Troy’s Baseball Heritage Monument

The Troy Baseball Heritage Monument was erected in 1992 in Knickerbacker Park, the home of the Troy Haymakers unaffiliated baseball team. The dedication took place when the Albany Twilight League was honoring the Troy haymakers over 100 years after the final game was played. The semipro team drew the attention of the San Francisco Giants and The National League, who sent letters of support of what they were doing and how it served as a reminder of that Troy was the birth place of the Giants and honoring the members of the Haymakers of 1882.

The Troy Haymakers played an entirely different game than we do today because they had not even invented the baseball glove yet which meant they had to play bare handed which resulted in many errors in the outfield. They also could not throw overhanded but got away with a side arm throw that could help strike out the batter. There was also not many homeruns hit like there are today, even though the batter would tell the pitcher where he liked the ball.

Today, the actual field that the Haymakers played on is now covered by fuel tanks, but the memories are still there. The beautiful granite monument that now stands to honor the Troy Haymakers still reminds the citizens of troy that it was once a major-league city. And that the direct decedents of the hay makers can be found within San Francisco Giants. (Kim, 2015)