The 2027 baseball season will begin a new era for IronPigs baseball.

The giant fireworks shooting Coke bottle atop the video board will be lowered and replaced by a Jefferson Park logo as the ballpark’s naming rights shift to Jefferson Hospital.

After covering Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball since Coca-Cola Park was nothing more than a construction site, it’s kind of sad.

The Coke bottle will likely find a new home, whether it’s at the ballpark or somewhere else. It’s become an iconic part of the ballpark, and IronPigs president and general manager Kurt Landes hinted that there are plans for the huge structure. Remember the huge Liberty Bell from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia? Prior to the implosion of the stadium, the Liberty Bell was rescued and now has a home outside of Citizens Bank Park. Perhaps something like that awaits the Coke bottle.

There have been highlights and lowlights over the years. The first two events that come to mind involve several former IronPigs catchers, Erik Kratz and Cameron Rupp. Kratz was a veteran minor league catcher who was at Citizens Bank Park for the Triple-A All-Star Game in 2010 when he was told mid-game that he was going to the majors for the first time in his career. It was a well deserved promotion for a guy who paid a lot of dues before getting the call.

The final day of the 2013 season was a special one. The media got to the clubhouse after the game to find the clubhouse doors locked. Inside, manager Dave Brundage was giving out good news to players who were going to the majors as part of the September call-ups. Suddenly, the doors burst open and out came Rupp with a huge smile on his face and a cell phone in his hand. As we asked to talk to him, he politely told us he had to do something first.

I got to hear his side of the conversation of him telling his dad that he was going to the majors. The large Texan was crying as he had the conversation. It was something to witness at least one side of that moment between a father and son.

Speaking of Brundage, he was one of the nicest people I have come across at the ballpark. I realized when he was hired that he and I were born on the exact same day and year. Brundy was a guy who, like Kratz and others, had toiled in the minors for years. Unlike Rupp, he never got that call to the majors, but has had a long career as a minor league coach and manager.

As a bunch of us were talking off the record one day and just having fun, I pointed out to him that we had the same exact birthday. He thought that was interesting. I then pushed my luck and told him that we also had something else in common; the same amount of major league hits. He gave me a quick glare, and I thought I might have overstepped my bounds, but he then got a big smile on his face and said, “Yeah, but I at least have some minor league hits.”

We all had a little fun with Brundy and I jabbing each other.

Getting to know Ryne Sandberg was an honor. He was respectful to the media and everyone else around the ballpark. He would ask us questions about our families, and was genuinely interested in getting to know us. He was also great with the players

Cesar Hernandez was always too embarrassed about his broken English to talk to the media. When Sandberg found out, he made a point of talking to Hernandez about it. The next day when we met with the manager, his opening remark was, “I talked to Cesar and told him you guys aren’t interested in how well he can speak the language, and that you guys are fair and aren’t looking to trip him up. He said the next time you guys want to talk, he’s available.”

My favorite memory of a language barrier was pitcher Carlos Carrasco. When he pitched well, his English was perfect. If he had a bad outing, he forgot how to speak the language. He was a good guy and went on to have a nice career, but as a youngster just had a little trouble owing up to a bad day.

The 2027 season brings a chance for a new era, some new faces, and some new memories.

THAT’S A WRAP ... The IronPigs finished their season with a 5-4 win in 11 innings at Syracuse on Sunday. The Pigs finished 68-81 overall this season, well out of the playoff hunt for both the first and second halves of the season. In the history of Coca-Cola Park, the Pigs went 1,219-1,213, for a .501 winning percentage. The International League championship series will match first-half champion Memphis against second-half champion Rochester. The best-of-three game series will be played in Memphis. The league awards the first-half champion home field throughout the championship series.

PITCHING IN ... In this day and age of baseball, we’re used to seeing position players pitch late in blowout games. What about pitchers playing a position other than on the mound? Mitch Neunborn did just that during the series in Syracuse last week when he volunteered to play second due to a roster shortage of infielders. Neunborn, who played some second base in college and in the Australian Baseball League before becoming a full-time pitcher, came in defensively at second base during Thursday night’s game and made turning a double play look easy. He also scooped up a throw from catcher Jordan Dissin on a stolen base attempt and tagged out former IronPigs teammate Christian Cairo. In his two at-bats, the right-handed hitter struck out twice, but then again, he hadn’t been in a batter’s box since 2022.