Pelicans Put on Patriotic Show With Baseball on the Fourth
By Terry Massey
Baseball, hot dogs, fireworks and the Fourth of July - those distinctly American traditions came together Saturday night for the first time at BB&T Coastal Field.
Despite the fact that the Myrtle Beach Pelicans have been calling the ballpark home since 1999, this is the first time in the franchise's 11-year history that they had a home game on Independence Day. The Pelicans pulled out all the stops to celebrate the rare occasion.
"In the past other teams were requesting home dates on the Fourth and (past Pelicans management) wasn't," said Pelicans general manager North Johnson. "We got on the list so we could put on a show and allow everyone to celebrate by going to a baseball game."
Mixing America's birthday with the American pastime, the Pelicans handed out free miniature American flags to the first 3,000 fans to wave during the game and fireworks. Red, white and blue bunting adorned the stadium's railing to add to the festive scene.
The stars and stripes also became the home team's colors, if only for one night. The Pelicans traded in their traditional blue and gold uniforms for new red, white and blue ones, which will be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Bruce Dal Canton Fund.
The between-inning promotions took a star-spangled twist and the seventh-inning stretch saw fans sing "God Bless America'' instead of the usual "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Many of the 5,681 fans wore red, white and blue garb to get in the holiday spirit.
"We just found out about it this week and thought it would be a god way to celebrate," said John Solomon, who was visiting Myrtle Beach with his family from Tarboro, N.C. "We've been coming for years, but this is our first time at a game and it's been fantastic."
Although the stadium has been host to some events for the Fourth - the U.S. National Team played some exhibition games here in the past and the City of Myrtle Beach has held fireworks shows and concerts on the Fourth - this was the home team's first time.
"It's always a great place to play, but especially on the Fourth when the fans are all excited and the players really get into it," said Pelicans manager Rocket Wheeler. "I hope we get more home games here on the Fourth in the future. We're due for a few."
The Pelicans also gave fans a reason to cheer by rallying for a 3-2 victory. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of eighth inning, Michael Fisher hit one to shallow center field to drive in Gerry Rodriguez and Robert Marcial for the game-tying and -winning runs and held on.
But the real fireworks are what brought most fans to the game, and they got a real treat. Although the Pelicans often set off pyrotechnics on Saturday nights, this was a special show to commemorate the special occasion.
For the first time, Myrtle Beach got to celebrate the Fourth in a truly American way.
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