They played two seasons, 1996 in the North Atlantic League, and 1997 in the Heartland League. In 1996, the Rail Kings finished 36-42. In 1997, they finished 22-14 in the Northern Division's first half, and 14-22 in the second. The Rail Kings were a formidable opponent during their time in Altoona, finishing second and third place in their respective leagues.[2] They did make the playoffs, losing in two straight games to the Anderson Lawmen.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates-affiliated AA franchise was awarded to Altoona, the Rail Kings relocated to Huntington, West Virginia, for the 1998 season. They retained the Rail King name but redesigned their logo to feature a crowned H rather than an A.
The Kings remained in the Heartland League. The Huntington Rail Kings did not finish the 1998 season, closing due to poor attendance. The Altoona Curve arrived in Altoona in 1999.
Today, the Rail Kings name lives on at Blair County Ballpark, where the best seats are designated "Rail King." The Rail Kings' mascot was R.K. Two other names considered for the team were used later by affiliated teams: the Spikes, now used by State College, and the Curve, used by the current AA team.
^"Royal memories: Two decades later, Altoona Rail Kings still hold place in city's baseball history". altoonamirror.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
^Finoli, David (2008). Baseball in Altoona: From the Mountain City to the Curve. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN978-0-7385-5537-9.
February 25, 2024
altoona, rail, kings, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, septe. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Altoona Rail Kings news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Altoona Rail Kings were a former Independent baseball team playing their home games at Veterans Memorial Field in Altoona Pennsylvania averaging nearly 1 200 fans per game 1 Altoona Rail Kings1996 1997Altoona PennsylvaniaMinor league affiliationsPrevious classesIndependent 1996 1997 LeagueHeartland League 1997 DivisionNorthern DivisionPrevious leaguesNorth Atlantic League 1996 Team dataPrevious namesAltoona Rail Kings 1996 1997 Previous parksVets Field 1996 1997 They played two seasons 1996 in the North Atlantic League and 1997 in the Heartland League In 1996 the Rail Kings finished 36 42 In 1997 they finished 22 14 in the Northern Division s first half and 14 22 in the second The Rail Kings were a formidable opponent during their time in Altoona finishing second and third place in their respective leagues 2 They did make the playoffs losing in two straight games to the Anderson Lawmen When the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliated AA franchise was awarded to Altoona the Rail Kings relocated to Huntington West Virginia for the 1998 season They retained the Rail King name but redesigned their logo to feature a crowned H rather than an A The Kings remained in the Heartland League The Huntington Rail Kings did not finish the 1998 season closing due to poor attendance The Altoona Curve arrived in Altoona in 1999 Today the Rail Kings name lives on at Blair County Ballpark where the best seats are designated Rail King The Rail Kings mascot was R K Two other names considered for the team were used later by affiliated teams the Spikes now used by State College and the Curve used by the current AA team Players for the initial season included Jeff Andrews Eric Burroughs Mike Cacciotti Peter Dallas Howard Hill Mark Hilyard Anthony Iasparro Karun Jackson Farley Love Travis Maxwell Carlos Mirabal Tim Mitchell Paul Neatrour Manny Perez Billy Reed Stanley Scales Ray Schmittle Anthony Sharer John Smith Doug Smyly Tony Webster Eric Yelding Tommy Seasoltz batboy Management included Owner President Eric Reichert General Manager Mike Richmond Director of Media Relations Dave Shannon Director of Sales and Marketing Shawn McIntire Account Executive Eddie Depp Manager Tommy Hearn Coach Michael Richmond Athletic trainer Bryant MusselmanReferences edit Royal memories Two decades later Altoona Rail Kings still hold place in city s baseball history altoonamirror com Retrieved 2022 09 21 Finoli David 2008 Baseball in Altoona From the Mountain City to the Curve Arcadia Publishing ISBN 978 0 7385 5537 9 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Altoona Rail Kings amp oldid 1201621838, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
