IronPigs Release 2018 Regular-Season Schedule

A whole new decade of IronPigs baseball will kick-off at Coca-Cola Park when Lehigh Valley hosts its 2018 home opener against the Louisville Bats on Thursday, April 12, at 7:05 p.m. The IronPigs' home schedule also features a franchise-record, 11 dates against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, as well as 33 (47%) contests on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

The 70-game, home schedule consists of 57 contests at Coca-Cola Park occurring between May 7 and Labor Day weekend and includes the popular summer holidays of Mother's Day (May 13), Father's Day (June 17) and Independence Day Eve (July 3). The full, 140-game schedule begins with the IronPigs visiting McCoy Stadium on Friday, April 6, to battle the Pawtucket Red Sox on Opening Day.
The IronRail rivalry gets started early, as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will first visit Bacon, USA, to open a three-game, weekend series on Friday, April 27. The RailRiders later return for a pair of four-game sets from June 25-28 and from Aug. 24-27. The IronPigs invade PNC Field in Moosic, Pa., for a trio of three-game series (April 9-11; May 15-17; June 19-21) with the winner of the annual season-series capturing the prestigious IronRail Trophy.
The IronPigs will also host seven affairs against Pawtucket, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, comprising a three-game series from May 7-9 and a prime, four-game set from June 14-17 that spans Thursday through Sunday.
The annual "Bacon and Eggs" series against the Toledo Mud Hens returns with a three-game, weekend set from June 1-3, while the world-famous Durham Bulls make their only appearance in Allentown for a three-game series from Aug. 13-16.  
Weekends once again dominate the home schedule, as the IronPigs will host 11 games apiece on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a total of 33 contests.  
The 2018 season takes a three-day hiatus July 9-11 for the annual Triple-A All-Star game between the International League and Pacific Coast League. The 2018 classic will be held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, July 11.
After condensing from 144 to 142 regular-season games in 2017, the 2018 schedule is reduced to 140 games -- the IL's targeted total moving forward -- while remaining unbalanced between divisions. Lehigh Valley's North Division opponents are the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto), Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston), Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York-A) and the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington). Teams in the South Division are the Charlotte Knights (Chicago-A), Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay), Norfolk Tides (Baltimore) and Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta). The West Division consists of the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland), Louisville Bats (Cincinnati), Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh) and Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit). 
Monday through Friday games remain predominately scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with exceptions for Education Day on May 9 (10:35 a.m.) and Camp Day on July 25 (11:35 a.m.). All Saturday games remain slated for 6:35 p.m. while all Sunday dates remain at 1:35 p.m. Game times are tentative and subject to the approval of the league office this fall.
You may view the 2018 schedule by clicking here.
Bacon, USA Memberships are now available for the 2018 season. For information on purchasing or renewing a ticket membership plan, please call (610) 841-PIGS.
The 2018 IronPigs baseball season is presented by Capital BlueCross.