PNC Field - History

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, 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.

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. The $43.3 million renovation project officially began on April 27, 2012 beginning with the removal of seats in the stadium's upper deck. The architect of the renovation is EwingCole while the general contractor is Alvin H. Butz, Inc. The renovation is expected to be completed by opening day 2013.