MOOSIC, Pa. — PNC Field in Moosic was as busy as it's been in more than a year Monday, the day before the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders return home for the first game here since September 2019.
Crews were busy preparing for the long-anticipated homestand against rivals the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
"Sunday night, that game ends, everybody can take a deep breath that we made it through the first homestand," said Adam Marco, RailRiders director of communications and play-by-play announcer.
Marco told Newswatch 16 PNC Field can operate at 50 percent capacity, but due to social distancing rules, only about 30 percent will fit in the stands.
Thousands of seats are zip-tied to encourage fans to sit amongst their own groups. The team is expecting a little less than 3,000 fans for the first game.
And things will look a bit different.
Fans will notice one of the first changes before they even walk through the gates at PNC Field. There are no more paper tickets. Fans will be asked to check-in using just their cell phones. One of the perks of that is if you order your tickets in advance online, you can save $2.
"We want to go as touchless as possible. There's no cash at PNC Field anymore; we've become a cashless ballpark because of the pandemic," Marco added.
Marco said those changes are likely to remain even after COVID-19 restrictions go away.
The team is now working on a new plan for when they're allowed 100 percent capacity next month.
"There's so much that goes into a Minor League Baseball season, the logistics involved, and you add into that wanting to put on the best possible show for your fans, for the people coming to experience something they haven't in 18 months, you want to make sure that everybody feels safe," Marco said.
The first pitch of that first home game is at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday, May 11.