Darkness falls on Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

But instead of the light stanchions emanating the white and yellow glows they typically would for a minor league Durham Bulls game, it’s a purple-hued black light that washes over the field.

Now the Cosmic Baseball begins.

What starts as a somewhat normal baseball game – barring rule-breaking oddities such as running the bases backwards and players swapping positions mid-game – quickly becomes an all-out party on the diamond. Following a “Cosmic Halftime” after the sun dips below the horizon, glow-in-the-dark bases are swapped in for the usual white ones and the real fun begins.

The players change outfits too. The neon pink and green uniforms of the Tri-City Chili Peppers and their spin-off foe, the Glow Mojis, are luminescent in the dark environment. Glowing too is the special ball they twirl around – and sometimes toss into the crowd as souvenirs.

It’s all part of the team’s Cosmic Takeover Tour, a city-hopping series of exhibition games featuring the Chili Peppers, the pioneers of this wacky baseball event. What started as an insane Saturday promotion at the team’s home stadium in Colonial Heights, Virginia has now grown to an almost national phenomenon. The Peppers, in fact, could certainly part ways with the Coastal Plain League – just like their predecessor, the Savannah Bananas, did in 2022 – and pursue the Cosmic Baseball project full-time.

Aside from the game – although, who could really tear their attention away from this spectacle? – the team has “Cosmic Glow” face painting available on the concourse and also offers glowing temporary tattoo applications.

The madness typically lasts six innings and ends in an electric home run derby for the ages – no matter the score. Each side gets to take their cuts to determine the champion – not that anyone really cares about who’s victorious and who’s not, because everyone is truly a winner in the world of Cosmic Baseball.

The Cosmic Baseball event highlighted in the this article took place on April 26, 2025.