ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The youngster donning a Bryce Harper T-shirt had a question.
“Dad, it’s gonna be dark, right?” he asked upon entering Coca-Cola Park on Friday night. “So are the players gonna have flashlights?”
“No,” the dad responded with a chuckle and a tousle of his son’s hair. “The players’ uniforms, their bats and the ball will be glowing in the dark.”
“Like my Star Wars lightsaber?” the boy asked.
“I don’t know,” the dad said. “We’ll see. But I know it will be fun.”
What they and nearly 9,000 others saw was a spectacle called Cosmic Baseball.
To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi: May the fun be with you.
Fans on hand to enjoy the Tri-City Chili Peppers versus the GloMojis on the Cosmic Takeover Tour watched baseball in a way many in the park had never seen.
As for Cosmic baseball, which the Chili Peppers launched last summer from their home base in Virginia, the games are played under stadium-grade black lights situated throughout the park.
They work by using ultraviolet light to make specially designed, UV-reactive equipment glow. Black lights emit UV light, which is invisible to the human eye.
The equipment, including multi-pastel-colored uniforms, balls, bats and bases, is treated with phosphors that are fluorescent and absorb UV light, then emit visible light.
The tour stop in Allentown is among many this summer, including Indianapolis, Nashville and Sugar Land, Texas.
'This is so neat'
Friday’s extravaganza, which will conclude with a second game at 7:30 p.m. today, May 17, was part baseball and part carnival.
Music blared from the public address system throughout, even during at-bats. A deafeningly excitable ringmaster directed between-innings activities that included mascot races and a variety of fan-centric events.
The base umpire was dressed like Santa Claus. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to shout, "Ho-ho-home-run!" (Couldn’t resist.)
“Wow! I wish I could play with that ball!”Jiffy Renner of Upper Macungie Township
Many fans showed their support for the Chili Peppers by wearing jerseys of hot pink and lime green.
“This is so neat,” Michael Johnson of Coopersburg said. “It’s a fun way to watch baseball in a different way. I hope they bring it back again next year.”
Kurt Landes, IronPigs' president and general manager, said they will.
The game began as traditional baseball, with the field illuminated by traditional lights.
The glowing excitement began when nighttime fell in the top of the fifth inning.
The lights were turned off.
The fans were turned on.
Players' uniforms and caps were glowing. Both teams bolted onto the field, leaping around as if they had just won the World Series or the lottery.
Fans screamed. Music played. Confetti fell. It was a celebration.
The first batter for the GloMojis whacked the glowing green ball for a hit. The outfielder fired the ball back into the infield, with the runner eventually tagged out at third.
“Wow!” Jiffy Renner of Upper Macungie Township yelled. “I wish I could play with that ball!”
'Unlike any experience they had'
As the fans learned, watching a game in the darkness and tracking the glowing baseball as it's struck by the glowing bat takes time.
“It takes your eyes a little bit of time to follow the ball,” Marci Leggieri of Allentown said. “I watched videos of this online. But seeing this in person is different and better.”
“I remember the first time a ball was hit to me. As it was coming, I said, ‘Whoa!’ It messes up your senses; it’s a challenge. But you get used to it."Chili Peppers infielder Brett Fick
Even Chili Peppers infielder Brett Fick said it took time for him when he first began playing Cosmic baseball.
“I remember the first time a ball was hit to me,” he said. “As it was coming, I said, ‘Whoa!’ It messes up your senses; it’s a challenge. But you get used to it.
“Fans may have had a similar experience with black light playing laser tag. But with this, once the fans watch for a bit, it’s unlike any experience they’ve had. “
Fick, 37, is used to challenges. The nephew of former major league All-Star Robert Fick, his promising baseball career was sidetracked for 10 years as he dealt with alcohol and drug addiction.
“But I’m five years sober,” he said. “I’d like people to see me as an example you can change your life for the better.”
The Chili Peppers are a collegiate, wood-bat team that plays in the summer in the Coastal Plain League in Virginia.
Several Chili Peppers alumni have played in the majors, including Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, Cubs shortstop Nicky Lopez, Giants Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, and former players including Nationals All-Star infielder Ryan Zimmerman, Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Reynolds, Phillie Jake Cave and Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson also is a Chili Peppers alum.
The matchup between the Chili Peppers and the GloMojis is reminiscent of when the Harlem Globetrotters would play the Washington Generals back in the day.
They travel together from venue to venue.
