They worshipped at the altar of baseball again yesterday in the Borough of Churches as the national pastime returned to Brooklyn and the minor-league Cyclones won 3-2 in a 10-inning thriller on the boardwalk at Coney Island.
Forty-four years after the Dodgers abandoned the borough, the Cyclones opened brand-new, $38.5 million KeySpan Park in front of 7,500 enthusiastic fans – including Mayor Giuliani and his gal pal, Judi Nathan.
Judi wasn’t the only Nathan on display as fans chowed down on Coney Island’s famous hot dogs.
The Cyclones – a Mets affiliate – really delivered, tying the score on a two-run homer in the ninth by Edgar Rodriguez and beating the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of Niles, Ohio, with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th.
“This is a beautiful stadium and the Cyclones look like they’re better than the Mets,” said Gary Fishbein, who took the F train to the park from Kensington, Brooklyn.
Jean Nielsen, of Bay Ridge, shouted, “It’s fantastic! It’s so much better than Shea Stadium.”
Fans were wowed by the relaxed atmosphere and the relatively low admission price – between $5 and $10.
The Cyclones are the Mets’ Class A New York Penn League farm club, and will play 38 home games at KeySpan Park.