Yankees change name of Triple-A affiliate from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to the Highlanders
Yankees' Luis Gil pitches for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders in 2021. Credit: Tim Dougherty / Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
The Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is returning to the organization’s roots — about as far back as the franchise goes.
It was announced on Saturday that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have been renamed the Highlanders.
The Yankees initially were known as the Highlanders (after a relocation from Baltimore) from 1903 until 1912.
“Before they were the Yankees, they were the Highlanders,” RailRiders president Sean Reilly said in a statement, according to MLB.com.
“And now, once again, before you’re a Yankee, you’re a Highlander. There’s a lot of positive synergy there. We like having that association with the Yankees’ heritage, but also something representative of the Northeast Pennsylvania area.”
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise had been known as the Yankees from 2007-12 and the RailRiders since ’12.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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