A minor league baseball team based in Colonial Heights, Va. will become the first team to ever play a “cosmic baseball” game, as they will play a game on June 1 under a special artificial lighting system with UV-reactive equipment. The Tri-City Chili Peppers’ game will utilize black lights that will interact with the UV-reactive equipment — including uniforms, bats, caps and balls — to create a glow-in-the-dark effect for both the Chili Peppers and their opponent.
The “cosmic baseball” concept is made possible thanks in part to the team’s uniform vendor 3n2, hat producer Bretmor Headwear and equipment manufacturers Tucci and Wilson Sports Goods. Lighting company Sonaray was tasked with creating black lights powerful enough to play under in order to make the concept viable.
The “cosmic baseball” game puts a completely new twist on playing games at night, and also helps put a relatively new baseball team on the map. The Tri-City Chili Peppers, a collegiate summer baseball team, first entered the Coastal Plain League in 2021 and plays its home games at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.
In addition to June 1, the team is also planning to hold cosmic baseball games on June 15, 28, and July 20.
