Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Affiliate Set to Resume Play in Ballpark After Flooding From Hurricane Ida

New York Yankees minor league affiliate Somerset Patriots set to resume play at TD Bank Ballpark after Hurricane Ida left stadium submerged by floodwater

Max Goodman

After remnants of Hurricane Ida ravaged TD Bank Ballpark, submerging the diamond in floodwater, the Somerset Patriots are ready to return home and take the field once again.

The Yankees' Double-A affiliate announced Tuesday afternoon that they will be back, playing games in their home ballpark this weekend, just over a week after the historic storm.

"These games are even a possibility because of the tireless work of our grounds crew, led by Dan Purner, our staff, and the amazing support of this community," Patriots President/General Manager Patrick McVerry said in a statement. "We look forward to being able to open the ballpark and show everyone just how resilient we all are here in New Jersey."

Somerset’s Submerged Ballpark Won’t Be The Last

The before-and-after photos of the ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey, are staggering. Murky water completely covered the field of play and its surrounding areas less than a week ago, the morning after Hurricane Ida reached the northeast. Now, Somerset's facility looks almost like nothing ever happened, a testament to the work of the organization's grounds crew.

The first three games of Somerset's series with the Yard Goats this week were moved to Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford as a result of the flooding. That starts on Tuesday night. On Friday night, however, the Bombers' affiliate is expected to regain home-field advantage.

After the devastating storm, players on Somerset's roster opened up on social media about the losses that they suffered. 

Pitcher Nick Ernst shared a photo of his truck with water so high, it almost covered the entire vehicle. Outfielder Isiah Gilliam provided more of a blunt assessment of the situation, tweeting "we lost everything.”

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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