, going to a diner is very much like going to a baseball game and on Saturday 6/8, the 8,002 fans in the ballpark were treated to the best of both worlds. Flashy diner themed uniforms were showcased by the players on the field while concession workers donned patented paper hats while serving up popular fare like pork roll and disco fries. A select number of fans were also awarded special booth seating along the concourse that really made TD Bank Ballpark feel as though the playing field was just beyond the juke box at your table. The Patriots are scheduled to host at least two more Jersey Diners themed nights on Friday, July 26 against Portland and Sunday, August 11 against Binghamton.

For the final act of the historic Somerset homestand, Cole made an encore appearance for his second rehab start of the series against Hartford. The game was sold out days in advance in anticipation, with only standing room remaining, 7,385 diehards came out on a picturesque Sunday afternoon to see Cole toss 4.2 innings of one run ball against the Yard Goats. In total, 15,645 fans passed through the gates to see the Yankees ace toss 102 pitches while allowing just one run and striking out nine over two outings.

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.

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