A look back at July 4th in the Minors
We may not be spending July 4th weekend at a ballpark this summer, but as they say in baseball: there's always next year. As part of our #MiLBFunOnThe4th celebration, we take a look back at some of those memorable days and nights over the years from stadiums across the country.
We may not be spending July 4th weekend at a ballpark this summer, but as they say in baseball: there's always next year. As part of our #MiLBFunOnThe4th celebration, we take a look back at some of those memorable days and nights over the years from stadiums across the country.
Baseball and July 4th go together like America and apple pie, so it should come as no surprise that the West Michigan Whitecaps, a Tigers affiliate, stage a pie-eating contest each year. These three fans got their faces dirty on July 4, 2016. (Emily Jones/MiLB.com)
Fans enjoy the annual fireworks over NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, New York in 2015. (Rick Nelson/MiLB.com)
Airman First Class Callie Elizabeth McGee surprised her family, who thought she was away on deployment, during a Greensboro Grasshoppers game on July 4, 2014. (Dano Keeney/MiLB.com)
A fan waves an American flag during the Star Spangled Banner on July 4th, 2013 in Greensboro. (Dano Keeney/MiLB.com)
Ji-Man Choi and teammate Steven Baron show off their flags before a Clinton LumberKings game on July 4, 2012. (Paul R. Gierhart/MiLB.com)
Greensboro Grasshoppers players gathered in the dugout to watch the fireworks on July 4, 2010. (Dano Keeney/MiLB.com)
Barack Obama, then a senator campaigning for the presidency, greeted fans at an Iowa Cubs game on July 4, 2007. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Matt Milburn, Evan Manarino, Nate Mondou, Will Toffey, Luke Persico, Collin Theroux and Trace Loehr show off Stockton's Independence Day uniforms on July 3, 2018. (Meghan Camino/Stockton Ports)
Patriotic uniforms are nothing new in the Minors, but some teams (and players) go the extra mile with matching socks and cleats. This combo was spotted on July 4, 2018 in Colorado Springs. (Bobby Stevens/MiLB.com)
Fireworks turn the night sky pink on July 4, 2017 in Syracuse. (Rick Nelson/MiLB.com)
Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter suited up in this July 4th-themed uniform with Double-A Trenton during a rehab stint in 2011. (Rudy C. Jones/MiLB.com)
Auburn players stand for the national anthem before a game on July 4, 2019. (Rick Nelson/MiLB.com)
Where better to spend July 4th than Coney Island? Brooklyn honored its summer hot dog heritage with a "Franks" uniform on July 4, 2019. (Gordon Donovan/MiLB.com)
Fireworks on July 4th will always send the fans home happy, win or lose. A packed stadium enjoyed this scene in 2017 in Colorado Springs. (Bobby Stevens/MiLB.com)