SWB NINE THINGS TO KNOW

March 16, 2018

Leading Off: The 2018 season opens in three weeks at PNC Field.  The RailRiders will host Syracuse and their Turnpike rivals, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, during a six-game homestand to start the season.  The Opening Day contest starts at 7:05 p.m. and will be followed by the first of 12 fireworks shows during the season.

Thrown A Curve: Single-game tickets for the upcoming season go on sale tomorrow, March 17, at 10 a.m. in person at PNC Field or online at swbrailriders.com. Opening Day tickets will be offered at a deep discount to fans in attendance at the ballpark tomorrow. From 10 until 10:59 a.m., Opening Day tickets will be $1.00 and the price will rise by one dollar every hour until 2 p.m. Those interested in season tickets can walk the stadium, pick their seat and have the chance to win a discount on the seat they selected, ranging from five to 25 percent off. Starting Monday, March 19, at 9 a.m., single-game tickets will be available over the phone at (570) 969-BALL. 

Legging It Out: Minor League Baseball has announced rule and procedure changes aimed at reducing the length of extra innings games and the number of mound visits during a game throughout Minor League Baseball. At all levels of Minor League Baseball, extra innings will begin with a runner on second base. The runner at second base will be the player in the batting order position previous to the leadoff batter of the inning. In addition, the Triple-A and Double-A levels will use a 15-second pitch clock with no runners on base.

Batting Clean-up: On Thursday, the first three appearances in the 2018 Legends Series at PNC Field were announced. Jose Canseco will make an appearance on June 19, Rickey Henderson will appear on June 30 and John Flaherty is scheduled for August 3. Canseco will participate in a home run derby on June 19 and fans purchasing tickets tomorrow at PNC Field will be eligible to win one of the spots in the contest as part of a random drawing.  Non-players participating in the home run derby will only have to clear a portable fence while Canseco will have to hit home runs over the outfield wall.  Additional appearances will be announced soon.

Hot Corner: 2018 season media credential request forms are due by March 23. Please contact Adam Marco via email at amarco@swbrailriders.com if your media outlet still needs to be credentialed for home games.  

Six Spot: The RailRiders roster remains a work in progress during Spring Training in Tampa. New manager Bobby Mitchell should be loaded with a talented roster, including the likes of infielder and top prospect Gleyber Torres, who was optioned to Triple-A on March 13, and pitcher Chance Adams, who was reassigned to Minor League camp Thursday.

Stretch Time: As mentioned in the last “Nine to Know,” the Adopt-a-Field program has returned in 2018 and is presented by Northeast Prestige Landscaping. Nomination forms are available at swbrailriders.com. One change of note; the program will now accept nomination forms until Monday, April 9.  

Centerfield: Media Day at PNC Field is tentatively scheduled for April 3. Exact times will be available before the end of March and the festivities are slated to be followed by the team’s first workout under the lights in Moosic.

Walk-off Winners: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are pleased to announce the RailRiders University Community Series, presented by Geisinger. Play will begin on April 2 at PNC Field and will feature local collegiate, high school, little league and special needs teams.