Aidan Cunningham of the Greenbrier Knights bats during Cosmic Baseball against the Tri-City Chili Peppers at Shepherd Stadium on June 1, 2024, in Colonial Heights, Virginia.
The Tri-City Chili Peppers and Greenbrier Knights brought a new meaning to "baseball under the lights" this weekend.
The Virginia-based collegiate summer teams met for the first ever "Cosmic Baseball" game on Saturday. The matchup was played under black lights at with glowing baseballs, glowing bats, glowing bases and glowing uniforms.
It is believed to be the first ever organized sporting event held under black lights, as the Chili Peppers came away with a 9-4 victory.
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The Chili Peppers worked alongside local lighting company J.W. Electric and Federal Lighting manufacturer’s rep Chad Lawson to make Cosmic Baseball happen. Eighteen 500-watt black lights were installed at the team's home stadium, Shepherd Stadium, and the total cost of the project exceeded $100,000.
Tickets for the game sold out within 24 hours of the initial hype video being posted on May 2. Chili Peppers owner Chris Martin also said that interest from college players to join the team has skyrocketed over the last month.
Cosmic Baseball isn't a one-time deal. The Chili Peppers will return to the format for games on June 15, June 28 and July 20.
