(Photo: Brooks Leger of the Atlantic League throws out the ceremonial first pitch with a QR code ball at Hagerstown, Md. on April 25, 2025).
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) has become the first league to place a QR code on its official equipment, namely Drake Official Baseballs. The baseballs, with a specially designed QR code for each Atlantic League club, were used when the ALPB opened its 2025 season on Friday, April 25.
Brooks Leger of the Atlantic League threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Hagerstown.
The innovative digital code will provide Atlantic League teams with additional opportunities to reach their communities, featuring club assets, value offers and partner messaging. Each of the 10 teams will have a unique and dynamic QR code imprinted on its official baseballs.
“Placing a bespoke QR code on our Drake official baseballs has tremendous potential,” said League President Rick White. “Each club now has another opportunity to personally engage its fans, whether through guest incentive offers, sponsored promotions, or both. When a fan acquires a foul ball or a home run, they scan the QR code with their mobile device to receive special recognition. Since the team baseball QR codes are dynamic, offers and messaging can be customized every day. This is a fun way to maximize a team’s value by personally interacting with their fans.”
In addition to the QR code, the Atlantic League baseball also features two signatures on its signature panel. The signature of each team’s Director joins ALPB President Rick White on the signature panel on that team’s official Drake baseballs. The QR code will reside in between the two signatures and just above the “Official Atlantic League” mark. The QR Code Drake ball will make its debut on Opening Day, Friday, April 25 when the 27th Atlantic League Championship Season opens. The scheduled first game of the season, featuring the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars hosting the Staten Island FerryHawks, begins at 6:30 p.m. Two other games that night have 6:35 p.m. starts and a pair of contests will start at 7:00 p.m.
The Atlantic League in 2022 became the first professional league in over 100 years to manufacture its own official baseball under the brand name of Drake. The ball is named in honor of Ellis Drake (1839-1912) who conceived the two-piece interlocking, figure eight design that has become the norm for all baseballs worldwide. The Drake baseball is the result of over three years of extensive research and development. The ball was subjected to rigorous laboratory, factory, and game-day testing before being put into play and is still subject to annual testing. The Drake meets or exceeds all current specifications for professional baseballs.
The son of a shoemaker, Drake conceived the idea for the baseball as a schoolboy, using scraps of leather from his father’s shop to apply as a covering for a baseball. At the time, baseballs used a “citrus peel” cover that was sewn together and resembled a peeled orange. Drake’s design strengthened the cover and kept it from falling apart as previous balls would. It also allowed for better air flow around the ball and helped baseball become the game that it has evolved into today.