(ALTOONA, PA) – The Altoona Curve and Erie SeaWolves, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Pirates, today announced that the two Eastern League clubs have moved their scheduled regular season game on Saturday, June 26th from Erie’s Jerry Uht Park to PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The game will be played under the lights at PNC Park with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
The contest will technically serve as a SeaWolves’ home game, and thus will not alter the Curve’s 71-game home slate at Blair County Ballpark.
Following the game, the Pirates and Tigers’ Double-A affiliates will return to Erie to complete their three-game weekend series with a 1:05 p.m. Sundayafternoon matchup at Uht Park.
“This is an exciting announcement for the fans of both the Curve and SeaWolves and also for the players,” said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. “As always, the Pirates have been terrific to work with and have taken a strong interest in making sure that this game becomes a reality. It also demonstrates a first-rate relationship between three organizations working together to create an innovative and unique event for the fans.”
“This is a great opportunity for our fans, players, and each organization to experience baseball in a big league ballpark,” said SeaWolves’ General Manager John Frey.
While the June 26th game would not mark the first time that a regular season minor league game has been played in an active major league ballpark, it certainly would be on a short list. For the past two seasons, the San Diego Padres have hosted a Class-A California League contest at Qualcomm Stadium featuring their affiliate in that league, the Lake Elsinore Storm, as part of a doubleheader involving a Padres’ game. Also last August, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted a stand-alone Midwest League game between their Class-A Beloit affiliate and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Mariners). In addition, the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies (Giants) and Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) have each played host to a three-game series in their parent club’s ballpark within the past four seasons.
Tickets for the game at PNC Park will range from $6-12. Additional ticketing information, including the on sale date for the game will be released in the near future. For more information fans can stay tuned to www.altoonacurve.com or call (814) 943-5400 or toll-free at 1-877-99-CURVE.
The Curve will open the 2004 Eastern League season on Thursday, April 8th at 6:35 p.m. against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox’ affiliate) at Blair County Ballpark. Curve individual game tickets are currently on sale at the Curve Ticket Office or through the club’s all-new o)n-line ticketing system at www.altoonacurve.com. Also, fans can check out all the latest Curve merchandise at the club’s all-new on-line shopping site, www.curvestore.com.
