The Crosstown Showdown's Greatest Hits

The biggest crowds. The best players. The baseball event that brings together all of Mid Michigan.

Next Wednesday, April 6, the Lansing Lugnuts and the Michigan State Spartans renew acquaintances in the Crosstown Showdown presented by Delta Dental, an exhibition celebrating the national pastime at Jackson® Field™. It is the first Showdown since 2019, returning after a two-year hiatus.

In Total: The Lugnuts lead the series, 11-2, with wins in each of the last eight meetings. A combined 107,668 fans have attended the 13 Crosstown Showdowns.

First Year: 2007. In front of 6,223, the Lugnuts brought a 4-1 lead to the ninth inning, only to see the Spartans rally with two runs, placing the game-tying run on base and bringing the potential go-ahead run into the batter's box. Julio Pinto fanned Kyle Hurtt, and the Nuts escaped with a thrilling 4-3 victory. Lansing only collected three hits in the game; Spartans pitchers handed out three walks to future Major Leaguer Travis Snider.

Spartans' First Win: 2009. A record-setting throng of 12,992 watched MSU score seven runs off Lansing starter Scott Gracey, cruising to a 12-2 win over the Nuts. The Great Balbino Fuenmayor homered in defeat.

Live on BTN: 2012. With Eric Collins on the mic, a stadium record 12,997 present, and a national TV audience watching, the Lugnuts sent future Major Leaguers Aaron Sanchez, Roberto Osuna and Daniel Norris to the mound in a combined two-hit shutout, 7-0. All seven Nuts runs came in the seventh inning. The Nuts' lineup included four other future Major Leaguers in Jon Berti, Carlos Pérez, Kevin Pillar and Andy Burns.

Lumber Show: 2013. The best offensive performance in the Showdown was turned in by future Major Leaguer Dwight Smith, Jr., and his Lugnuts teammates, who collected 14 hits in a 10-2 romp. Smith finished 4-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBIs. Seth Conner, added to the Texas Rangers' MLB coaching staff during the 2021-2022 offseason, hit third in the order and went 2-for-4 for Lansing. The attendance? 11,619.

MSU Bursts Out of the Blocks: 2015. The good news for Spartans fans: The first four Michigan State batters hit for the cycle! The bad news: Ryan McBroom homered and the Lugnuts came back to win decisively, 9-4, in front of 4,883. This was the last year before 2022 that the Showdown was played in April; from 2016-2019, the exhibition was shifted to September.

Vladdy and Bo Arrive: 2016. 17-year-old Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and 18-year-old Bo Bichette were outdueled in the pregame Home Run Derby by teammate Connor Panas, then Bo delivered a first-inning triple, Vladdy flashed the leather in the field, and the Lugnuts beat the Spartans, 4-1, in front of 8,432.

Big Nate Blows 'Em Away: 2018. With 6,388 watching, Blue Jays first-rounder Nate Pearson returned from rehab to throw 98 mile-per-hour gas past Spartans bats for two scoreless innings, striking out four, and the Nuts coasted past MSU, 6-4. The pregame HR Derby saw Michigan State catcher Adam Proctor triumph for the second consecutive year.

The Lugnuts open against Michigan State University in the Crosstown Showdown presented by Delta Dental on Wednesday, April 6. The first 1000 fans will receive a special mini-bat!

Then the Nuts raise the curtain on the Midwest League season at home against the Lake County Captains on Friday, April 8. Click here to purchase your tickets.

For more information on the Lugnuts, call (517) 485-4500.

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