A Memorable Perfect Storm in Little Falls, NJ.
Author: James Loeffler
On Thursday June 17, 2021, the New Jersey Jackals took on the Tri-City Valleycats at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey. When viewed through the scope of the entire season, this game would’ve normally seemed like an ordinary mid-week game. However, it turned out to be a memorable night for the fans and the players that will surely be spoken about for a long time. Jackals infielder Riley Mihalik, who was the hero of the night, would describe the night on Instagram as, “possibly the most fun game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Not only was this game the first Thirsty Thursday of the season, but it coincided with the true reopening of the state of New Jersey. Masks weren’t required, keeping social distance was an option, no more seating pods, and the first sense of a true return to normalcy was finally in sight.
This resulted in a raucous, enthusiastic and truly joyful night from the fans in the stands that night. Jackals Media Relations Coordinator Reed Keller said “that crowd was the liveliest I’ve heard at Yogi Berra Stadium in quite some time. I think the lifting of COVID restrictions and a return to normalcy had a lot to do with that, but the ever popular $1 beer night certainly helped as well. As for their impact on the game, players from both sides were playing into the crowd.”
Yogi Berra stadium also got to enjoy a new phenomenon of the fan experience across sports in America: the beer snake.
That night, it made its debut behind home plate, growing to at least 35 feet in length by the end of the night. Fans were collecting empty beer cups down both the left and right field lines in the name of pure spontaneous fun that they have waited over a year to experience. About that part of the night, Reed Keller said:
“That was the first time I’ve seen it in person, and it was quite impressive! At one point fans from all over the stadium were coming to contribute their emptied cups to the process. Our team hashtag for this year has been #WeWinHere and the fans with their passion (and beer snake artistry) are a huge reason for that”.
Enjoy this short YouTube clip, by your truly, of the construction of the beer snake.
The energy from the snake even made its way onto the diamond and into the dugouts. Riley Mihalik confirmed this: “Oh we knew about the beer snake. It’s impossible to miss content like that!”
Little did anyone know that when the beer snake endeavour came to an end, the true impact of the fans would be shown on the field.
The excitement was exacerbated a bit by the contested performance of the umpiring crew. This was a game where the umpires managed to enrage both dugouts, eject two players, a first base coach and a manager, literally interfere and blow a call at the same time. They also may or may not have allowed a player to get tagged out on the basepath after he hit a homerun. It even got to a point where the fans gave the opposing players who got ejected standing ovations as they left the field for locker rooms.
The incredible energy exuding from the fans turned back between the foul lines in the 8th inning with the Jackals down 2–1 and frustrations boiling over from everyone in the stadium. A line of a dozen fans, who seemed to have enjoyed the Dollar Beer Night promotion, were heckling the left side of the Tri-City infielder hard. This may have played into both players mishandling routine ground balls to allow the tying and go ahead runs to reach base. This brought Riley Mihalik to the plate:
“Going into the at-bat I just wanted to stay small and do my job. My only goal was to hit the ball hard somewhere and let it go where it goes.” He did just that when the Jackals needed it most, driving that ball past the center fielder all the way to the wall scoring both baserunners and the biggest roar of the crowd. It was a moment fans hadn’t been able to experience in too long. Reed Keller described the moment:
“When Riley Mihalik hit that 2 RBI triple, it was a glorious thing to see the crowd on their feet and going nuts for one of the new guys on a team that’s so tied into the community”.
The excitement continued into the top of the 9th when Dylan Brammer came on to close it out. After experiencing a shaky strike zone and an ejection with two outs, a ground ball to second concluded what may be the most enjoyable baseball game, at any level, this writer had experienced in years! Brammer exuded emotions and excitement that are usually winessed when winning a World Series or pitching a no hitter.
Press Box Assistant Billy “the bat boy” Pinckney said afterwards, “The atmosphere was incredible. I truly believe the fans had a major impact on the game. The momentum was moving in our direction and the crowd was 100% into it. There could not have been a better game played on the field for this crowd.” Riley Mihalik said about the fans: “the crowd was electric all night! Home field advantage is a real thing and the players feed off the energy. I don’t think we win the game without that atmosphere.”
Looking back on that night, I can safely say it was the first time life truly felt normal in a long time, just enjoying a cold drink and a hotdog on a warm summer night at the ballpark. You saw what truly was missing from the 2020 season: the energy was back, everyone in the stadium could see the home field advantage having a real impact on the game and the comeback rallies with the roar of the crowd was music to the ears.
It was the baseball experience all fans remembered and missed dearly. Hopefully, fans realize now that we can all get back to doing our part of cheering our team onto victory. This closing message is to the fans: get back out there! Your team needs you, the players need you, it’s time to get back to normal and enjoy the ballpark.
