Baseball Season: Where Fireworks Meet Fastballs
For generations, baseball season has been a warm-weather staple in upstate New York — a classic way to spend a summer evening. The minor leagues, in particular, have a long and storied history in the Capital Region dating back to the 1850s.
Continuing that tradition is the Tri-City ValleyCats, the minor league team that’s been playing games at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Albany since 2002. The team plays 48 home games that offer the perfect excuse to grab some peanuts and family and friends and settle into the bleachers under the lights. The ValleyCats are members of the 18-team Frontier League and play a 96-game regular-season schedule from early May until late August, followed by playoffs.
The Frontier League is one of the eight professional independent baseball leagues in North America and is considered the oldest active independent baseball league in the world. None of the teams are affiliated with MLB organizations, but the league is an official MLB Partner League. Players can be signed by MLB teams during the season — so you never know who might be the next breakout star.
The level of play is similar to Minor League Baseball’s Single-A teams. The rosters are primarily made up of accomplished college graduates looking to move to an MLB organization or former minor league players trying to return. Players come from more than 15 countries.
Fans of the ’Cats have seen major league talent regularly grace the diamond at The Joe. Since 2000, approximately 60 alums of the Frontier League have made it to the majors, including current Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker, who was on the Tri-City roster in 2022. Andrew Bellatti, who played for Tri-City in 2021, was with the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins. In March, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.
The ValleyCats, which are hosting the Frontier League All-Star Game July 16, have traditionally been one of the more popular teams in the league. Last year, the team averaged 3,000 fans for games at The Joe, in part because of their on-field success. Tri-City went 52-41, finishing second in the East Division before losing in the Wild Card game.
This season’s Tri-City squad includes some local flair. Arlo Marynczak, a Bethlehem Central High School and Siena College alum, will be taking the mound once again. The 6-foot-7 righty appeared in 22 games last season as a starter, closer and set-up man — not a common role in the modern game, where positions are typically more specific. But, he says, he’s comfortable adapting.
“I’m kind of used to that. I’m an outs-getter. I pride myself in being ready quickly,” he said.
For Marynczak, who grew up watching ValleyCats games, playing for his hometown team is a summertime dream come true. “It’s a real honor to represent this area,” he said. “It’s not something I take lightly.”
Marynczak still works out in the same facilities he did as a kid and works with Christian Brothers Academy’s varsity baseball team in Albany. He says he sees himself as a role model for young players. “I learned the game growing up in the same town as you,” he tells them. “You can do this.”
Another local standout, Jake Reinisch — a Shenendehowa High School grad and a Wake Forest University standout — was traded to the ValleyCats in the offseason by the New York Boulder, where he played right field and first base.
He’s excited to play for hometown fans. During his college career, only his parents were able to see him play.
“It’s super cool to come here with all my friends and family,” Reinisch said, adding he’s especially thrilled that his grandparents will get to see him play for the first time since his high school years.
While many players are chasing MLB dreams, Reinisch says he’s enjoying this season with a refreshing sense of freedom.
“I have no goals, which sounds not good, right?” he says. “There is no pressure. I’m hanging it up at the end of summer and moving on.”
Reinisch cites the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca, who said “Cease to hope and you will cease to fear,” adding that this attitude helps him play at his best. “I don’t feel stressed to perform,” he says. “I’m ready to move on but enjoying it while in the process.”
Reinisch is in graduate school at Russell Sage College and is a graduate assistant on the baseball team. His goal is to get into educational administration and coach baseball, following in the footsteps of his father Paul Reinisch, who is the athletic director at Troy High School. Paul also played baseball at Wake Forest before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers.
For Marynczak, the goal is the opposite: He wants this year to be a launching pad to something better.
“It’s an accomplishment to be at this level,” he said, “but the goal is to move on.”
The ValleyCats play six days a week, excluding Mondays. Tickets can be bought at the stadium or online at tcvalleycats.com, where the full schedule and promotional lineup are posted. And while baseball is the main event, the stadium experience offers so much more: postgame fireworks, theme nights like Taylor Swift Night and Christmas in July, and even a concert by country star Tyler Hubbard on August 14. There’s something for everyone — making it an unbeatable summer tradition.
Looking for more baseball adventures across New York this summer? The state is filled with options. Triple-A fans can catch the Buffalo Bisons (the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate), Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals) and Syracuse Mets (New York Mets). Double-A’s Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) and High-A teams like the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) and Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) also offer thrilling games all summer long.
That’s not to say that independent league action is limited to Albany. The Perfect Game Collegiate League’s 16 teams includes squads in Albany, Amsterdam and Glens Falls. The United Shore Professional Baseball League has four teams that play at Jimmy John’s Field in Utica. The Empire Baseball League plays in Malone, Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Whether you’re in the Capital Region or on a weekend trip, there’s a ballpark nearby and a summer night just waiting to be filled with the crack of the bat and the cheer of the crowd.
