Dutchess Stadium

Dutchess Stadium
Location	Wappingers Falls, NY United States
Building chronology
Built	1994
Tenants
Hudson Valley Renegades
Capacity
4,494

Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, NY, is the home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, the New York Yankees' South Atlantic League farm team. Despite its Wappingers Falls street address, "The Dutch" is closer to Fishkill, NY, than to the Falls - less than a mile from the Hudson River.

The Dutch features a view of the Adirondack Mountains beyond the outfield fence. It lies in a largely wooded area just north of I-84 but off a side road between Beacon, NY, and Wappingers Falls. The main road between the two towns goes through Fishkill, which is east of the ballpark.

The name "Dutchess" refers to Dutchess County, NY, in which the ballpark is located.

Built in 71 days for the relocated Erie Sailors, its gates opened literally as the last seats were bolted into place for their second home game. Because it wasn't ready for the first, the Hudson Valley Renegades debuted at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA, on June 17, 1994 - news you may have missed amid coverage of a white Ford Bronco on the L.A. Freeway.

Nearby Newburgh is working on bringing a minor league team into its existing ballpark,[1] and not for the first time, but The Dutch is an impediment to an affiliated team there. Its lease with the Renegades runs through 2046, Organized Baseball still provides territorial protection to its affiliated teams, and Dutchess County agreed in June 2021 to fund a $12.5 million renovation to get it into compliance with standards MLB mandated under its 2021 Minor League Reorganization. However, the county had planned to fund that with pandemic relief dollars - a plan since abandoned in the face of public criticism.[2]

The Dutch has a stated capacity of 4,494 people.