Curve unveil game schedule for 20th anniversary season

CURVE, Pa. - The Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, unveiled the game schedule for 2018 on Tuesday in preparation of their 20^th season hosting professional baseball at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL 2018 ALTOONA CURVE SCHEDULE
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 20^th 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."  
Curve season ticket packages for all 70 of the 2018 home dates are on sale now, with special discounted rates available for fans who pay in full by Oct. 23. Interested fans can reach out by phone at 877.99.CURVE or stop by the Peoples Natural Gas Field offices.
The popular Mini Plan packages are also available now, starting at $66. The plans for 2018 include Half-Season (35 games), Weekender (22 games), Eastern League Sampler (16 games) and Sundays (11 games).
"Season ticket and Mini Plan holders make up a large portion of our annual attendance," Martin said. "With their help, we are able to build a community environment at the ballpark and give back to communities around the region."
The Weekender, Eastern League Sampler and Sunday Mini Plans will include an additional bonus ticket for Opening Day. The Half-Season Mini Plan will include an additional bonus ticket for the home finale on August 30.
CLICK HERE FOR 2018 SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS INFORMATION
"Our ticket staff has put together some great, affordable packages for the 20^th anniversary season," Martin said. "it is our goal to increase the number of season ticket and mini plan holders for 2018 as we look to build generations of Curve fans for years to come."
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 20^th 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 have 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 20^th 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.
-CURVE-