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April 13, 2017

Yard Goats open Hartford ballpark at 7 p.m.

PHOTO | Contributed Hartford's downtown minor-league ballpark.

After a year with no place to call home, the Hartford Yard Goats kick off opening day at 7 p.m. Thursday at the new Dunkin' Donuts Stadium while Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin keeps his eye on bringing more economic development downtown.

The storied saga of a ballpark mired in delays that forced the Yard Goats to play on the road last season, along with outstanding litigation between the former developer, the city and the ball club owner, is known regionally and beyond, but won't keep the Yard Goats from enjoying opening day, Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said.

"Opening day is normally pretty magical, but with the great weather and the long journey it's been, it makes it even that more special," said Restall.

Bronin echoed that enthusiasm, saying that even six months ago there was no guarantee the stadium would open on time for the Yard Goats 2017 season. However, an "enormous effort by our development team and some difficult, risky but necessary decisions" helped get the project on track, he said.

The original Downtown North (DoNo) development agreement tied together development of the ballpark and the surrounding neighborhoods by Centerplan, the developer the city fired last summer. Multiple lawsuits ensued, and that entanglement has to be resolved as the city moves forward, Bronin said, declining to elaborate.

"It looks like we've got a beautiful day, a sellout crowd and a ballpark that is probably the nicest minor league ballpark in the country," Bronin said. "Now attention [turns] full force to try and push forward development on the surrounding parcels. A part of pushing forward and trying to deliver on the last administration's promises is going to mean ... making sure development is done by a capable and credible partner."

While Bronin navigates that prospect, Restall and the Colorado Rockies farm team are focused on tonight's game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

In fact, home games are also scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Monday through Thursday, Restall said.

"The front office staff has done a great job getting the ballpark ready for fans as we start off the season," he said.

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