The Tri-City Chili Peppers are embarking on a truly out-of-this-world event this summer with no event like it existing anywhere else.

And as recently announced by the team, welcome to the realm of “Cosmic Baseball.”

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The Coastal Plain League team will be playing a series of games this summer under glow-in-the-dark (yes, really) conditions where floodlights will be replaced by blacklights, equipment will be illuminated under those lights and the idea of a night at the ballpark will be completely flipped on its head.

There’s only one place to stream what will be a historic moment in baseball history — FloBaseball. And if you plan on checking out the one-of-a-kind event, stick around for what else FloBaseball has to offer while you’re at it, too.

Here’s a look ahead at all you need to know about the Tri-City Chili Peppers’ unique promotional event this season, part of FloBaseball’s coverage of the Coastal Plain League and other baseball leagues all summer long:

What is Cosmic Baseball?

In a sport already full of wacky promotions and creative ways to get people to a ballpark, the proposal of Cosmic Baseball is truly something that stands alone. 

Announced late last month by the Chili Peppers, select matchups this season designated as “Cosmic Baseball” games will see Tri-City wear glow-in-the-dark uniforms while playing the entire game underneath artificial black lighting at their home field of Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights, Virginia — the first baseball games ever known to be played under such conditions. 

With the club calling the event (which will be held four times this season) a “historical immersive baseball experience,” essentially all game equipment used during Cosmic Baseball will be blacklight-reactive (including hats, bats, balls, and other gear) with no natural lighting anywhere on the field of play. 

Worlds First Ever Cosmic Baseball Game will be played June 1st. Don’t Miss being a part of History. pic.twitter.com/eXnDAH6H5A

— Tri-City Chili Peppers 🌶 (@GoChiliPeppers) May 2, 2024

When is Cosmic Baseball?

The Chili Peppers will play host to Cosmic Baseball four times during their 2024 season on June 1, 15, 28, and July 20, all games of which will be against the Greenbrier Knights of the Tidewater Summer League, a separate league to the Chili Peppers’ home of the Coastal Plain League. 

All four games of Cosmic Baseball this season will be streamed live and exclusively on FloBaseball.

Who Are the Tri-City Chili Peppers?

Based in central Virginia and located about a half-hour’s drive south of the state’s capital, Richmond, “Tri-City” stands for the three independent cities of Colonial Heights (where the team’s home ballpark is located), Petersburg, and Hopewell, and the “Chili Peppers” moniker comes from it beating out other contenders in a name the team contest in late 2019 when the team was announced. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club did not play its first game in the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League until 2021, and it will begin its fourth season of play later this month when it opens its 2024 CPL campaign at home against the expansion Greenville Yard Gnomes at 7 p.m. May 23. 

How Did the Tri-City Chili Peppers Perform in 2023?

Tri-City finished 23-23 overall last season, finishing fifth of seven teams in the CPL East Division and missing out on the playoffs by just 1½ games to the second-placed Wilmington Sharks. The Chili Peppers have not qualified for the CPL playoffs in any of their three seasons in existence.

Player to Watch for Tri-City Chili Peppers

Michael Dolberry, OF

Back for his third season with Tri-City this summer (according to the Coastal Plain League’s rosters page on its website), Dolberry since last summer’s CPL season has been playing some of his best ball to date, and it could help make him one of the league’s most dangerous sluggers this season. 

Finishing second in the CPL in 2023 in RBIs (47) while slashing .317/.398/.509, Dolberry was one of only two players in the league to crack the 40-RBI mark and he added with it an impressive 19 stolen bases in 44 games, too. He transferred from Longwood to Division II UNC Pembroke as a grad transfer for this spring, and Dolberry has hit the ground running in his new home by slashing .407/.482/.757 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 41 games as of this writing. If Tri-City is to finally make a playoff push for the first time in club history, expect Dolberry to be one of the main pieces behind it.

How to Watch the Tri-City Chili Peppers and the Coastal Plain League

Atlantic, Frontier, Pioneer and the Coastal Summer Plain League, as well as the Florida Collegiate Summer League, all are streaming on FloBaseball and the FloSports app. Replays, highlights, and more news can be found on the site.

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