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SWB Yankees to play as road team for 2012

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre YankeesThe saga is over: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) will play the 2012 as a road team, splitting their time between six ballparks: five IL ballparks and Dwyer Stadium, home of the Batavia MuckDogs (short season A; NY-Penn League).

The five International League ballparks: Frontier Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings; Alliance Bank Stadium, home of the Syracuse Chiefs; Coca-Cola Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons; Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs; and McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

The SWB Yankees are on the road while their home, PNC Field, is renovated. The ballpark’s second deck will be removed and replaced with a new suite level, while a new 360-degree concourse will be installed.

With the team on the road the entire season, the front-office operations of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees will remain in Northeast Pennsylvania. “We’re very excited about the rebuilding of PNC Field about to take place,” said team president Kristen Rose. “As an organization, we’re invested in NEPA and that includes the upcoming season of transition, assuring our fans will have the best possible experience in 2013 and beyond when the newly reconstructed PNC Field re-opens and the Yankees return home. We are already hard at work on our plans for 2013.”

It’s not the final decision desired by anyone: the original goal was to have the team play out of one facility. Yankees GM Brian Cashman had negotiated a deal for the team to play at Newark’s Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, only to see it shot down by the New York Mets, who share territorial rights to the area with the Yankees. There was also talk last week about changing the construction schedule, but in the end the decision was made for the multi-venue schedule.

RELATED STORIES: Could SWB Yankees stay in Scranton for 2012?; Surprise player in SWB Yankees temporary home: Newark; Decision on SWB Yankees fate delayed; Ottawa out of running for SWB Yankees — but in line for affiliated ball; NY Yankees making moves with minor-league teams

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