Rain, chill don't keep faithful from RailRiders' opener

Mar. 31—MOOSIC — While not the ideal night for a ballgame, a little rain and chill didn't stop baseball fans from coming out to PNC Field on Friday as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders kicked off another season.

The RailRiders, Triple-A affiliates of the New York Yankees, celebrated their own Opening Day just 24 hours after the Yankees opened the big-league season with a win over the Giants.

A light, but persistent drizzle carried all the way to first pitch at 7:14 p.m., but for RailRiders fans filing into the stadium about an hour before the start of the game, the weather was no bother — or at least, not enough to dampen their excitement.

"It's very cold," said 5-year-old Connor Rodriguez, accompanied by his parents to Friday night's game. "But I'm going to have fun."

All around the stadium concourse, the smells and sights of a night at the ballpark were back: the concession stands were buzzing with activity, fans stopped in the store to buy themselves some RailRiders merchandise and the team's always-popular mascot Champ made his presence felt, to the delight of some younger fans.

"That was cool," Rodriguez said after taking a picture with Champ.

This year's season opener looked a bit different than years' past, as the minor leagues continue to serve as a testing ground for rule changes proposed to make the game cleaner and quicker.

In addition to the banning of the "shift" defense, bigger bases and a pitch clock, all of which are currently in use at the major-league level, Friday night's ballgame featured another new quirk: robot umpires.

Fans in attendance were mixed about what they expected from this latest change, and of the rule tweaks being made to baseball in general.

"I hate the shift ban," said Harry Harrison, from Lake Ariel. "If you're a professional ballplayer, you have to learn to hit against the shift."

On the other hand, Tucker Hutches said that he was excited to see some of the new rules in action.

"I think for the most part, the changes are good, they just need to work out some of the kinks," Hutches said. "I love the shift ban because you'll see players being athletic again, making diving plays, and that's awesome."

Hutches made the over two-hour trek from Bath, N.Y., with his family for Opening Day.

He and Harrison both shared a similar interest in checking out one particular player suiting up for the RailRiders.

"I can't wait to see Oswald Peraza," they both said, referring to the 22-year-old shortstop that made waves for the Yankees in his call-up to the majors last season.

For Harrison, Friday night was an experience months in the making.

"Our whole family loves baseball," he said. "Once New Years Day comes, it's baseball season for us."

Watch for full game coverage in Saturday's sports section.