MOOSIC, Pa. — The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders spent 14 seasons serving as the Yankees’ final developmental stop before the Bronx.
Their last victory under that name went to a catcher.
Not symbolically. Officially.
Edinson Duran, a 24-year-old catcher who made only five official at-bats during the season, became the winning pitcher in what turned out to be the final game played under the RailRiders identity.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beat Jacksonville 6-5 in 10 innings Sept. 19 at PNC Field after Duran was pressed into pitching duty.
The next day’s scheduled season finale was canceled because of rain and unplayable field conditions.
That left Duran attached to one of the strangest closing details in the history of the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
Rain unexpectedly closes 14-season identity
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre expected to play one more game Sept. 20.
It never happened.
Rain and unplayable grounds forced the cancellation, leaving the RailRiders at 78-68 and turning the previous night’s extra-inning walk-off into the final game of the era.
The franchise announced in August that it will adopt a new identity before the 2027 season. The RailRiders name has represented the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate since 2013.
During that run, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre won the 2016 International League championship and Triple-A National Championship and served as the final minor league stop for a long list of Yankees players, including Aaron Judge.
The organization has said the Yankees affiliation will remain unchanged. The rebrand is intended to create a stronger connection with northeastern Pennsylvania and its regional identity.
A full brand unveiling is planned for November.
RailRiders era included a generation of Yankees
For Yankees fans, Scranton has represented more than a standard minor league affiliate.
It has routinely been the last waiting room before Yankee Stadium.
Judge played there. More recently, Cam Schlittler, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez have moved through Scranton during different stages of their careers.
That pipeline will continue after the rebrand.
The RailRiders identity will not.
Catcher becomes final RailRiders winning pitcher
Scranton entered the late innings trailing Jacksonville before tying the game 5-5 in the eighth.
Duran handled the top of the 10th and kept the game tied, putting himself in position for the decision.
In the bottom half, Yanquiel Fernández began the inning at second as the automatic runner and advanced to third on a groundout.
With two outs, Fernández raced home on a wild pitch to give Scranton a 6-5 walk-off victory.
Duran received the win.
It was not even his first emergency appearance on the mound. MiLB’s official player record lists six pitching appearances in 2026, with Duran finishing 1-1 with a 9.45 ERA over 6 2/3 innings.
Those numbers normally would disappear into the footnotes of a Triple-A season.
The cancellation the next day changed their significance.
Duran lands in Yankees affiliate trivia forever
The name arrived before the 2013 season after the club previously operated as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Fourteen seasons later, there was no ceremonial final pitch or scripted farewell.
Rain took away the scheduled ending.
Instead, the era closed with a catcher on the mound, an automatic runner at second, a wild pitch and an extra-inning walk-off.
Duran is unlikely to have entered September expecting to occupy a permanent line in franchise trivia.
But the Yankees prospect has one now.
The final winning pitcher of the RailRiders era was Edinson Duran.
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