Courtesy of Jack Young
Whether you’re a diehard fan or attend for good food and live entertainment, most can agree that nothing is quite as nostalgic as a minor league baseball game. An American pastime cherished for generations, the sights and sounds of a baseball game are nothing short of iconic, especially when cheering on the local team. Over the years, Connecticut has seen its fair share of minor league baseball teams, but none quite as distinctive as the Hartford Yard Goats.
Once known as the New Britain Rock Cats, the team got a complete redesign in 2016. For months before the big move, the Rock Cats owners had decided they wanted out of the league. So when a deal came through from Hartford, it was too good to pass up. February 2015 marked the start of a new adventure for the city. That spring, construction began on Dunkin Stadium, a $71 million project that would take two years to complete. The price tag that came with such a stadium was cause for indignation amongst Hartford taxpayers. In an article by CT Insider, reporter Michael Lee-Murphy mentions, “…it was easy to drive through Hartford and find better uses for the $71 million dollar cost attached to the stadium.” With a brand-new home park in place for the team, all that was left was to get a name to match the unique character of minor league baseball. The team owners decided to pass the baton to the public.
Over 30,000 ballots were submitted to the team-naming contest. Ultimately, the “Hartford Yard Goats” prevailed, an homage to the rich railway history in Hartford. A “Yard Goat” is a term used to describe the vehicles that drove around rail yards bringing cargo to freight trains. It’s a sentimental name that brings Hartford’s own flair to the baseball scene. Many fans fell in love instantly with the Hartford Yard Goats, especially after the unveiling of their barnyard mascots, Chew Chew and Chompers, in 2015.
However, there was a bit of unease within Hartford’s leadership over the name. Treasurer Adam Cloud made a statement calling out insensitivity to the city’s Caribbean community, who may have a history of herding or tending to goats. The team responded by ensuring that the purpose was to be a funky, unconventional name that engages with the community. The “Yard Goats” name stuck around, adding to the attention they received as they premiered in their minor league debut.
From the outset, unity was on the minds of the Hartford Yard Goats. The team was put in place just as much for the average Connecticuter as for hardcore baseball fans. When asked about some of her memories as a faithful Yard Goats fan, former Assistant Director of Outdoor Leadership and Club Sports at the College, Rachel Loughran, recounts her experience at a game with her father, “I was at one of the first ever Yard Goat games. My dad is a big sports fan…he doesn’t watch them on TV. He listens to them on the radio because he likes the commentary. One year, for Father’s Day, we took him to a game. I didn’t like baseball, but I was a convert…There were things to draw people in that weren’t just the stats. They cast a wide net as to who can be a baseball fan. Eight years later, even living in New London, I still go to close to seven games a year.” Stories like Rachel’s are familiar amongst Yard Goats fans. It’s not the players or even the scores that rope them in, but rather the feeling of coming together. The loyalty of the community has not gone without reciprocation. The team has integrated themselves through acts of service within the greater Connecticut area. Chew Chew and Chompers can often be seen attending events, visiting children in hospitals, and hosting readings. Even the stadium serves as more than just a gathering place for fans and players alike. It’s also become home to a Covid-19 vaccination site and youth center. The Yard Goats have gone to great lengths to prove that sports have the potential for far greater impact than sheer entertainment.
Though it’s been nearly seven years since the team’s formation, 2024 saw the first-ever home playoff game for the Yard Goats. Hartford fell to the Somerset Patriots in the first round of playoffs, but it’s still too early to lose hope for the regular season. Ranked 5th in the Eastern League after a 38- win 30- loss record in the 2024 regular season, the Yard Goats have a chance to set the record straight in their 2025 season opener against the very same Somerset Patriots that bounced them out of the playoffs on April 4 in Hartford.
