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Major League Baseball 2013: bobbleheads and fireworks galore for fans

3. Fireworks light up the night

COURTESY OF THE COLORADO ROCKIES
Fireworks over Coors Field in Denver.

  • By Ross Atkin Staff writer

There’s no way of confirming this, but Major League Baseball must be among the biggest customers of the fireworks industry, with teams offering roughly 150 postgame fireworks shows. Surely, Bill Veeck, the former White Sox owner, can take credit for starting this tradition when he introduced an “exploding scoreboard” in 1960 at Chicago’s old Comiskey Park, where White Sox home runs were celebrated with pyrotechnic flourishes.

The Detroit Tigers have 19 fireworks games. Other teams make them a regular feature of Friday nights, such as the Houston Astros with its “Big and Bright Friday Night” series and the Miami Marlins with their “Fireworks Fridays.”

The fireworks may start as soon as five minutes after the final out, but 15 minutes is more typical, especially where fans are allowed onto the field. The length of the shows varies, too. Cleveland’s weekly shows are 10 to 12 minutes, but it also has a couple of Rock N’ Blast extravaganzas that are between 30 and 40 minutes long. The Colorado Rockies keep the length of their shows a secret. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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