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Cosmic Baseball Glows the Distance in Colorful Nashville Debut
The Cosmic Takeover Tour: Tri-City Chili Peppers landed at First Horizon Park in Nashville, Tennessee for two-nights of one-of-a-kind baseball. Both games on June 13th and 14th, 2025 were sellouts with families arriving early for a night of animated activities.
Per Wikipedia, bat and ball games go back hundreds of years, however, Canada is given credit for creating the version of baseball that we know today. Although clubs from New York City added aspects to the game, too. The first World Series between two leagues was played in 1903 and soon became an annual event. Certain aspects of the sport have remained the same yet there have been many innovations made especially in recent years to keep folks interested in "America's Pastime". So along comes the Tri-City Chili Peppers a hot new team in the Coastal Plain League from Colonial Heights, Virginia presenting their unique style of performance and play. The Chili Peppers took over the sports world in the summer of 2024 by using the only known stadium-grade black lights to blend traditional baseball with over-the-top fan engagement.
On Friday, there were plenty of opportunities for engagement. Before the gates opened at First Horizon Park there was a street block party where people could meet the players but even for those who missed that part of the festivities - there was still time to get autographs, photos and purchase the colorful glow in the dark gear all night long in the stadium. There was a number of activities taking place on the field which included some children tossing balls to the players as they warmed up. The opposing team the Glow Mojis were sporting neon uniforms and were also interacting with the crowd. There was a DJ on hand who played music throughout the evening and some of the athletes could not help swaying along to the tunes after all Cosmic Baseball is all about fun.
Cosmic Baseball featured occasions for the spectators to shape the outcome of the game. Early on, a kid got to pick a large UNO like card and it said that during that inning the teams would have to run the bases in the reverse direction. As you would expect it caused some comical confusion. As teams switched we enjoyed a mascot race and in honor of a well-known Nashvillian there was a chair throwing contest. After the third of what would be a seven-inning game - the players left to change into their Cosmic uniforms. Cosmic Baseball has some of their own rules such as no bunts, fans assisting with "bad calls" and a home run derby that can change the course of a match in moments. As the competitors returned to the field the black lights were turned on and sure enough everything was glowing including lots of spectators. More cool effects added to the magic although it did become more difficult to watch the game even though the bats and balls were bright and visible. We give the players a lot of credit for catching fly balls and fielding in these unique conditions and that makes this creative take on baseball especially amusing.
We spoke with Tri-City Chili Peppers and Cosmic Baseball founder Chris Martin on the concourse in Nashville just before the start of the weekend's two-game set. Martin confirmed that the Savannah Bananas were definitely an inspiration for this enterprise before adding that he hopes to introduce elements of family-fun and entertainment that he himself would like to see into the proceedings. With the enthusiastic crowds in Music City mirroring the excitment we observed two years ago when the Bananas played the same stadium - we can say that it looks like he is well on his way to achieving that vision with his own novelty baseball club. As the game neared its conclusion the Chili Peppers - who were considered the "home" team - took the lead in Harlem Globetrotters fashion 13 to 8. But, the game was still not over as one last home run derby would secure the outcome. The Glow Mojis were able to knock in four dingers in their half of the frame but that wasn't enough for them to break out of Washington Generals mode - ultimately losing by one run to their Cosmic hosts.
However, we could say that everyone was a winner as the Cosmic Takeover Tour: Tri-City Chili Peppers was engaging and entertaining. We observed a lot of youngsters who were excited to meet the athletes and the glowing merchandise allowed fans to be part of the game. We are hopeful that Cosmic Baseball will return to Nashville but in the meantime First Horizon Park is the home field of the Nashville Sounds a Triple-A franchise who are currently affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. Over the last 46 years, a total of 1,518 men have worn a Sounds jersey with over 1,000 of them have played in the big leagues. So, if you are in Nashville check the team out and be on the lookout for Cosmic Baseball as its Takeover Tour continues their national debut coming to IN, MA, OH, TX in 2025 in addition to their regularly scheduled games at Shepherd Stadium in VA. What could make Cosmic Baseball even better? Since we know that they will be back again next season based on this year's success at that box office here are some suggestions. We'd like to see an inning featuring giant 9-foot aliens in the outfield along with a few UFO saucer shaped drones assisting with a t-shirt drop on the concourse - and maybe a lot more spooky music to accompany the fan favorites that accompanied nearly every pitch. That should help them abduct a few more fans to the ballpark!
Related Links: For more information on COSMIC BASEBALL and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - Tri-City Chili Peppers | First Horizon Park | Nashville Sounds | Nashville Goes Nuts For the Savannah Bananas
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