It’s baseball season, and not all of the action is at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium – New York has plenty of other local teams, like the Long Island Ducks. While the Ducks are not affiliated with a Major League Baseball team, they’re an MLB Partner and have some ties with the Mets. 

Mets legends Bud Harrelson and Wally Backman, who now acts as the team’s manager, helped found the team back in 2000. Since then, the team has welcomed an Atlantic League record of sold out crowds, and on the field, they’ve won four Atlantic League championships, eight division championships and earned 15 playoff berths. 

Going to a Ducks game delivers not only a taste of the great American pastime, but a stadium full of family-friendly entertainment and fun promotions at every game. Check out the 2023 season’s promotional calendar here before visiting the 6,000+ capacity stadium.

And it’s not a baseball game these days without some ballpark fare. They’ve got concession stands all over the ballpark with a variety of food, including from local vendors like Dang BBQ and Pies-on Wheels. There’s also the Duck Club, a bar and restaurant located on the club level behind home plate. 

Bonus: This team has a mascot, which is not nearly as common as it should be these days, so show some love to QuackerJack while there. 

The Ducks’ home opener for 2023 is on May 2nd, against local rivals the Staten Island FerryHawks, in what is known as the Battle of the Belt. The “Belt” here being the Belt Parkway, but of course we recommend that you take the Long Island Rail Road out to a game – the closest station to the Fairfield Properties Ballpark, where the Ducks play, is Central Islip. You can take the 3C bus from there — get a schedule here.