INDIANAPOLIS — No peanuts, no Cracker Jack — the most iconic snacks of baseball will be banned Wednesday from Indianapolis Indians' games here.
No peanut M&Ms either, no peanut anything will be sold at Victory Field. And fans in lawn seating won't be allowed to bring peanut butter and crackers or any other peanut products of their own.
The peanut-free game is a first for the Indians, a Class AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as part of Peanut Allergy Awareness Night.
It's a big move. In a single season, more than 30,000 bags of peanuts are sold at Victory Field, more than 450 bags a night at each of the team's 65 home games.
"We've received calls from fans over the years about not being able to come to the ballpark due to peanut allergy," said Jon Glesing, Indians senior marketing and communications manager. "Awareness for this is far from new in baseball, (but) we're finally at a point we can coordinate an awareness night."
The Indianapolis Indians aren't the only team tossing out peanuts for one or more games, according to the blog Free to Enjoy Baseball (peanut free and more). Minor league teams, such as the Lowell Spinners in Massachusetts with seven peanut-free games and the Nashville Sounds' May 4 peanut-free night, are more likely to keep peanuts out of the entire park.
But some Major League franchises are offering games with peanut-controlled zones and party suites. Among them:
- The Boston Red Sox have four peanut-allergy-friendly games on July 5, July 26, Aug. 2 and Aug. 16.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers will have two such games, May 11 and Aug. 11.
- The Milwaukee Brewers have six, last week on April 20, May 4, June 11, July 17, Aug. 14 and Oct. 2.
- The New York Yankees' peanut-free suites at games will be May 11 and July 5.
- The Toronto Blue Jays have five games with nut-free zones, May 24, June 7, July 19, Aug. 30 and Sept. 20.