Excitement builds for Ducks home opener with 2020 Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer set to take the mound
The first of 63 home games this season is slated to begin at 6:35 p.m.
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Fans are expected to pack Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip when the Long Island Ducks kick off their season tonight.
Much of the focus surrounding the team has been around 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, who gets the ball tonight.
Bauer is hoping his time with the Ducks will land him a gig back at the big-league level.
Major League Baseball suspended Bauer in April 2022 after a woman accused him of sexual assault. Bauer was never charged and the case was settled in civil court.
Since then, he played in Mexico and Japan before landing on the island.
"I want to be good in the clubhouse with my teammates, I want to help guys, I want to produce good content for the fans," Bauer said at a press conference last weekend. "Obviously, I want to compete at the highest level that I can."
The Ducks Opening Day roster includes four players with Major League experience, including Baue and 10 players returning from last year's team.
Pitcher Julian Minaya (Hempstead), infielder Nick Roselli (Levittown), outfielder Matt Hogan (Plainview), pitcher Garrett Crowley and pitcher Ryan Sandberg (Island Park) are all Long Island natives.
This is the first season under new ownership after REV Entertainment, the official sports and entertainment company of the Texas Rangers, bought the team earlier this year.
Parking remains free all season and kids three and under get in for free.
A report earlier this month published by Discover Long Island found the Ducks organization contributes about $20 million to the local economy each season.
Gates will open at 5:20 p.m. for full-season ticket holders and at 5:35 p.m. for everyone else. The first 1,500 fans in attendance today will receive Ducks Replica Road jerseys.
The team encourages everyone to be in their seats by 6:15 p.m. to enjoy the pregame festivities.
