“Let’s go, RailCats! Let’s go, RailCats!” Two boisterous fans, both middle-aged men, sat behind home plate and yelled this to their team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the first inning of a game last Saturday. A few other fans joined their cheers but not enough of them to create serious noise. That singular scene may illustrate how our Region falls short to embrace RailCats baseball games played at The Steel Yard in downtown Gary.
Not enough Northwest Indiana residents are making noise about a professional baseball team that plays in our proverbial backyard. The team has been playing at this location, just south of Indiana Toll Road and the South Shore rail line, for 20 years. The ballpark is easy to access, with plenty of seating and incredibly affordable ticket prices, costing me only $10 for a general admission ticket.
Parking is free and concession stand prices for a variety of foods and drinks are very reasonable. After wandering around the ballpark to check out its offerings, I gravitated to an empty seat near the third base line. I sat next to a seat decorated as a memorial to a longtime RailCats fan, Henry Cockrell Jr.
, who died in May. “He was a lifetime season ticket holder,” said Renee Connelly, a marketing consultant for the team. “He was our biggest fan and loved the RailCats.
We all miss him dearly.” Last month, the ballpark hosted a celebration of life for his family. The stadium not only hosts baseball games but also events of every kind, from business meetings to birthday parties.
On the day I attended a game, a festive party took place in an upper level suite for Chareice White, who writes the “Celebrity and Society Circle” column for this newspaper. RailCats fans throughout this area have a fierce loyalty to the team. After I attended last Saturday’s game, against the Chicago Dogs, I shared a video of my experience on my socials.
The response from fans was impressive. “It's a gem!” Kris Borsodi commented. “I love going to the 'Yard!” Catherine Swisher added.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts “There is a really good pulled pork/chicken sandwich at the 18th Street brewery concession,” Romona Flowers said. Joyce Anderson sits on the first base line, continuing a tradition when she and her husband sat in those seats before his death. She still has tickets from Sept.
11, 2013, when the team won the American Association championship. “Anywhere is a good seat,” Kristy Boyd, another fan, told me. “Very fun and interactive the whole time.
Food is good and they usually have a Ben’s Pretzel cart.” The stadium concession vendors offer everything from traditional ballpark snacks — hot dogs, hamburgers and fresh popcorn — to pizza, pierogies and craft beer. The stadium also features food promotions on certain days of the week, such as “all you can eat” Mondays with hot dogs, popcorn and peanuts.
According to the team’s website , “The RailCats promise a wide array of laugh-out-loud between inning entertainment, great giveaways, jaw-dropping fireworks and a family-first, kid-friendly atmosphere! RailCats fans come in all ages, shapes, and sizes, and the RailCats promise every fan will have fun.” I agree. The game was fun even though the team lost that day.
I didn’t know any of the players on either team. It didn’t matter. They were playing our national pastime on a beautiful summer day just 30 minutes from my home.
And it’s possibly a similar distance from your home. Nonetheless, too many Region residents and baseball fans have never attended a game there. Or, like me, they haven’t attended a game in years.
It had been a decade since I last attended a RailCats game despite driving past the stadium countless times. My stepchildren were young and it was ideal for an afternoon of affordable fun. RailCats games aren’t only about baseball.
They’re about a family friendly activity for fans of all ages. Last week’s game offered on-field games for children in between innings, including a kids run encouraging dozens of children to dash across the infield from one dugout to the other as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” blared from the speakers. The eighth inning rendition of the “Chicken Dance” received more enthusiasm and participation than the seventh inning stretch song.
I discreetly asked a few RailCats fans why more Region residents don’t attend games at The Steel Yard. All of them replied with generally the same response: They’re worried about their safety. It’s a legitimate concern for outsiders of Gary but not for the friendly confines of this ballpark.
Parking lots are adjacent to the stadium. Ballpark personnel are everywhere. And police presence is noticeable.
Traveling to the site is simple, either from Interstate 65 north to U.S. 12/20 west, or from Broadway or the toll road.
Hopefully, some readers of this column will reconsider attending a game or two before the season is over, joining those two fans yelling, “Let’s go, RailCats! Let’s go, RailCats!”.
