In revamped ballpark, Keys begin renewed link to Orioles

At 5:59 p.m. Tuesday, a full minute ahead of schedule, under an overcast sky that was spitting rain and threatening to do more, the front gates swung open at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.

A long line of fans that curled toward the parking lot began to file in for the official return of Frederick Keys affiliated baseball.

"Don't you feel the energy?" said Greg Baroni, the CEO and principal partner for Attain Sports and Entertainment, who pledged to bring affiliated baseball back to Frederick since purchasing the team in January 2022. "The vibe is so great."

Alas, the vibe was temporarily interrupted a few minutes later by a passing downpour that forced the team to tarp the field and delayed the start of the Keys' home opener with the Hudson Valley Renegades by almost an hour and 20 minutes.

Later, after the heavy rain resumed after two completed innings, the game was suspended and will resume at 5 p.m. Wednesday as part of a single-admission doubleheader. The second game will be shortened to seven innings and immediately follow the completion of the first.

Even still, there was no dampening the overall sense of joy in the ballpark. A full rainbow even stretched across the outfield sky as the sun shone and the rain poured. Another partial one stretched into the clouds nearby.

The Keys are back as the High Class A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles , a 31-year partnership that was broken in December 2020 because the now 36-year-old ballpark was no longer in compliance with Major League Baseball's Facility Standards.

Now, after a five-season stint in the unaffiliated Major League Baseball Draft League, the Keys have a roster full of Orioles prospects, including the top one in their minor-league system, outfielder Nate George.

Thanks to $39 million in funding from the Maryland Stadium Authority, awarded to the Keys in August 2024, there are new clubhouses, bullpens and seating areas down the left and right field lines, as well as what the team has described as a state-of-the-art indoor training facility beyond the right-field wall.

"This is the culmination of five years of work," Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor told The Frederick News-Post prior to the game. "When that dark day came and we were told that they were pulling affiliated baseball out of Frederick, that was the day we started the conversation. What do we need to do to get it back?"

At last, that day finally arrived.

"I'm 35 and I've been coming here since I was, like, 5 years old when my dad brought me to games," said Frederick resident Brandon Harris. He and his 10-year-old son Colton were among the first in line to enter the ballpark.

Colton said he was a New York Yankees fan, but has always loved the Keys and going to games.

"They are the local team, and the atmosphere is really [special]," he said. "Especially for the fireworks games, which is tonight."

Just ahead of the Brandon and Colton Harris in the line to enter was Annika Carlson, standing right next to the front gate in her Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens T-shirt. She said she has baseball shirts, but couldn't find one to wear.

Carlson, who has been coming to Keys games for almost a decade and regularly since moving to Frederick in 2022, was in line to get in right around 4:30 p.m. She likes to arrive at the games early, and it's not uncommon for her to be the first in line, like she was Tuesday.

"I love this stadium a lot," she said. "The personality, [the team's] employees are real experts, and the food is interesting, too."

The Keys opened the season with eight straight road games, going 4-4 over that span against the Hub City (South Carolina) Spartanburgers and Winston-Salem Dash.

By the time the Keys took the field Tuesday amid a stream of sparklers and fireworks, it was 8:18 p.m., and Frederick fans were ready to see affiliated baseball again.

Among the dignitaries on hand, aside from O'Connor, were Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Orioles President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Elias.

They, along with O'Connor, were on the field and spoke as part of the pregame ceremony.

"This is Birdland!" Elias told the close to capacity crowd, which spread onto the new areas to watch the game in left and right field. "We are excited to be back."