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30 MAJOR LEAGUERS TO COMPETE IN FIRST-EVER MLB THE SHOW PLAYERS LEAGUE IN SUPPORT OF BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS
MLB, MLBPA, Sony Interactive Entertainment Partner On Inaugural League;
Commit $175,000 To Boys & Girls Clubs
NEW YORK/SAN MATEO – Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced today the creation of the MLB The Show Players League, the first-ever competitive MLB The Show league solely featuring Major League players. Thirty players have agreed to represent their Major League Clubs and play each other in this inaugural online event to engage fans around the world and raise funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada.
The 30-player league includes 11 former All-Stars, five World Series Champions and eight players age 25 or younger. Each participant plays in a round-robin format (i.e., playing every team one time) throughout the month of April for a total of 29 regular season, three-inning games. Following this regular season, the top eight teams will advance to the Postseason, which will largely mirror the MLB Postseason format and culminate in a World Series.
The MLB The Show Players League begins on April 10 when Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays play Amir Garrett and the Cincinnati Reds at 9 p.m. ET on https://www.twitch.tv/classiclyfamous. Fans can watch streams of games on a variety of digital platforms, including Twitch and YouTube. Follow @MLB,@MLB_PLAYERS, @MLBTheShow and the players’ Twitter accounts for times and stream information.
MLB The Show Players League Participants
Arizona Diamondbacks
Jon Duplantier
Atlanta Braves
Luke Jackson
Baltimore Orioles
Dwight Smith Jr.
Boston Red Sox
Eduardo Rodriguez
Chicago Cubs
Ian Happ
Chicago White Sox
Lucas Giolito
Cincinnati Reds
Amir Garrett
Cleveland Indians
Carlos Santana
Colorado Rockies
David Dahl
Detroit Tigers
Niko Goodrum
Houston Astros
Lance McCullers Jr.
Kansas City Royals
Brett Phillips
Los Angeles Angels
Ty Buttrey
Los Angeles Dodgers
Gavin Lux
Miami Marlins
Ryne Stanek
Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Hader
Minnesota Twins
Trevor May
New York Mets
Jeff McNeil
New York Yankees
Tommy Kahnle
Oakland Athletics
Jesús Luzardo
Philadelphia Phillies
Rhys Hoskins
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cole Tucker
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr.
San Francisco Giants
Hunter Pence
Seattle Mariners
Carl Edwards Jr.
St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Carpenter
Tampa Bay Rays
Blake Snell
Texas Rangers
Joey Gallo
Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette
Washington Nationals
Juan Soto
Major League Baseball, the MLBPA and SIE will donate $5,000 on behalf of each participating player to a Boys & Girls Club affiliate in their team’s community. The stakes for the competition are enhanced with the championship player earning an additional $25,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club in his community.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America is proud to partner with Major League Baseball, the Players and Sony on this great program. Their contributions will help support our efforts in communities around the country to provide critical meals, support for first responders’ children and virtual learning to kids, families and communities,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have navigated times of tragedy and crisis to provide safe places for kids and teens. Today, amid the current crisis, we are committed more than ever to ensure Club staff, members, families, and communities have the resources and support they need.”
Boys & Girls Clubs (in both America and Canada) is providing important services to help their communities navigate this new and challenging climate. Boys & Girls Clubs are facilitating provision of meals, lending support to families of first responders and medical workers, offering mental health services, and providing virtual programs for their members.
MLB Network host and avid gamer Robert Flores will provide commentary, recaps, analysis and conduct player interviews throughout the course of the season, including before, during and after games, via MLB, MLB Network and PlayStation’s social media platforms.
Fans can engage with the players in a variety of viewing experiences on the Official MLB YouTubepage, Sony San Diego’s Twitch page or any of the individual players’ feeds.