Yankees surprise young Paterson ballplayers in HOPE Week appearance at Hinchliffe Stadium

Moments before some mystery guests arrived at Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium, two dozen children from local youth teams — the Paterson Divas and the Silk City Bombers — held up a welcome banner and discussed who might come walking through the doors.

Could it be Josh Donaldson or Aaron Judge? Those were some of the Yankee names heard in the crowd of fidgeting young fans.

“I knew it!” shouted Ruaynier Nuñez, seeing Gleyber Torres, Jose Trevino and Nestor Cortes pass through the ticket gate.

The three Yankees were taking part in their club's HOPE Week community outreach initiative, which included a baseball clinic at the former Negro Leagues ballpark. The stadium, listed on the National Register, reopened this year after a 26-year hiatus with the help of a $100 million renovation.

The young ballplayers were divided into three stations where they practiced fielding, throwing and hitting.

Nuñez told Paterson Press he was most excited to see Torres, who hit a two-run home run the day before in a win against the Orioles.

“He’s a really good second baseman,” said Nuñez, who got to exchange gloves momentarily with his favorite player.  “He’s also my dad’s favorite player.”

More: Sarah Langs of MLB, who is diagnosed with ALS, honored by Yankees as part of HOPE Week

Earlier: Paterson high school graduations return to reopened Hinchliffe Stadium

Trevino, who was rolling the ball to the children to practice fielding ground balls, asked his young proteges if they wanted to make the drill more difficult.

“Do you know how to do a jump throw?” Trevino asked.

“That’s called ‘the Jeter,’” Carmelo Vasquez corrected him.

Yankees tour future museum space

Earlier in the day, the players got a tour of the historic stadium — where the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans played between 1932 and 1944 — including the future home of the Negro Leagues museum, expected to open in the fall.

“We are standing on sacred ground,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh, who pointed out that Hinchliffe is only one of two Negro Leagues ballparks still standing.

The Sheetrock and steel beams were still visible inside what will someday be known as the Muth Museum, named after Paterson-born philanthropist Charles Muth. Visible through the large picture windows was the ballfield on one side and the Great Falls on the other. Jonathan Koppel, president of Montclair State University, seized the opportunity to explain the role the city played in American history, from a post-Revolutionary War industrial city to the Civil Rights era.

“This stadium is about more than just baseball — it’s about how communities live and breathe,” said Koppell, whose university partnered with Hinchliffe Stadium to provide educational programs at the museum. “What we want to do is make this a place where every kid growing up in Paterson wants to visit.”

Remembering Larry Doby

Koppel wondered how much the children, who were outside warming up knew about the history of the ballfield. As it turned out, the young players seemed to know a lot about local baseball legends. Young Carmelo Vasquez’s father, Edwin Vasquez, was one of the first to arrive that day and was keeping his son and his friends busy with baseball trivia, asking which former Eastside High School players made it to the major leagues.

“Jackie Robinson?” one asked.

The father, donning a Yankees cap, nodded his head side to side, to say no.

“Larry Doby!” his son answered.

Doby was the second player after Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier.

North Jersey: Hall of Famer Larry Doby broke barriers in baseball and left lasting legacy in Montclair

Doby’s grandson, Scott Hutchins, attended the event and shook hands with the Yankees players, who expressed gratitude to him. Hutchins, who lives in Montclair, told the Paterson Press this was his first time at Hinchliffe.

“I just wish my grandfather could be here,” Hutchins said. “I know my grandfather is looking down on us.”

Darren Tobia is a contributing writer for Paterson Press.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees HOPE Week includes clinic at Hinchliffe Stadium