The Cricket Grounds were also known as Mutrie's Dump or Mutrie's Dumping Grounds, referring to Jim Mutrie, manager of the Metropolitans and the Giants.
The stadium, which was built along the lines of a typical horse race track grandstand, was first used as a baseball field in 1853, with the first game between the New York Knickerbockers and the Washington Club. The site later became part of the development of the then-new community of St. George, Staten Island in 1886, by Erastus Wiman. Fans were able to watch games while watching the construction of the Statue of Liberty. Although the community and the ferry were successful, baseball was not. The Giants were a strong team through the latter part of the 1880s, and the Metropolitans folded after the 1887 season. The Giants played some games there from April 29 – June 14, 1889, while awaiting construction of the Polo Grounds; their move to Manhattan ended professional baseball at St. George.
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