Minor League Baseball® (MiLB™) has announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are pleased to announce that the franchise will participate in “The Nine” starting this season.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

“This is a truly important initiative from Minor League Baseball and we are excited to join so many other teams in participating,” stated John Adams, Team President of the RailRiders. “There are so many great players to honor and stories to be told with Northeastern Pennsylvania ties. This will become both educational and engaging for everyone involved, and we look forward to watching the program grow.’”

Details on “The Nine” as well as other associated events will be available as the season approaches. For more information on the 2022 season, please contact the RailRiders front office at (570) 969-2255 or visit swbrailriders.com.