Our favorite time of the year. As I always say, Baseball is BACK! With baseball back, our commemoratives are back too. This post is once again a little later than I hoped to get it out, but honestly there’s been a severe lack of info going around! Whoever you are, collector, ballhawk, fan, or just someone passing by, I hope you have a great 2024 MLB season and enjoy all it has to offer.
I think 2024 will be another fun season for commemoratives, and in this article, I will be outlining everything that will be made and used this year, as I hear it, when it happens. This is your one stop shop for all commemorative updates and news this season.
As always, I will update this article throughout the season with more baseballs, details, and pictures, especially as I get in the flesh photos and on field game used baseball photos. Since we always get surprises, I know there will be multiple updates, and I will have some speculation (clearly noted, of course) to project at least a few of these surprises.
As a general statement to start, once again, MLB has decided to forego league wide commemoratives for 2024, which is just another year, another disappointment. This is obviously extremely upsetting for us all. As a reminder, this means no Spring Training, Opening Day, as well as any holiday/league wide celebrations. This will be another year WITHOUT, these baseballs being used on field. The only league run commemoratives will be for international series (which are mostly dupes and lame), the All Star Game, and the World Series. I hope to get more intel on if these will ever make a comeback, or truly WHY they never returned.
As for me, I hope 2024 can be a big ramp up for this site. I want to finally have everything in my database go live here, have some more interviews, deep dives, as well as more guest posts. But without further ado…
Here they are, your 2024 new commemorative baseballs!
Overview
2024 Dominican Republic Series – On March 9th/10th the Boston Red Sox will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the inaugural Dominican Republic Series at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This baseball was used for both games of that series. You may remember there was a commemorative for a 1 game trip that occurred in spring of 2020, but this is the first multi game series. Of course it has the “MLB World Tour” as is standard now, and a custom font for the wordmark, as well as the year. Nothing exciting here, super lame. You can buy these direct from Fanatics, here.
2024 Seoul Series – Opening series fun has returned! On March 20th and 21st, the Dodgers will take on the Padres at the Gocheok SkyDome in Seoul, South Korea, and use this ball for both games! This ball is honestly an extreme disappointment. I expected the logo to be just slightly more, with some Korean text, or the team logos as is the standard for an opening series. Overall, this is the same font and branding they planned to use for the formally planned Korean All Star postseason series that was cancelled. This ball does look pretty nice rubbed up though, decent logo size. This ball is currently available from Fanatics, here.
2024 Yankees vs Diablos Exhibition Series – In a very strange and surprise move, on March 24th and 25th at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, the Yankees and Diablos used this side panel commemorative baseball. This is the first Rawlings side panel commemorative baseball EVER used in game, and on top of that, the logo is stamped on what was a plain old Rawlings Official Major League Baseball. The logo itself, is quite strange. A weird looking wordmark that was used for the official promotion of the series, and then it’s got the stadium name and just the month and day, not the year. Plus there’s the fact it’s on a side panel! How strange is that, and how odd looking and unappealing is it. Currently, this ball as well is unavailable to purchase on the open market. I will keep tabs on this and update if it becomes available, but don’t hold your breath.
2024 Peter Seidler Memorial – In an incredible tribute to the man who owned the San Diego Padres, and also Rawlings, the San Diego Padres on their home opener (and domestic opening day) of March 28th used this “PS Heart” logo on their baseballs in game. This is the first time a commemorative baseball has ever been made/used to memorialize someone’s passing, and no more fitting way to do it than someone so involved in not only MLB, but the man who helped MLB purchase Rawlings in 2018. This ball is currently not available for sale anywhere.
2024 Petco Park 20th Anniversary – A STUNNER! For all home games in 2024, the San Diego Padres will be using this fantastic Petco Park 20th anniversary commemorative! The Padres never fail me, and I love this ball SO much. It’s got the warehouse at the forefront, the best and easily the most iconic feature of Petco. A big 20 in the San Diego Padres numbering font that looks fantastic, and it’s a simple idea executed super well! I am very very surprised to see the Petco Park corporate name on there though, as MLB does not allow this for on field regular season games generally. I somewhat expect this to get reviewed or changed, but maybe there was a change in the policy, I will keep an eye on this though, as the Globe Life Park baseball did have the corporate name on the mockup originally, and was changed before it hit the field. You can get these here, on eBay, from a trusted Rawlings dealer. My gripe here is the microprinting is something that will be very inconsistent on these.
2024 Astros City Connect – I was told last season that the Houston Astros would continue to use their City Connect logo baseball for the games that they wear their jerseys, which is every “Space City Monday” at home. There will be 8 nights in 2024. This ball IS in use once again this season. You can get this ball directly from Rawlings, here.
2024 Phillies City Connect – So we’re seeing a trend here. MLB or Fanatics is pushing for teams to have city connect balls in use when they wear their jerseys. This one was a bit of a surprise out of left field though. In 2024 the Phillies on all Friday home games will wear their “City of Brotherly Love” city connect jerseys, and use this commemorative baseball. First of all, what a horrible logo. The jersey font is rough, It takes a while to even see that this ball says “Love” with the o being the Phillies liberty bell logo. I like the liberty bell, but nothing else. Overall, not a fan of the city connect commemorative trend. Available via the Phillies directly for now.
2024 Mexico City Series – On April 27th and 28th at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium in Mexico City, the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will face off in the 2024 Mexico City Series and use this commemorative baseball. They are using the same exact branding this season as 2023, so this ball is a carbon copy of the 2023 logo, except the 23 changed to 24. I hate when commemoratives get re-used. As I said last year “the wordmark is okay, the whole thing is just very okay” and I stand by that. I’ll upload an in the flesh photo of this ball ASAP. This ball is currently available from Fanatics, here.
2024 Toronto City Connect – This May, the Blue Jays will be unveiling their first city connect jersey, to be worn on specific home dates unbeknownst to us as of now. But we do know they’ll be launching it on May 31st, 2024, and I was told direct from the Blue Jays they have been working toward a city connect commemorative baseball to be used when they wear the jerseys. As of right now, it is still in the works and not confirmed yet. I should have more info closer to May and I’ll keep this post updated!
2024 London Series – The third MLB London Series will take place on June 8th and 9th at London Stadium with my New York Mets taking on the Philadelphia Phillies. This ball will be used for both games of the series. It’s got the MLB Logo, the year, and the MLB World Tour of course. It does not have much else, the same wordmark font as last season, and with all other branding the same the only that was changed is the 23 to a 24. Another duplicate ball and that’s a bummer. I’ll be in attendance for this one though, and I am super excited! I’ll upload an in the flesh photo of this ball ASAP. This ball is currently available from Fanatics, here.
2024 Futures Game – Since 2017, there has been a very similar logo used for the Futures Game. With a Sirius XM ad on top, and “All Star Futures Game” in the wordmark font of the All Star Game that year. It has the date below that, and an MLB logo below or in the middle of that. Nothing exciting, usually small in size, and has been generic for a while now. The font slightly changes year to year in line with that All Star Game’s wordmark, and this one has a tiny bit of Texas flair accordingly. I do like think this one will be better than most of the recent though. We should see this ball by late June I hope, and when we do I will update with photos and a link to purchase.
2024 Home Run Derby – Since 2016, MLB has used the same logo for the Home Run Derby, the trophy, a T-Mobile ad, and the year. In 2018 they reduced the size of this logo to be consistent with other logo size changes, and it has been identical ever since. Last season the balls started to be signed under the logo for the first few rounds (the players only sign 100 or so of these, so the later rounds usually do not feature autographs) and in past years the baseballs were signed on the sweet-spot. Hopefully we see this continue this year! We should see this ball in a few months, and when we do I will update with photos and a link to purchase.
2024 Home Run Derby Moneyball – Since 2016, MLB has used the same logo for the Home Run Derby, the trophy, a T-Mobile ad, and the year. In 2018 they reduced the size of this logo to be consistent with other logo size changes, and it has been identical ever since. Always the exact same logo as the normal HRD ball, with the exception of one of the two panels (the “Official Major League Baseball” panel) being a pink dyed leather. We should see this ball in a few months, and when we do I will update with photos and a link to purchase.
2024 All Star Game Batting Practice – Since 2022 MLB has used an alternate version of the ASG baseball in batting practice for the Home Run Debry and the All Star Game. These baseballs are NOT available at retail. The idea behind it is that a mix of MLB wanting to give ASG balls to fans but also being cheap at the same time lead to these. I expect this to continue in 2024, but we likely will not see a photo of it until the week of the ASG.
2024 All Star Game – On July 16th at Globe Life Field, the 94rd Midsummer Classic will be held! This year, we have a pretty great logo for the All Star Game commemorative. I broke down the logo previously and here’s what I said: My initial reaction is that of glory, this is an absolute gem of a logo. I won’t go so far to say it is extremely complex, but it is everything an ASG logo should be. It has the outline of the state of Texas (which is the exact same as a part of the rangers logo) and it’s got a red and blue stitching theme, of course the colors of the Texas flag. It is surrounded by a circular outline as well, and I cannot exactly tell what the small logos are, but I believe the stars are stars of Texas, which happens to go along nicely with the theme of an All Star Game. It is a little small and busy, but overall is a solid baseball and that makes two straight years of pretty good ones! You can get this baseball here, on eBay, from a trusted Rawlings dealer.
2024 Jim Leyland Hall of Fame – On August 3rd, when the Detroit Tigers take on the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park, the Tigers will be honoring Jim Leyland’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. August 3rd, officially billed as the “Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Celebration” certainly warrants a baseball, and as the Tigers have frequently done in prior years to honor their HOFers, I expect one here. No confirmation for this one yet, or any clues on design, but we should see the Tigers start to release branding for the celebration soon, and I hope to get an official confirmation soon as well. This will be a nice ball for sure! I will of course update with any news ASAP.
2024 Phillies Wall of Fame – On August 17 at Citizens Bank Park for Phillies v Nationals, as in years past, the Phillies will be inducting a Wall of Fame member (or members), and using this WOF commemorative baseball. Used yearly since 2018 (sans 2020) this is still a great looking ball and I have always enjoyed it. They will have game used authenticated versions of it after that game. The Phillies have the small logo version in stock, and also keep large version autographed versions in stock as well. You can reach out to John at Phillies Authentics via email here to purchase. You can also currently find unsigned versions here on eBay from a trusted seller of commemorative baseballs, for a slightly higher price.
Last year, the Phillies ended up using the large logo retail version on field by accident. I am basically 100% sure this will not happen this year, but if it does, I will update this post to reflect that. The small logo above is likely what will be on field.
2024 Detroit Tigers 1984 World Series 40th Anniversary – On August 31st when the Detroit Tigers take on the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park, the Tigers will be honoring the 1984 World Series Champion team with a reunion and a giveaway. 5 years ago for the 35th anniversary the Tigers did a logo for this day (as pictured above), and I expect another ball to follow here. Last time the ball looked a little lame, a throwback Tigers logo with some very small text. Regardless, no confirmation for this one yet as well, but we should see the Tigers start to release branding for the celebration soon, and I hope to get an official confirmation soon as well. I will of course update with any news ASAP.
2024 World Series – Based on the released logo above for game 162 (which will NOT have a ball), I believe this font style will be used for the 2024 World Series logo. While we don’t have a look at it yet, we usually get a leak of the World Series logo within the first 2/3 weeks of the season, and then we see it in commemorative form sometime around August to September. I am hoping it’s just as good as last years, or better! Of course, whenever we learn more/see more, I will update the photo and add a link to purchase when it comes around.
Speculation/Unlikely Scenarios
Here are some potential but unlikely cases for a commemorative this season.
MLB at Rickwood Field – I doubt a ball here, due to the lack of domestic games getting balls in the last few years from MLB. It would be really cool, but a surprise for sure.
Highly doubtful: Pirates 1979 World Series 45th Anniversary – May 25th (Fanatics took over this offseason and does not like commemorative usage at all)
Not being used:
Orioles 70th (HUGE shame, big miss here)/Reds 155th Anniversary/Wrigley Field 110th
2024 Hank Aaron 715th HR 50th Anniversary – This is something in the past I would say is a lock, but the Braves have been pretty silent on it. I tried to reach out and heard nothing, they did a 40th ball as well as a ball in the 90s too. I was informed by a team employee that this would not be used, and it is another HUGE miss. What a travesty, and purely something the Braves should be ashamed of.
And following teams have indicated that they have no plans at the time to use a commemorative baseball at home this season (but obviously this can and may change): Red Sox
Retail/Exhibitions
2024 Todd Helton Hall of Fame – In honor of Todd Helton being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Rockies had these Todd Helton Hall of Fame baseballs made and exclusively are selling them themselves. Overall, it’s basically an exact copy of the Larry Walker Hall of Fame ball the Rockies previously did. It’s a nice silhouette of Todd, with a Rockies logo, the year, and a big number 17. I “boo” the little trademark symbol at bottom right. Overall I wish this would make it to the field, but it’s a nice logo nonetheless. I believe the only source for these currently is Coors Field.
2024 Cole Hamels Phillies Retirement – On June 21 before the game at Citizens Bank Park, Cole Hamels will officially retire a Phillie. As for other retirements, the Phillies will have a retail large logo baseball for this occasion, and they will offer them through their Phillies Authentics department. These baseballs are NOT available yet, as design is not finalized but a little closer to, you can contact the great John Hollinger, via his email here to purchase. The ball will be basically identical to the other retail retirement logos they’ve done, with a depiction of Hamels, his name and a special design.
HRDX – Likely continued use of HRDX balls, the orange and white, if they resume the event in 2024 (TBD later in 2024)
Recap
Well, it should be another fun season, although a much slower one than average if I am being honest, with some extreme disappointments! I do hear that there are some very very unique retail balls in the process of being made, and that side has heated up in recent years. I wish more teams would do full season commemoratives, and I will continue to push for more to get used in the future. Regardless, as always, I am looking forward to what surprises this season brings. There is ALWAYS something new and interesting that catches me by surprise!
Here’s a link to my EHA Collectibles eBay store, where I currently have in stock lots of rare commemoratives and where I am listing more all the time (as well as autographs and other fun items)! Here’s my full commemorative inventory right now, email or message me to purchase.
Here is a link to Rawlings’ Amazon page where you can always find commemoratives (or standard ROMLBs) from 2024 and other years! Here’s a link to SportsProStop on eBay where you can find loads of newer commemorative baseballs from an official Rawlings Dealer.
My full commemorative master list is a bit out of date from last season, and mostly need to fix retail, WBC, and 2022/2023 stuff. I am still working on hosting the database of photos, hopefully to be completed within a few months.
I hope to bring more interesting content this year, and hear more feedback from my great readers. I still host this site at a net loss yearly, and I do it out of personal enjoyment as well as a commitment to having this information in a centralized place for historical purposes. I really hope you enjoy reading and get something out of it.
Of course, I will be updating this post throughout the season with more pics, more info, and more baseballs! As always, thank you for reading, and you can always contact me: via email at ericabneri@hallofcommemoratives.com, Instagram @EricAbneri, Twitter @thefrownyface, or even in the Just Baseballs Facebook group which I administrate. if you have any questions, comments, or just want to chat!
LOVE this column!!!
Jacob’s Field/Progressive Field 30th Anniversary… Dolans balked at 20th & 25th balls, so I’m not holding my breath…
also, other teams besides Houston & Toronto may do City Connect balls, but we’ll see
Thanks JP! Appreciate it. Missed Jacobs 30th, but did not have any faith in that yeah.
As for City Connect, keep me updated if you hear anything!
We are back, we are back, we are getting logomania back!
Will the Padres be using the logo ball at all 2024 games?
I hate that there’s no Opening Day logo or league wide logos. I’m also disappointed by the lack of logos this year.
We go to parks just for logos, so San Diego, here we come!