CURVE, Pa. — The Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, unveiled the game schedule for 2018 on Wednesday in preparation of their 20th season hosting professional baseball at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
(Photo: Altoona Curve General Manager and Clarion native Derek Martin)
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The 2018 schedule features 70 home games, with the team celebrating Opening Day at Peoples Natural Gas Field on April 5, welcoming the Akron RubberDucks, Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
“The 20th anniversary is a huge milestone for the Curve organization and our community,” Curve general manager Derek Martin said. “We are thankful for the support throughout the region since 1999 and we look forward to celebrating with our fans all year in 2018.”
Fans can celebrate Independence Day next season at Peoples Natural Gas Field on July 4 as the Curve play the opener of a five-game series against the Trenton Thunder, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Trenton also returns to Altoona for a four-game series to close out the team’s regular-season home schedule from Aug. 27-30.
By month, the Curve will play 13 home games in April, 17 in May, 13 in June, 12 in July and 15 in August.
Once again, the standard time for weekday games in April and May will be set for 6 p.m. (excluding April 25, May 9 and May 31). Beginning in June, the standard weekday game time will be 7 p.m. (excluding July 18 and Aug. 22 through Aug. 30).
Eight of the Curve’s Sunday home games will be played beginning at 2 p.m. There will be three Sunday night home games that will start at 6 p.m.: June 17, Aug. 5 and Aug. 17. Saturday home games on April 7, April 21 and May 5 will begin at 4 p.m. All Saturday home games after May 5 will begin at 6 p.m.
“With 30 home games in April and May, we have arranged some of our game times to make sure we are playing at the warmest times of the day,” Martin said. “We have also been asked to host more Sunday games, so we are listening to our fan base and providing earlier Sunday start times to help add to the family-centric experience.”
The team will host three of the popular School Kids’ Education Day games, presented by Subway, with special 10:30 a.m. start times, first on April 25 against the Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, again on May 9 against the Bowie Baysox, affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and a third on May 31 facing Akron. The start time for July 18 against Bowie is scheduled for noon.
Other popular series include a four-game set against the Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, from May 17-20 and a three-game series against the Reading Fightin Phils, Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, from June 5-7.
“Throughout the offseason, there will be several announcements to keep our fan community involved with planning the special 20th anniversary celebration, including fan polls,” Martin said. “I think it is very important for our community to have a say on some of the promotions they will see in 2018.”
Over their first 19 seasons, the Curve has welcomed more than six million fans to Peoples Natural Gas Field, received multiple recognitions as one of Minor League Baseball’s top franchises and seen 143 of their alumni go on to play in the Majors.
The 20th-anniversary festivities kick off with a special concert, presented by Sheetz, on Sat., Sept. 23, 2017, at PNG Field, featuring country stars Sawyer Brown and Phil Vassar. Tickets are now on sale at AltoonaCurve.com, by phone at 877.99.CURVE or in person at the PNG Field box office.
Only three homestands remain for the 2017 regular season at Peoples Natural Gas Field. For tickets or more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or visit the PNG Field box office.
