Reynolds learned game at (pain of) dad's knee
MIAMI -- When Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds was little, he would hit soft baseballs thrown to him by his dad, Greg, from their front yard into a neighbor's house.
Nearly two decades later, the 24-year-old outfielder is pacing all Major League rookies in batting average and on-base percentage.
"One time, we were hitting on a little tiny field around our house -- I was 4 or 5 -- and he put a ball on the tee," Reynolds said. "I guess I was not hitting well, so he just said, ‘Swing hard right here.’ He was on one knee, with his leg up. I just swung as hard as I could and smoked him in the knee with my bat. He was rolling around in pain, and I ran and hid behind the car. It was so bad.”
During Father’s Day games, for the fourth consecutive year, players wore specially designed New Era caps to raise awareness and funds for the fight against prostate cancer. Players also had the option to wear Stance multi-pattern blue-dyed socks. MLB will again donate 100% of its royalties from the sales of specialty caps and apparel emblazoned with the symbolic blue ribbon -- a minimum $300,000 collective donation – to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer.
This effort also includes the annual Prostate Cancer Foundation “Home Run Challenge,” which has given fans the chance to make a one-time monetary donation or pledge for every home run hit by their favorite MLB Clubs from June 1 through Father’s Day (June 16), all the while tracking where their team stacks up in a “Team vs. Team” competition. Every dollar donated through the Home Run Challenge goes to PCF to fund critical research to defeat prostate cancer. As of June 13, more than $1.26 million has been pledged via the Home Run Challenge in 2019. Since inception, the Home Run Challenge has raised more than $51 million for PCF, the world’s leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating prostate cancer research.
Founded in 1993, Prostate Cancer Foundation has funded nearly $800 million of cutting-edge research by 2,200 scientists at 220 leading cancer centers in 22 countries around the world. Because of PCF’s commitment to ending death and suffering from prostate cancer, the death rate is down more than 52% and 1.5 million men are alive today as a result. PCF research now impacts 67 forms of human cancer by focusing on immunotherapy, the microbiome, and food as medicine. Learn more at pcf.org.
Making moves
The Pirates recalled right-hander Yefry Ramírez from Triple-A and optioned Dario Agrazal, who made his MLB debut on Saturday, to Indianapolis prior to Sunday's series finale at Marlins Park.
Pittsburgh acquired the 25-year-old Ramirez from the Orioles for cash or a player to be named on May 27, five days after Baltimore designated him for assignment.
Ramirez went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk and 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in four games (one start) for Baltimore. He had made five appearances (one start) for Indianapolis, giving up six earned runs over nine innings.
Worth noting
Calvin Mitchell, Pittsburgh's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was named the Florida State League All-Star Game MVP on Saturday after doubling twice in the South Division's 2-0 win.