Falcon Park
Auburn, NY
Review by Gary
In the upstate New York town that abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman would call home in her later years, Auburn’s Falcon Park is also home to the Auburn Doubledays of the Perfect Game Collegiate League (PGCBL).
Fans driving to Falcon Park can choose from two locations to park for free: either across the street or beyond the left field wall. Everyone walks into the stadium at the home plate entrance where a vast concrete concourse allows guests to easily navigate to concession stands, gift shop or their seats. This version of Falcon Park was designed for NY-Penn League sized attendance in 1995 so numerous seating options abound. Every seat is fully screen-protected from objects leaving the field, including from above for those seated behind the home plate area.
Five rows of individual blue seats from first to third bring the fans close to the action while a concourse runs behind them. About ten rows of metal bleachers offer better sightlines above this walkway. Fans can also opt for seating in picnic areas on each side of the foul lines closer to the bullpens, bringing the capacity to 2,800.
There is a team clubhouse near each foul pole right near their respective bullpens. The field is completely carpeted with artificial turf, including the warning track, with additional lines painted on the rug for football and soccer games. This explains why the foul territory on the third base side is much wider than down the first base line.
From 1938 thru the 2019 season, 14 different clubs played pro ball at both the original Falcon Park and the rebuilt one here. Clubs in the New York-Penn League have played their home games at Falcon Park, including the Auburn Mets. Tug McGraw and Jerry Koosman helped the Auburn Metropolitans win the NY-Penn title three times in the 1960s.
Games have been played on this baseball diamond since Calvin Coolidge was the US President. Falcon Park was named for and originally built in 1926 by the Polish Falcons, a local Polish-American club. The original ballfield was once noted for its four-foot grade drop from home plate to center field. The City of Auburn took ownership of the team and Falcon Park in 1981. According to their website, “Auburn now has the only city-owned professional baseball team in the country.” The new Falcon Park was built between the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
After the cancelled 2020 minor league season, the Doubledays were not among the teams invited to remain as affiliates of MLB and thus joined the PGCBL in 2021. While sparse on this July 2024 visit, the crowd was lively and entertained by an enthusiastic cheerleader who ran around the concourse looking for fans to participate in between-innings events like bat races and trivia while trying to get the dozens of seated guests to do The Wave. Go see a Doubleday game in Auburn, but bring cash or Venmo because Falcon Park doesn’t take credit cards.
2024
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