While many New York fans were focused on the postseason for the Yankees and Mets, there were other baseball games in New York this October. The Ukrainian national team took on the NYPD team and the FDNY team in back-to-back charity games at Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
Money raised in the games is going towards helping rebuild many of the fields in Ukraine that have been destroyed in Russian attacks.
I went to the Ukrainian team’s first game, which was against the NYPD. There were over 100 people in attendance, and most were wearing Ukrainian colors or were draped in the Ukrainian flag. Before the game, there was a live performance of Ukrainian music. Afterward, leaders from both Ukrainian organizations and the NYPD spoke about the importance of continuing to support Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom.
After the owner of Veselka (a popular Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village) threw out the first pitch, the game got underway. Though most of the crowd was cheering on Ukraine, the NYPD got off to a strong start, as they managed to score three runs with two outs in the top of the first, aided by a couple of walks.
The NYPD’s sharp defense and strong pitching held the Ukrainian team in check for the first three innings and the NYPD added to their lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. Also in the fourth, P.J. DiMartino drove a ball off the wall, just missing a home run for the NYPD.
Both teams used extra-base hits to score a run which resulted in a 6-1 lead for the NYPD. However, an RBI triple and an RBI ground out cut the lead to 6-3 to the delight of the crowd in Coney Island. Though the Ukrainian team made a push, the NYPD added two more runs and closed out an 8-3 victory in the seven-inning game.
The teams shook hands and they stuck around after the game to watch a fireworks show.
A few fans chanted “Slava Ukraini,” which was a fitting end to the game.
