A “Sandlot” inspired Wiffle ball game hosted by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer is raising money to support MLB game day staff as the employees deal with the season’s opening day being delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Bauer put out a call on Twitter for all major and minor league players in Arizona who wanted to participate in the “Sandlot” game to raise money.
In conjunction with the game, Bauer launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for game day staff. The online fundraiser raised nearly $23,000 of its $1 million goal by Monday morning, one day after it was launched.
Bauer told USA Today the game was in order to “connect with fans and give them some baseball” and “spread the message and word about the people that put on games.”
“Playing in front of a stadium with no one in attendance is odd for everybody and we wanted to draw attention to the fact that the people who put on games are very important and struggling right now,” Bauer said.
The game was livestreamed by Momentum, Bauer’s company.
The players reportedly wore microphones so those watching the stream could hear all the conversations during the game.
Other major league players who participated included the Reds’ Derek Dietrich, San Diego Padres’ Tommy Pham and Los Angeles Angels’ Kenyan Middleton, according to USA Today.
National and college-level sporting events have been canceled or postponed amid concerns of the coronavirus outbreak. NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring championships, including the annual Division I basketball tournament known as March Madness.
The NBA, NHL and MLS all suspended their seasons in the face of the pandemic.
More than 3,700 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.