PNC Field

For the Pittsburgh Pirates ballpark, see PNC Park.
PNC Field
Former names Lackawanna County Stadium (1989–2006)
Location 235 Montage Mountain Road
Moosic, PA 18507
Coordinates 41°21′37.46″N 75°41′2.28″W / 41.3604056°N 75.6839667°W / 41.3604056; -75.6839667Coordinates: 41°21′37.46″N 75°41′2.28″W / 41.3604056°N 75.6839667°W / 41.3604056; -75.6839667
Owner Lackawanna County Stadium Authority
Operator Mandalay Baseball Properties
Capacity 10,000 (2013–present)
10,310 (2007–2011)
10,982 (1989–2006)
Field size Left Field/Right Field – 330 ft
Left Center Field/Right Center Field – 371 ft
Center Field – 408 ft[1]
Surface Artificial turf (1989–2006)
Grass (2007–present)
Construction
Broke ground August 28, 1986[2]
Opened April 26, 1989
Renovated 2013
Closed 2012 (Renovation Period)
Construction cost US$25 million
($47.7 million in 2016 dollars[3])
Architect GSGSB Inc.[4]
Structural engineer Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.[5]
General contractor Melon Stuart Construction[6]
Tenants
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL) (1989–present)

PNC Field, formerly Lackawanna County Stadium (1989–2006), is a 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium located in Moosic, Pennsylvania. It is the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees. Lackawanna County sold the naming rights to PNC Bank on February 1, 2007, and the stadium became known as PNC Field.[7]

History

The stadium opened on April 26, 1989. The artificial turf surfaced stadium was used as a multipurpose facility. The upper level seats of the stadium were orange and the lower level seats were green. They also have bleacher seats at the stadium. Many amateur sports competitions were held there, as well as regional band competitions, ice skating, and car shows.

On July 12, 1995, Lackawanna County Stadium hosted the AAA All Star Game. The American League affiliate stars shutout their National League opponents, 9–0 in front of 10,965 fans. Future major leaguers to appear in the game included Derek Jeter, Jeromy Burnitz, Jason Isringhausen, and manager Grady Little.

In 2007, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise signed a Player Development Contract with the New York Yankees,[8] ending an 18-year agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies. This new contract called for the conversion of the playing surface to natural grass. The stadium still plays host to several amateur baseball competitions throughout the season.

In February, 2010, the SWB Yankees announced that they have reached an agreement with PNC Bank to renew the naming rights to the stadium. Terms of the deal were not released.[9]

Renovations

At a public hearing on November 8, 2010, officials from Lackawanna County, Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Lackawanna County Multipurpose Stadium Authority held a public hearing to discuss the potential sale of the SWB Yankees and possible renovation of PNC Field. The following day, the club announced plans to pursue a $40 million renovation to the stadium which would dramatically alter the current layout of PNC Field.[10] The $43.3 million renovation project officially began on April 27, 2012 beginning with the removal of seats in the stadium's upper deck.[11] The architect of the renovation was EwingCole while the general contractor was Alvin H. Butz, Inc.[12] The renovation was completed in time for opening day 2013.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Crumlish, Paul (2002). "PNC Field". Ballparks of the Minor Leagues. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Triple-A Franchise Sale Paves Way For Phils Farm Team In Scranton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 30, 1986. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ Knight, Graham. "PNC Field". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Lackawanna County Baseball Stadium". Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. Archived from the original on August 16, 2003. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Flannery, Joseph X. (June 11, 1988). "Pitching for a Baseball Comeback". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Triple-A Yanks to Play at PNC Field". Minor League Baseball. February 1, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "It's Now the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees!!". Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. December 12, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ Schillinger, Charles (February 24, 2010). "Stadium Authority Hires Lobbying Firm to Seek Funds for Improvements". The Times-Tribune (Scranton). Retrieved February 24, 2010.
  10. ↑ "SWB Yankees, LLC Welcome Stadium Authority Decision on Renovation". Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  11. ↑ Lange, Stacy (April 27, 2012). "Demoltion Underway at PNC Field". WNEP (Scranton). Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ Singleton, David (April 24, 2012). "Proposed Baseball Deal Reached; Hearing Set". The Times-Tribune (Scranton). Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  13. ↑ YES Network, Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders New PNC Field, Published on Apr 10, 2013, (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pztcIgd0vWk

External links

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