Kalamazoo, MI –  The Kalamazoo Growlers, Kalamazoo Mac Daddies and Battle Creek Bombers announced a new game format for the reminder of the 2020 season. 

All games will now begin with a Home Run Derby. Each participant will receive a designated amount of time to hit as many home runs as possible. The participant with the most home runs during their time will be the winner. The participants will change throughout the summer and may be decided by the front office or fans prior to each game.

Games will be shortened to 5 innings with doubleheaders scheduled every weekday and triple headers on weekends.  Weekend games will begin at 2:30pm, 5:15pm and 8:00pm with weekday games starting at 5:15pm and 8:00pm.  The format will begin play on Friday, July 17th in Kalamazoo when the Battle Creek Bombers host the Kalamazoo Mac Daddies.  Games can end in a tie after 5 innings and will not go into extra innings.

”This format will give us the opportunity to entertain more fans, give our players the experience they deserve, all while maintaining the safety standards everyone has come to expect from our Northwoods League teams,” said League Chairman Dick Radatz, Jr.

The teams were required to be creative to meet the demand of ticket holders while the ballpark has limited capacity for fans to attend.  The team also recently announced that all Battle Creek home games would be played in Kalamazoo until further notice.  

All ticket holders will be updated with new times and potentially new dates.  The Growlers front office is very thankful for the patience and adjustments fans and partners have made through the early season changes.

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 230 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Growlers  as your favorite team.