The Hartford Yard Goats’ 2020 season was canceled Tuesday afternoon after Minor League Baseball (MiLB) informed team officials it would not return for a shortened season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MiLB’s cancelation includes all professional baseball teams it governs in the U.S., Canada and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems.
Fans who bought tickets for the Yard Goats 70-game home schedule at downtown’s Dunkin’ Donuts Park will soon be contacted by a team representative, team officials said Tuesday.
“While this news is not a surprise at this late date, it’s still disappointing,” the team said in a statement, adding that it still plans to host the 2021 Eastern League All Star Game at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
As previously reported, the Yard Goats’ entire 140-game season became uncertain in April after multiple reports said players were told the 2020 MiLB season would be canceled. League officials at the time denied those claims.
Yard Goats General Manager General Manager Mike Abramson in a later interview with HBJ had said he was hopeful there would be a shortened 2020 season with new safety measures at ballparks. But with games on ice this spring, the team instead focused on philanthropy in Greater Hartford to support COVID-19 relief efforts.
The canceled season means thousands of fans won’t be traveling to downtown Hartford this summer and fall.
In 2019, the Yard Goats, a Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, and a member of the Eastern League, led the Eastern League in total attendance for the second consecutive year drawing 414,946 fans, up 1.5% from 408,942 fans in 2018, and up 5% from 395,196 fans in 2017.Â
The team was headed into the 2020 season with Southington native Chris Denorfia as its new manager.
Elsewhere in Hartford, the Hartford Wolf Pack, the top farm team for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League, had to cut their season short due to the pandemic. Division II pro soccer club Hartford Athletic are planning to begin its second season in the United Soccer League in July.
