The foul ball and the homerun ball used to be simple souvenirs, proof that you were in the right place at the right time. Maybe luck had a hand in it, like when the guy splashing beer from a 16-ounce plastic cup in the row above you muffed the catch and the ball landed in your lap. Or maybe the baseball gods smiled on you, not once but twice, raining down a pair of foul balls as if to say: this is your day, loyal fan.
QR codes- the same squiggly squares that resurrected menus mid-pandemic– will be affixed to leather-wrapped keepsakes for the first time in professional baseball, transforming balls into modern-day Cracker Jack boxes, complete with digital prizes. Scan one, and you might unlock a hot dog, team merchandise, or even free tickets. The possibilities are endless.
The independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), composed of 10 teams, will unveil the QR code balls on opening day, April 25, 2025, when the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars host the Staten Island FerryHawks at Meritus Park in Hagerstown, Maryland. The first balls used will be taken out of play and sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
When the idea to put QR codes on baseballs first surfaced last summer, in a conference call between the league’s president, Rick White, and the league’s marketing and communications team, the reaction was universal: Wait, why weren’t we doing this all along?
In an interview with Techstrong, Mr. White said that during that call, the league’s Social Media Manager, Brooks Leger, asked about the possibility of putting QR codes on baseballs. The league produces its own baseballs. “It was one of those spontaneous questions of curiosity, and within thirty seconds, we decided to do it,” Mr. White said.
On April 1, 2025, the Flying Boxcars posted a video on their Facebook page, unveiling the new look baseballs. In the video, the classic baseball tune “Centerfield” plays, as the team Mascot, Stryker, dumps a box of baseballs into a batting practice ball cart, and then picks out a ball and places it on a hitting tee to reveal a QR code.
The league has attracted a lot of media attention since making the announcement, including from Major League Baseball (MLB). Rawlings produces baseballs for the MLB, and while MLB officials are aware of the Atlantic League’s upcoming use of QR codes, there is no indication that the MLB is planning to do the same, or that it will discuss that possibility.
The Atlantic League is celebrating its third decade in existence. It is MLB’s first professional partner league, a gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation, according to the league. “Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 family-friendly ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina.”
The Atlantic League has done a lot of testing to ensure that the QR codes can withstand the conditions of baseball games and still be scanned. The Flying Boxcars, and the other teams in the league, play 126 games in a season. During testing, the QR codes were repeatedly smacked by baseball bats, smeared with mud, and thrown into dirt, grass and concrete. Tests were conducted in practices, during exhibition games, and in laboratories at two colleges. It turns out that QR codes on baseball leather can take a beating and still work.
Minor league teams focus on a more personal experience with fans and their community. The Flying Boxcars, for example, have partnered with Xfinity to launch a summer reading program for area youth, and host numerous themed nights during games at their stadiums, such as “Margaritaville Night” when spectators are encouraged to show up in Hawaiian shirts.
The QR codes will likely become another way for the team to connect with spectators. “That is something that is key to minor league baseball, to offer fans a unique experience when they go to the park,” Mr. White said.
Whether they are fouled off or hit in the outfield bleachers, a ball may come with a cool experience, like playing catch with a player, or a delicious barbecue meal, or a team jersey. Other offers could be through team sponsors. QR codes are versatile- the offers can change from game to game, without the need to alter the QR code.
“It’s pretty much up to each team, to be creative with it,” Mr. White said.
A QR, or Quick Response, code, contains data modules that translate to a specific URL. The code is designed for a smartphone camera or optic scanner to translate the code to a URL. According to Microsoft, an employee with the Japanese automotive company Denso Wave conjured up the idea of QR codes in 1994, while playing the game “Go.” The grid for the game resembles a QR code. The employee, Masahiro Hara, “realized that a grid system could hold much more information in a single code and could also be read from multiple directions, angles, and distances– thus speeding up production times. Hara and his Denso Wave team successfully made his vision a reality and developed the QR code.”
