Press Release - Brooklyn Cyclones to Host Pair of Charity Baseball Games Featuring Team Ukraine

Fundraising Events Will Also Feature NYPD & FDNY Baseball Teams 

Brooklyn, NY – Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, will host Team Ukraine for a pair of charity baseball games against the NYPD and FDNY to raise funds to help rebuild sports fields and complexes throughout Ukraine.  Tickets for the games, which will be played on Friday, October 14^th vs. the NYPD and Saturday, October 15^th vs. the FDNY, will be free with a suggested donation of $10 upon entry.

"New York City is home to more than 150,000 people of Ukrainian descent, and since the beginning of the Russian invasion we have worked to support the Ukrainian community and help them access services and resources, including temporary protective status, so they can rebuild their lives," said Mayor Eric Adams. "We also want to find every opportunity to share a message of love and solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. New Yorkers look forward to welcoming the Ukrainian national baseball team to our city and to watching them square off against New York's Bravest and New York's Finest."

"We are excited to welcome the Ukrainian National Baseball Team to Coney Island," said Cyclones Vice President Steve Cohen.   "This is another opportunity for our organization to show our support for the people of Ukraine, while also introducing the game of baseball to an audience that is not typically exposed to the sport."

"Sports unifies us globally and I am thrilled to welcome the Ukrainian baseball team to New York City," said Edward Mermelstein, commissioner for the NYC Mayor's Office for International Affairs. "As a Ukrainian-American, I am proud of the efforts Mayor Adams and our administration have made to help the Ukrainian community. It is past time for these horrors to end so the Ukrainian people can build back their lives."

Team Ukraine is ranked 12^th in Europe and recently placed 9^th in the Euro-Baseball Championships.   Several members of team have competed internationally – playing in the European Under 23 Championship in 2016 as well as in the Little League World Series Regional Qualifiers in 2005.   The current squad also includes numerous members of the Ukrainian Military.

"These games in Brooklyn are not just a sporting event to us," said Oleg Boyko, manager for Team Ukraine.  "It is a little bit of sports, and a lot of care and heart shown by countless, kind, caring, strangers who will be welcoming us to Brooklyn.   Our team is excited to play these games and is looking forward to gaining new fans in New York City."

"The FDNY is proud to support the Ukrainian community, and has offered humanitarian shipments and aid for medical institutions, first responders and patients since the crisis began," said acting fire commissioner Laura Kavanagh. "We are excited to once again show up for Ukraine, this time by challenging their baseball team in what we hope will be an amazing display of support and solidarity."

"The sporting arena offers so much more than athletic pursuit – it highlights the best of our human ideals, reveals our similarities, and stitches together our disparate perspectives, all within the boundaries of a simple game," said NYPD Baseball Team President Jose L. Vazquez. "We embrace the chance this October to play baseball with the Ukrainian National Baseball team, and with our Fire Department colleagues, and we thank the Cyclones for this wonderful opportunity to broaden all of our horizons." 

Tickets for the event are free, but must be reserved by visiting BrooklynCyclones.com/Ukraine.   The game on Friday, October 14^th against the NYPD Baseball Team will begin at 7:00 PM with pre-game performances and ceremonies starting at 6:00 PM.  There will also be post-game fireworks.   The game on Saturday, October 15^th against the FDNY Baseball Team will begin at 2:00 PM with pre-game performances and activities set for 1:00 PM.