Shirtless fans the stars at MLB stadiums as 'Tarps Off' trend sweeps baseball world

Major League Baseball is experiencing an epidemic of (mostly) guys being dudes.

At ballparks across the country, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that's loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head.

Soccer-like chants or singing usually follows — injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that occasionally is chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium.

After getting its start in St. Louis last Friday, it has spread across the league to places like Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim.

Chad Bitzer, who has been coming to Mariners games for about 13 years, was among the shirtless fans in Seattle. His reasoning was simple: “Cause everyone else was taking it off. Why not?”

“It’s fresh. It’s a beautiful night. Take it off," Bitzer said. "Great Northwest night. We live for the summers. We live for the good weather.”

Ground zero for the shirtless outbreak was in St. Louis last Friday, when a club baseball team affiliated with Stephen F. Austin State University was in Alton, Illinois, for the National Club Baseball Division II World Series. The Cardinals offered tickets to the team, and 17 players attended.

That group started the fun, dozens of others joined and suddenly there were a couple hundred fans creating a ruckus in right field that helped propel the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings over the Kansas City Royals. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol loved the energy so much that he bought tickets for the shirtless revelers for Saturday's game and they returned.

“It’s hard not to have fun when the fans are like that,” Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn said Friday. “We’ve got the best fans in the world, but it seems like the younger generation makes it more like a college atmosphere.”

Even Cardinals mascot Fredbird joined in on the fun.

Now it might be the start of a tradition — more shirtless fans cheered for the Cardinals in Tuesday's game against the Pirates. It certainly seems to be a boost for the club's home-field advantage: Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer to lift the Cardinals to a 9-6 win in 10 innings.

A similar outbreak of shirtless fans broke out at a Tampa Bay Rays game Monday and again Tuesday. Another small group celebrated in Philadelphia as the Reds and Phillies played in the rain. Angels fans celebrated with a mix of joy and irritation, chanting for owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.

MLB certainly won't complain about the attention. Attendance is up at big league stadiums so far this season, averaging roughly 1,000 more fans per game than a year ago through Monday's contests.

If the trend continues, baseball could average 30,000 fans per game for the first time since 2016.

More and more, they might just be shirtless.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle and AP freelance writer Warren Mayes in St. Louis contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Fans go "tarps off"in the sixth inning of a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Kevin Ng)

A group of fans in the upper deck wave their shirts as they go "tarps off" during the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Tampa Bay Rays fans cheer on the team during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Monday, May 18, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Fans cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fifth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Fans cheer with their shirts off after heading to the upper deck outfield seating during the ninth inning of a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — John Anderson, the former University of Minnesota baseball coach and Big Ten career victories leader, died Sunday. He was 71.

Anderson's family announced his death through the university, where he first arrived as a pitcher for a failed tryout in 1974 and spent 43 years as head coach of the Gophers until retiring after the 2024 season.

Anderson was hospitalized Wednesday after going into cardiac arrest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the university did not announce the cause of death.

Anderson is survived by wife Jan and daughter Erin, who were with him when he died. His body was returned to the university for organ donation.

After a arm injury ended his playing career, Anderson became a student manager and was honored as the most valuable player of the 1977 College World Series team by his peers, a squad that featured future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

He became the head coach at age 26 entering the 1982 season and amassed 1,390 wins to lead the Big Ten and rank 20th in NCAA Division I. Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson and major league All-Stars Terry Steinbach and Greg Olson and Miami Marlins pitcher Max Meyer are among the many standouts he coached.

The Gophers had winning records in 38 of 43 seasons under Anderson, who won the Big Ten Coach of the Year award eight times and took them to the NCAA tournament 19 times, including the Super Regional round in 2018.

Anderson was recently named the annual winner of the Wilson Lefty Gomez Award by the American Baseball Coaches Association for contributions to the sport at local, national and international levels.

Anderson had his No. 14 uniform retired in 2024.

“He leaves behind a legacy that will never be matched, and our entire Gopher baseball family is heartbroken by this loss,” current head coach Ty McDevitt said in a statement distributed by the university. “Coach Anderson always reminded us to appreciate the people around us and to take care of one another. That’s how he lived his life, and it’s how we’ll honor his memory.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Minnesota coach John Anderson speaks during a news conference ahead of the Big Ten NCAA college baseball tournament in Omaha, Neb., May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)