April 25, 2015
PNC Field (Capacity: 7,115)
Moosic, PA
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders vs Pawtucket Red Sox
Final Score: 1 – 4
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Back in 2006, I went to a game at Lackawanna County Stadium, a park used by the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, who became a stable franchise in the market since arriving in 1989. That antiquated and dull venue overwent a complete rebuild in 2012, thus forcing the squad to play on the road the entire season. Prior to that, after a long affiliation with the Phillies, the team switched affiliations and went by the “Yankee” nickname when they won their only league title in 2008). When their re-made park opened in 2013, the team became known as the RailRiders, emphasizing the railroad history in the region. The small town of Moosic (with a population of 5,700) is the location of the stadium and it is strategically between larger cities Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, hence their combined team name. While the new ballpark, PNC Field, sits on the same parcel of land as the old one, the complete rebuilding of both the ballpark and the brand, led me to count this as a separate stadium. As for the facility itself, it is clean, modern and generally pretty nice with small thoughtful details. However, my issue is that it is too “Yankee-ized” as they’ve done a poor job building the “RailRider” brand.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Before the game, I spent a good amount of the day about 10 minutes away in Scranton, where the Steamtown National Historical Site offers a fascinating look at the steam-powered train and its relationship to the area. There are a fair amount of attractions across Lackawanna County that are geared towards the history of what built this part of the country: coal and locomotives. The hilly area around Moosic does not have much, but you will find a ski resort on Montage Mountain, along with a water park and a golf course. There is also the Shoppes at Montage, a built-up strip mall section consisting of shopping, restaurants, hotels and a movie theatre. This section sits on a steep incline and from the edge of the parking lot, there is a panoramic overhead view of the ballpark below.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Heading to the ballpark, it is conveniently located off of I-81 at Exit 182. At PNC Field, parking is plentiful, but a huge portion of it is still gravel. A plethora of staff directing traffic helps with the in/out procedures, but on nights with a big crowd, the road back to I-81 can get full. A very neat alternative to driving is a 20-minute historic trolley ride to the ballpark. This is available for most Sunday games and for $20, fans get a ticket and a ride, which boards from the Electric City Trolley Museum located in downtown Scranton.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
A sleek, silver metallic design defines the exterior and the relatively short structure is highlighted by the entry middle inset. It is at this home plate entrance where fans pass thru the gates and a band played upon entering into an open area before reaching the concourse. Sitting on top of the silver building is a large “PNC Field” sign. It is certainly a decent, modern look to a ballpark, however, it comes nowhere near evoking thoughts of railroading or the other things that define the region.
Exterior Ranking: 7 out of 10
Concourse
A general lack of team character continues in what otherwise is a sparkling concourse. The wide, covered walkway that runs behind the seats is open to the field has plenty of space and standing spots to watch the game. The view right at home plate is blocked however by the press box. As the concourse leads to the outside, it wraps around the outfield in a 360 degree fashion. The coolest aspect of the park is this outfield walkway that incorporates the adjoining mountainside as the exposed rock forms the right-side boundary. As this leads into the “Homer Zone”, fans can sit on the nearby lawn or take the kids to the play area. Back inside, near the main entrance is the team store, called “SWB Station”. Aside from a few logos on the garbage cans and portable stands, at least the names above each concession stand are related to the area.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
There are several concession stands and special foods available include Gyros, Pierogi Pork Sandwiches and Supreme Nachos, to go along with the now common crazy hot dog and burger combinations. The only local products come from Revello’s Pizza and the Susquehanna Brewing Company, which is located with three other specialty beers near the front entrance.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
The only thing reminiscent from the old ballpark is that pleasant outfield view consisting of a tree-filled hillside with exposed rock at the bottom. It sets the scene nicely to watch a ballgame. In the park, the seating bowl consists of a single level that extends from foul pole to foul pole. All of the Yankee Blue seats are wide with cupholders and the pitch of the bowl provides a decent perspective. The only downfall is the end sections that are facing straight-ahead to the outfield, not angled towards home plate. Perched above the concourse and back row seats is the luxury level, which includes both suites and the limited access, Mohegan Sun Club. Each foul corner has a tiered pavilion with one side featuring picnic tables reserved for groups and the other acting as more of a bar atmosphere with a stool-seating set up (there’s also a general admission bleacher section right next to this area). Finally, the outfield has a good amount of grassy space for those who like to spread out or have kids that want to run. Overall, a decent park.
Interior Ranking: 9.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The video screen and digital box score in left-center is a little odd because it is not set on a canvas, but rather lays on an open structure. It is also surrounded by ads. Regardless, the image quality is terrific and the video includes timely replays and game footage. At the top of this structure is a “PNC Field” sign. A very cool feature on the outfield wall is another sharp digital display that includes player stats and an out-of-town scoreboard.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
This is where PNC Field falls woefully flat. I call it “Yankeeization”. Over 25 years of history is completely ignored throughout the entire facility as the lone honor falls to a pair of tiny retired numbers on the outfield wall (#14 Greg Legg and #11 Dave Miley). Logos and general RailRider themed stuff is more absent than it should be and even though the team won their lone league championship during the Yankee era (2008), that recognition is missing as well. It’s too bad as this is the only real blemish on an otherwise solid stadium.
Displays Ranking: 0.5 out of 6
Cost
Amazingly, tickets were lowered post-renovation and the $7 – $12 ducats are a terrific minor-league deal. There are usually plenty of seats available, so avoid the crappy $3 fee from Ticketmaster and buy them at the ballpark. Though parking used to be free, it is now $2, which is still not bad. Food prices include a $6.50 cheeseburger, $3.50 jumbo dog, $4.00 small fry and $7 draft beer.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support
It’s been quite interesting to see attendance for SWB plotted on a graph over the last decade. Perennially in the bottom half of the league, each momentous occasion has led to an increase in fans that is only temporary. When the Yankees came aboard as the parent team, SWB went from 10th to 4th in league attendance standings. There is not much staying power with these fans as by 2011, they fell back to next to last (13th) in the league. That number jumped back to 8th after the debut of the stadium in 2013, however the temporary uptick can be seen already as the team fell back to 10th last season. Playoff attendance for the last five home games has averaged just 1,458.
Fan Support Ranking: 3 out of 8
Atmosphere
On the chilly early-season day that I attended, it was hard to gauge the atmosphere and really fault the few thousand fans in attendance for being on the quiet end of things as they stayed warm. An unbelievable diving catch was only able to draw more applause than usual. Judging from other testimonials, it’s an “eh” minor-league baseball crowd.
Atmosphere Ranking: 6 out of 14
Other Stuff
I understand going with the nickname “RailRiders” and really like the idea and thought behind it as it is unique to the area. What is perplexing though is the use of a porcupine as the logo. It really does not make much sense and the explanation from the team that “it is an animal in Northeastern Pennsylvania” does not add much substance. It’s like they needed a fun factor just because they are a minor league baseball team…..There is no need to fret about where the summer sun is thanks to the orientation and design of the ballpark, which blocks most of the late-day rays through the infield seating…..The RailRiders employ a huge staff as fans can expect to see plenty of ushers, security and operations…..In 2013, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs and the RailRiders started the IronRail Trophy Series. Not only does the winning team get the IronRail, but they also enjoy perks, like hearing the GM of the losing team sing after a victory. Great job by both teams (separated by about an hour) to create this.
Game
Boy oh boy, the RailRiders were sloppy in this one. Five errors in the game led to all of Pawtucket’s scoring as the mistakes by the home squad was the story. The Red Sox got on the board first without a hit thanks to three fielding mistakes. SWB was on the verge of coming back as the lead was 2-1 in the sixth inning, however, amazingly Eddy Rodriguez got picked off at third base (third base!) to end the inning. Pawtucket tacked on a couple more the next inning and went on to win the first game of a doubleheader, 4-1. It was a beauty in terms of speed as the seven innings only took 1:41. Devin Marrero went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs for the PawSox, while the lone highlight for the RailRiders was the diving catch by Slade Heathcott.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
