Durham Bulls host 'Game of Thrones Night'

Published Apr. 23, 2015 9:37 p.m. ET

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DURHAM, N.C. -- The Durham Bulls have always been one of the more innovative minor-league franchises, and that continued as they hosted a "Game of Thrones" theme night to celebrate the popular HBO show. It was kid-friendly, of course, even though the show most certainly is not.

The mascot, Wool E. Bull, arrived on horseback dressed as a member of the Night's Watch. Various characters milled around the concourse before and during the game, including the hated King Joffrey. The lineups for both teams were assigned Game of Thrones characters. The home team -- or, the Bulls of House Durham -- took on the show's heroes. (For the record, spots 1-4 went Robb Stark, Davos Seaworth, Jon Snow and Ned Stark.)

The visiting Knights of House Charlotte were, naturally, the villains. Their 1-4 batting order read Joffrey, Cersei Lannister, Tywin Lannister and Littlefinger. The starting pitcher for the Bulls, Scott Diamond, was dubbed Samwell Tarly while the Knights' pitcher, Erik Johnson, was Walder Frey.

Some fans arrived in costume, but for the most part, many of the fully-costumed characters on hand to take pictures were fans were brought there by the organization. A few fans wore furs like the Night's Watch would, or an accessory here or there, but not as many full costumes as the ballpark's seen on, say, "Star Wars Night."

Before the game began, an introductory video that mimicked the Game of Thrones opening credits, substituting aerial shots of the city of Durham in for the famed map display.

"The Bear and the Maiden Fair" was the walk-up music at least once every time the Bulls were at the plate, and songs from the show's soundtrack played throughout. One fan even live-tweeted the game in character as Sansa Stark, although she does this for other Durham Bulls' games, too (using the hashtag #sansaball).

But perhaps the coolest part of the evening was the unveiling of the Bulls' custom-made jerseys. Blue with orange-trimmed sleeves, the jerseys were emblazoned with the "sigil" of House Durham (a bull hovering over seven stars). The words "hitteth bull winneth steak" were written on the sleeve.

"The jersey is designed as a modern day, real-world version of how a Game of Thrones family might dress if they played baseball," the PA announcer said. "It not only represents the team's moniker but also the city of Durham. The stars represent the seven stars in the city of Durham's flag. Seven is also a big number in Game of Thrones -- seven kingdoms, the fate of the seven."

Some of the jerseys -- both game-worn and brand-new -- were auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting the Durham Bulls Youth Athletic League.

The theme was integrated seamlessly into what is always a family-friendly atmosphere, particularly when the costumed mascots of Annie, Crash and Nuke (yes, the characters from Bull Durham) had their customary race between innings and a dragon ran out to chase them (only to be tamed by the Mother of Dragons herself, Khaleesi). Another young fan threw stuffed ravens into buckets between innings.

Oh, and the Bulls won, beating the dreaded Knights of House Charlotte and preventing a Red Wedding-esque fate for the heroes of House Durham.

For now.

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