​ROCHESTER — As the Northwoods League reaches its All-Star break, Mayo Field will pause hosting Rochester Honkers home games for four days. Yet on Monday, July 6, 2026, midday, Ezekiel Mendoza was at the park for a workout. “I’m not getting better at baseball if I’m laying around,” said Mendoza, a pitcher for the Honkers. His presence on a day off marks a shift in attitude from when he first encountered the 75-year-old ballpark upon joining the team.
When Mendoza first arrived, he was an outsider looking at Mayo Field with what he described as a discouraging list of flaws: a small, hot locker room with no air conditioning, aging stands, and a facility that needed paint. After spending half a season playing in front of fans there, however, the ballpark has begun to feel more like a welcoming space. “I feel safe here,” Mendoza added.
Years of deferred maintenance and cramped quarters have taken their toll on Mayo Field, which has housed the Honkers since 1994. This season will mark the team’s final year at the venue, a fact officials announced earlier in the year. For the time being, though, Honkers players are focused on reaching the Northwoods League playoffs for the first time since 2015, a goal that has eluded them while inching close in 2019 and then posting sub-.500 records in every season since.
Yet, in 2026 the Honkers have stood out on the field as one of the league’s stronger teams, despite the unresolved issues with their home facility. “We’re really trying to maximize and use everything we can,” said Thor Johnson, the Honkers’ director of operations. “We do the best we can with this space.” Johnson and the rest of the team staff emphasize their commitment to delivering an enjoyable experience for fans while giving Mayo Field a proper, memorable send-off. Through the All-Star break, attendance for Honkers games at Mayo Field has averaged around 837 fans per game, a post-COVID-era low but an improvement from the franchise-low of 794 per game in 2023.
The lease for the city-owned ballpark includes an escape clause that allows either party to exit if the adjacent city facilities managed by the parks and forestry department are vacated. Those facilities’ equipment and staff are slated to move to a new building near the city’s Public Works and Transit Operations Center, located at 4300 East River Road NE. This development means the Honkers—who have been part of the Northwoods League since 1994—will go on hiatus in 2027, a consequence announced by team owners in April.
Public sentiment around Mayo Field is mixed. Some fans criticize the stadium’s condition, while others remain grateful for having a baseball park in their community. Kiwi Jewell, whose two sons are eight and ten years old, described Mayo Field as one of the few places that families across generations can enjoy together. A resident of Rochester’s East Side, Jewell noted that the stadium has become a meaningful amenity in their lives. “I feel like it enhances my life and my life as a parent,” she said, explaining that her family has biked, wagoned, strollered, and walked to the park to enjoy games and the surrounding atmosphere.
As the Honkers prepare for the remainder of the season and the chance to extend their postseason hopes, Mayo Field’s future remains a focal point for fans and city officials alike. The ballpark’s legacy—built in part by decades of local support and community pride—will be remembered even as the team relocates in the coming years, with fans hoping for a fitting final chapter at a venue that has meant so much to Rochester baseball.