MOOSIC - Squeezed between fans on a perch behind home plate, Rob Crain stared through the lens of his iPhone 4, intent on capturing the moment that signaled the rebirth of professional baseball in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
"I told everyone on the staff, 'make sure you see the first pitch,'" said Mr. Crain, the president and general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. "I missed it two years ago when I was with Omaha (Storm Chasers). I wasn't going to miss this. It's history."
With the bright stadium lights accentuating the reconstructed PNC Field, thousands of fans rose to their seats to watch Vidal Nuno deliver the first pitch at the stadium since Labor Day 2011.
Just one year ago, the thought of walking through the entrance gates and into the Moosic ballpark while wearing his 1992 Rick Schu Red Barons jersey seemed like a pipe dream to Phil Bosha of Wyoming.
A season-ticket holder since 1989, Mr. Bosha was among the hundreds of people who got to the stadium by 4:30 p.m. When he finally pushed through the gates, he - like many others - marveled at the wraparound concourse and the new scoreboard that displayed high-definition images of the RailRiders logo.
"It's like a completely new ballpark, one that's among the best in minor league baseball," said Mr. Bosha.
Gripping a whiffle ball bat, 9-year-old Lily Welles of Swoyersville crushed consecutive pitches into a tarp at one of the inflatable games in the Family Fun Zone.
One day, she says, she will join the RailRiders on the field.
Until then, she is more than happy to cheer on her future teammates and hone her fundamentals in the gaming area.
"To be honest, I like this stadium a lot more than the last one because you can just walk around and see the game from anywhere," Lily said. "And the last stadium didn't have these games."
As successful as opening night was, one issue that could become a recurring problem for late-arriving fans is the limited stadium parking.
By 7:25 p.m., the majority of the parking lot had been filled, and fans who didn't have a prepaid spot or luxury box suite had to park along Montage Mountain Road.
"We were probably a half-mile away," said baseball fan Mike Herbert of Scott Twp. "We got stuck in traffic around 6:45 and couldn't move so we just parked and walked here."
Executive Vice President of Operations Jeremy Ruby said there are about 2,300 spots in the main lot and about another 300 to 400 in a lot across the street. When those are filled, it's up to fans to find a spot.
"My advice would be to get here early, because it's a hot ticket this year," Mr. Ruby said. "Parking is no different than years past, though."
But the parking situation appeared to be the only blemish on the night professional baseball returned to Lackawanna County.
"This stadium is like a B-12 shot for the people of Lackawanna County," Lackawanna County Commissioner Pat O'Malley said. "It offers entertainment for everyone from a child to grandparents.
"I have no problem saying this is the best ballpark in Minor League Baseball."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter