story and photo by
Darl DeVault, contributing editor
As the 2024 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate since 2015 takes the field this year at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark downtown as the OKC Comets on April 1st, they will be paying homage to Oklahoma MLB legend Mickey Mantle. The team’s home opener in the Pacific Coast League featuring postgame fireworks on a $2 Tuesday is against the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres).
The “one step away from the major leagues” players will wear his nickname as their club name and brand. He was known for his Commerce, Oklahoma hometown, as the “the Commerce Comet” during his Yankee Hall of Fame career as the greatest switch hitter ever in baseball.
The team’s light blue and red colors and logo, featuring a baseball shooting through the sky like a comet, honor the only switch-hitter to hit more than 50 home runs in a season. Mantle achieved this feat in 1956 with 52 home runs and in 1961 with 54.
“We wanted our new name and brand to reflect Oklahoma’s rich baseball history and our affiliation with the Dodgers but is also uniquely ours and embraces the future of our city and state,” said Michael Byrnes, Comets president/general manager. “Mickey Mantle – the Commerce Comet – is an iconic baseball figure for our state, our city, our team, and our ballpark, which enables us to have a bit of fun bringing our new identity to life for our fans.”
His large bronze statue outside the Mickey Mantle Gate on the third base plaza at the ballpark commemorates his 18 productive NY Yankee MLB seasons from 1951 to 1968. He won seven World Series titles, three MVPs, a triple crown, and hit 536 home runs.
“We appreciate our community of fans who provided input into the new name and brand and who have supported this team throughout the years – since 1962,” Byrnes said. “Our commitment is to continue to provide the same fun, family-friendly game day experience our fans have come to expect – now with new signage, new uniforms and mascots.”
The rich Oklahoma City minor league tradition continues as the parent LA Dodgers have the highest payroll in MLB at $303,851,665.
The Triple-A games feature an Automated Ball-Strike System in its third year. It uses radar technology to precisely define the strike zone and call pitches accordingly, including a limited number of challenges to the call. The ABS was used in 60 percent of the 2025 MLB Spring Training Games to determine whether the big leagues will adopt it soon.
Single-game tickets for all 75 Comets’ home games are on sale now. Those ticket prices begin at $12 and can be purchased online at okccomets.com. Group and season ticket packages are also currently available. Fans can now secure their tickets for key games such as Opening Night, Independence Day, Star Wars Night, Faith and Family Night, and OKC’s first-ever Bluey Night and Harry Potter Night by purchasing a new OKC Comets Flex Plan. The OKC Comets Flex Plan allows fans to buy tickets for two, four or six games of their choice based on date, promotion or opponent. The Flex Plan includes a special price lower than regular single-game pricing, providing a 10 percent savings when purchasing two games, 20 percent savings for four games and a 30 percent savings for six games.
Visit okccomets.com to view the complete 2025 schedule. For additional information, please call (405) 218-2182.
Weekly promotions include $2 Tuesdays, Fireworks Fridays and Family Sundays. Seventeen fireworks nights dot the schedule, including the home opener. The team will have back-to-back fireworks nights for an Independence Day celebration on July 4-5.
The April schedule includes theme nights, including April 4’s “In Our OKC Era Night” and April 19’s “First Responders Night,” plus a Comets hat giveaway to the first 1,000 fans through the gates on April 5.
On In My OKC Era Night – April 4, fans can enjoy friendship bracelet making, a costume contest, music-themed entertainment and contests throughout this evening celebrating pop superstardom. A postgame fireworks show is scheduled to follow. On First Responders Night – April 19, they will be recognized for their service to the community as the Comets recognize the 30th anniversary of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
First responders who assisted in the aftermath of the bombing will be honored on the field, and representatives from the Oklahoma City Police Department, EMSA and Oklahoma City Fire Department are scheduled to throw out first pitches before the game. A parade of emergency vehicles will travel around the warning track pregame, and additional vehicles will be on display throughout the evening.
The Comets will take the field wearing the team’s City Celebration jerseys and 405 hats.
On Family Sundays, select Comets players will sign autographs for fans on the concourse prior to the first pitch. Following those games, kids can take the field to run the bases like their favorite pros.
Fans can purchase the new OKC Comets merchandise online or at the Team Store on the west side of the ballpark.
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