MOOSIC, Pa. — The field at PNC Field is currently a work in progress. Crews removed the old grass surface and are putting down about 11,000 square yards of new grass.
"The rolls are four feet wide, weigh about 2,000 pounds. So they're super heavy. It takes special equipment to do it with and a very trained crew to be able to maneuver that stuff into place," said Steve Horne, head groundskeeper for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Overseeing the job is the Chicago White Sox grounds superintendent Roger Bossard. Bossard is well versed in the art of grass and how it grows and has spent decades meticulously maintaining many Major League Baseball fields, and PNC Field is no different.
"These days, [the surface lasts] about three to five years, so I had mentioned that they got six out of this. They really did a heck of a good job with all the events here," Bossard said.
Grounds crews can spend anywhere between 80 to 90 hours a week when their team is in town getting the field into top shape before a game. Horne says they take pride in their work, and it's all worth it when the fans see the field as they enter the stadium.
"I get the biggest kick there when they go, 'Wow, look how this looks!' Or, 'Is that real?' 'How do they make those stripes?' Those things, I get a kick out of it, and I've been doing it 30 years and still enjoy all of that," said Horne.
Bossard says the quality of the field can be a big factor in the performance of the teams that play on them. Bossard has worked with the Yankees and former owner George Steinbrenner and recalls how important the field was to Steinbrenner.
"He said, 'I want it when the people walk up the stairs, and they look out, I want them to see a beautiful field.' He said that's the first thing they see."
The new field should be complete by the end of next week and ready for players to test it out next season.
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