Along the first-base line, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees warmed up in their home white uniforms with the iconic Yankee blue pinstripes. On the other side of the field, the Syracuse Chiefs donned their road grays.

On the outfield wall in left-centerfield, though, a sign declares Alliance Bank Stadium the Triple-A home of the Washington Nationals. When lineups were announced, the public address announcer read the Yankees’ lineup first and then emphatically listed off the Chiefs’ starters to applause from the crowd.

This is the bizarre situation the SWB Yankees find themselves in for the 2012 season. As their home stadium in Moosic, Pa., PNC Field, undergoes a $40 million renovation, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees is roaming around upstate New York to play home games in six different stadiums. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play ‘home’ games in Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Batavia, in addition to Allentown, Pa., and Pawtucket, R.I. The Yankees played their ‘home opener’ Saturday in Syracuse, winning 6-3.

Aside from taking the field first and wearing their home uniforms, nothing had the feeling of being in their own ballpark.

‘The only thing that felt like a home game was that we had white pants on. That’s it,’ Yankees manager Dave Miley said. ‘And we got to hit last.’

Though SWB adopted the moniker the ‘Empire State Yankees’ as an unofficial name to try and localize the team to the upstate New York region, the fans in Alliance Bank Stadium were there to support their hometown Chiefs.

When the Yankees jogged out of their dugout to take the field, only one fan clapped from the stands behind first base. Yankees starter Adam Warren retired to the side in the first inning and walked off the mound to virtual silence.

One week ago, Warren pitched on the same mount as the visiting starter.

Warren said the start Saturday felt nothing like the team’s home opener. His white uniform and taking the field first didn’t shake the feeling of being on the road.

‘To me, it felt like just another start. I didn’t really think too much about it,’ Warren said. ‘For me, I’ve already pitched here before, so it didn’t really feel any different for me than the last start.’

The Chiefs, on the other hand, welcomed the opportunity to play a road game in their home ballpark, in front of their own fans.

Mark Teahen, who spent six full seasons in the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays before this season, said he didn’t mind having to be the road team but admitted it felt out of the ordinary.

‘A little strange,’ Teahen said. ‘I’d prefer to play all our road games at home, so it’s nice to still be in front of our fans here.’

The Yankees won’t have that luxury until opening day of 2013, and even that target date is uncertain right now. The renovation would have to go almost exactly as planned for the stadium to be ready in time.

PNC Field, which opened in 1989, was in desperate need of a renovation. The Yankees drew less than 5,000 fans per game, had the second-worst attendance in the International League and the fourth-worst for all Triple-A teams last season.

As the Triple-A affiliate of a major league team that draws more than four million fans each season, the lack of attendance for Scranton was startling.

The architect for the new stadium is EwingCole, the firm that designed the Philadelphia Phillies’ stadium, Citizens Bank Park, and Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa., the home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate.

Mike Vander Woude, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s director of broadcasting and media relations, said the new stadium will be a much more appealing place to watch a game for fans.

‘If it’s going to be anything like those two stadiums, then yeah, you’re going to have no complaints,’ Vander Woude said. ‘When we go down to Lehigh Valley, it’s one of the best stadiums in the league to go to. Roomy concourses, 360 degrees, wrap around the whole ballpark and a lot of fan amenities that you’re not going to have at any stadium that’s 24, 25 years old like our stadium is.’

But to play for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while those changes take place is a challenge.

DeWayne Wise is a 34-year-old outfielder who spent nine seasons playing in the major leagues. As a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2009, Wise drew fame when he made a leaping catch up against the U.S. Cellular outfield wall to preserve Mark Buehrle’s perfect game.

Now he’s one of the oldest players on his Triple-A team and trying to make it back to the major leagues.

Wise said the constant travel is toughest on players who have families because they’re flying them to road cities all season. Instead of having to live out of a suitcase for short spurts of time, as they do during every other season, Wise and his teammates will do so for the entire six-month season.

‘I think pretty much everybody is just going to be hopping from hotel to hotel, suitcase to suitcase all year,’ Wise said. ‘It’s going to be frustrating. The guys that have families, that are married, kids, it’s going to be like flying your wives and kids to the road cities all year.’

Ramiro Pena, the Yankees’ shortstop, has spent considerable time in the major leagues as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees. Standing in front of his locker in the clubhouse Saturday, Pena said the situation was ‘OK’ several times and that the players were adjusting.

Still, this much travel is an anomaly.

‘It’s tough. It’s tough to get used to. It’s tough everywhere you play,’ Pena said. ‘But like I said, we’re trying to deal with this.’

The players said knowing two months in advance of the season what the situation would be helped them prepare for the unorthodox home schedule. Wise said winning can help make this strange season a little easier.

The Yankees started out the season 1-5, and Wise told his teammates they better start winning games or else it’s going to be a ‘long year.’

They’re still playing baseball, but for this season, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a team without a home.

‘You know coming into the season what it’s going to be like,’ Wise said, ‘and we’re just trying to stay positive, stay focused, and go out and play.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

 

Published on April 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman