BROOKLYN CYCLONES

STATEN ISLAND YANKEES

Battle for the Bridge

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Photo by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
2004 Minor League Notes
New York City’s already heated baseball rivalry between the Yankees and Mets takes on added meaning this summer as both of their Class A affiliates, the Staten Island Yankees (affectionately known as the Baby Bombers) and the Brooklyn Cyclones, will square off in the Battle for the Bridge. The young rivalry has grown in intensity over each of the past three seasons—Brooklyn’s inception to the New York-Penn League began in 2001.

Both teams have enjoyed recent success over the past few years. In their inaugural season, the Cyclones shared the 2001 New York-Penn League title with the Williamsport Crosscutters. After suffering from a 2002 sophomore slump, Brooklyn returned to the championship series in 2003 before falling to Williamsport. In the meantime, Staten Island has captured two NY-Penn League crowns over the past five seasons, winning in both 2000 and 2002.

Despite their sluggish 2004 beginning (3-9 as of July 1), the Baby Bombers hope to rebound from last season’s last place finish with the addition of former Yankee pitcher Tommy John as their new manager. Jesse Hoover, the Yankees 7th-overall selection in the 2004 MLB Entry Draft, has given the Baby Bombers a much needed spark as he notched his first save of the season against the Vermont Expos on June 28th, striking out six of the seven batters he retired. Infielder Hector Zamora has been one of the few offensive weapons for Staten Island, hitting .357 over his first eleven games.

The Cyclones, on the other hand, are off to a sizzling start and are currently sitting on top of the NY-Penn League standings (8-5). They are led by rookie manager Tony Tijerina, and aided by the arrival of first baseman Jim Burt Jr., the Mets 19th-round draft pick and son of former New York Giant defensive lineman Jim Burt. Brooklyn has been powered by outfielders Corey Coles and Derran Watts, who are hitting .357 and .333, respectively.

Series Outlook/Review
The Battle for the Bridge kicks off on Friday, July 9th, at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn. The teams will then play 11 more games over the course of the three-month season.

Ferry Facts

The Staten Island Ferry

Here are the statistics for both teams...

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS as of 7/1/04
CYCLONES		YANKEES
8	WINS	3
8	LOSSES	5
1	RANK	6
TEAM BATTING STATS as of 6/30/04
CYCLONES	vs.	YANKEES
.238	BA	.220
58	R	46
101	H	84
5	HR	6
38	BB	39
17	SB	5
TEAM PITCHING STATS as of 6/30/04
CYCLONES	vs.	YANKEES
4.14	ERA	4.27
103	Hits Allowed	108
39	BB	44
91	SO	97

Staten Island Yankees vs. Brooklyn Cyclones
JULY - 2004
9 Yankees @ Cyclones	10 Cyclones @ Yankees	11 Yankees @ Cyclones
AUGUST - 2004
10 Yankees @ Cyclones	11 Cyclones @ Yankees	12 Yankees @ Cyclones
18 Cyclones @ Yankees	19 Yankees @ Cyclones	20 Cyclones @ Yankees
27 Yankees @ Cyclones	28 Cyclones @ Yankees	29 Cyclones @ Yankees
Where are the games being played?
Richmond County Bank Ballpark - (July - 10, August - 11,18, 20, 28 & 29)
KeySpan Park at Coney Island - (July - 9 & 11, August - 10, 12, 19 & 27)

Take the S.I. Ferry to the Game!

Visit our Staten Island Ferry Schedule Page to view Staten Island Ferry schedules to and from the series between the rival Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees.

THE RETURN OF BROOKLYN BASEBALL!

Mayor Giuliani pitches the first pitch at Coney Island

Mayor Giuliani delivers first pitch at
new Brooklyn Cyclones KeySpan Park

On June 25, 2001 at 7:19 PM, 19 year old Matt Peterson of the Brooklyn Cyclones threw out the first pitch in $39 million dollar KeySpan Park history. With that pitch, baseball and the legacy it carries were officially reborn in Brooklyn. While KeySpan Park in Coney Island is not Ebbets Field in Flatbush and the Brooklyn Cyclones of today are not the Brooklyn Dodgers of 1957, Brooklyn enthusiastically welcomed baseball back home.

The festivities surrounding the grand opening of the new ballpark began at 5:00 PM with a parade that included city dignitaries, marching bands, and Little League teams. The evening culminated in a dramatic fashion as the Cyclones defeated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers 3-2 in ten innings.

With two out in the Cyclones' ninth, Edgar Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to put the game into extra innings. In the tenth, Cyclones' catcher Michael Jacobs won the game by smacking a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. There is no doubt that the game was a very special event for the 7,500 fans that packed the stands and all of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Cyclones - Complete season schedule and box scores.

KeySpan Park - Stadium and ticket information.

THE "BABY BOMBERS" OPEN 2001 SEASON!

Mayor Giuliani and Guy Molinari at Richmond County Bank Ballpark

Mayor Giuliani and Guy Molinari celebrate
the new Richmond County Bank Ballpark

June 24, 2001, at the grand opening of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George, the single-A Staten Island Yankees beat the Hudson Valley Renegades 3-1. While the action packed game attracted a standing room only crowd of 6,854, the breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline and the celebrity appearance of Dwight Gooden definitely added to the fun.

At the beginning of the game, the fans were welcomed personally by the players who signed autographs and posed for pictures; while at the end of the game, the fans were thanked with a fireworks display over the view of Manhattan. When Yankee first baseman Aaron Rifkin, hit the first home run in Richmond County Bank Ballpark history in the bottom of the fourth inning over the right field wall, the crowd exploded.

From 1883-1887, Staten Island was home to professional baseball- The New York Metropolitans of the old American Association. However, last night, with the first game in the new stadium, Staten Island welcomed the rebirth of local baseball. New fans and baseball aficionados alike enthusiastically watched with wonder as the Yankees played their first home game in their new state of the art stadium.

Staten Island Yankees - Complete season schedule and box scores.

Richmond County Bank Ballpark - Stadium and ticket information.

For more Battle for the Bridge from year's past, please visit our Battle for the Bridge archives.

Last Updated On: Thursday, July 1, 2004



2 Washington Street, 15th Fl., New York, NY 10004 / Toll Free: 877.NYC.SPORTS / Fax: 212.788.7514