Poor drainage forces Yanks to call rainout on sunny day
Published: July 5, 2009
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Butch comegys / staff photographer A lid over a drain in the saturated right field at PNC Field is part of a system that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees President Kristen Rose says no longer works.
MOOSIC - Forced to once again postpone a game because of unplayable field conditions, the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Saturday acknowledged what had become increasingly obvious.
PNC Field's drainage system is no longer working properly. The field needs to be overhauled this winter, but until then, sunny days won't always be good days for baseball.
"We'll explore all options, but if the weather worsens, field conditions worsen, we will have to look at playing games in other venues," team president Kristen Rose said.
Because of the holiday, the Yankees were expecting their first sellout crowd of the season. The sky was blue and the sun was shining, but right field remained wet and muddy because of Friday's rain. The Yankees opened the gates and provided on-field entertainment before going ahead with the scheduled fireworks show about 9 p.m. The game itself was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader that begins tonight at 5.
It was the third time in the past two weeks that the Yankees had to postpone a game, not because of rain at game time, but because the field was too wet to play.
"I feel so bad for the fans who wanted to come and celebrate," Ms. Rose said.
"It was a perfect day."
The problem is the drainage system, which was not replaced when natural grass was installed in 2007. It is the same drainage system that was in place when the stadium had artificial turf.
"The county officials who were in office at the time made the decision to make the field have a short life expectancy, partially because they thought at this point there would be a new field," Ms. Rose said. "Part of it was financial considerations, they opted to do it with the existing drainage system." That drainage system is no longer working.
The Yankees knew when the season started that drainage could be a problem, but as long as the area wasn't overwhelmed with rain, the field could make it through the season. When heavy rain fell through much of June, the system couldn't handle it.
"We knew that it was getting close to the end of what it was built for," Ms. Rose said. "But nobody expected this much rain."
In a statement issued after Saturday's postponement, the Yankees said they have already replaced more than 14,000 square feet of sod in the outfield.
Holes have been drilled, the surface has been aerated and draining tiles have been installed. The field conditions have been evaluated by head groundskeeper Steve Horne, structural consultants from Ewing Cole and a third independent party.
"All three people said the same thing, that we need a new field and a new drainage system," Ms. Rose said. "But we can't do it in the season. Right now we are truly going day-by-day."
If future games are in doubt because of field conditions, Ms. Rose said the team will try to make an announcement by 3 p.m. so that fans aren't caught offguard. If the situation continues or gets worse, the International League could arrange for alternate sites such as Syracuse or Lehigh Valley for Yankees home games.
For the time being, there is little to do but hope July isn't nearly as wet as June.
"We're doing everything we can to play the games here," Ms. Rose said.
Even on the best days, that isn't always possible.
Contact the writer: cjennings@timesshamrock.com
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