NYC Rising Stars 2024 test out their batting skills on Whitey Ford Field. Courtesy of Neil Herdan
Aug. 22, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Whitey Ford Field is set to host its first adult baseball action in more than a generation next weekend when youth team the East River Sharks takes to the field for a homerun derby on Saturday, Aug. 31.
The park, located between 2nd Street and 26th Avenue on the Halletts Point Peninsula, first hosted baseball in 1906 but fell into disrepair toward the end of the 20th century. The field reopened as a softball field in 2023 after undergoing a $2.9 million renovation but has not yet hosted a little league or adult amateur league baseball event, although it has hosted some public school baseball games.
The home run, organized by Friends of Whitey Ford Field and the Old Astoria Neighborhood Association, represents an attempt to bring baseball back to the famous field, named after Astoria native and six-time World Series champion Whitey Ford.
Neil Herdan, co-chair of Friends of Whitey Ford Field, said the field is not ready to host a full baseball game yet due to a lack of a pitcher’s mound, sprinkler system, and adequate fencing, but said the upcoming homerun derby, which kicks off at around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, is the first step in bringing baseball back to the field.
“We’ve been talking about bringing baseball back to the field for a while now,” Herdan said. “Baseball is really the future of Whitey Ford Field.”
Herdan added that he wants to make Whitey Ford Field “Astoria’s gemstone,” stating that he hopes that the field will become the “most beautiful sports ground” in the neighborhood.
Astoria Sports Softball play on a frosty Whitey Ford Field. Courtesy of Neil Herdan
The homerun derby will feature two youth groups from the East River Sharks, starting with a competition for players aged 16-18 followed by a group of players aged 19-22. The event will conclude with a performance from Carlos Sosa and Santiago Ramirez, two former East River Sharks coaches that have gone on to Major League Baseball careers with the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals respectively.
The East River Sharks, a youth non-profit baseball organization that plays their games on Randall’s Island, were drawn to Whitey Ford Field after seeing it across the East River, Herdan said.
Co-founder Erin Talbot visited Whitey Ford Field in July and opted to host a home run derby at the field due to the difficulties of hosting a full baseball game.
Brooklyn Harvest Market Halletts Point will be providing food for the event, while attendees will also be able to use the restrooms at the store, located at 26-14 2nd St., because there are no restroom facilities at Whitey Ford Field.
Herdan hopes that the upcoming derby will draw a significant crowd and showcase Whitey Ford Field’s capacity as a baseball venue.
The field requires significant investment to meet the requirements for a baseball venue, with Herdan estimating that a sprinkler system would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to install.
Herdan said investment of that scale would have to come from the City Council or a public-private partnership, adding that Friends of Whitey Ford Field are currently trying to raise around $5,000 to purchase a portable lawn mower and install an equipment shed at the field.
He also called for a dog run to be installed at the field, stating that a number of local people currently violate park rules by allowing their dogs to run free on the field.
Herdan additionally hopes to obtain a permit to hold film screenings and concerts at Whitey Ford Field in a bid to turn the park into a mini-Astoria Park when it is not hosting baseball or softball games.
Featured Events
