Finals of Pitch, Hit & Run set as part of WS

Major League Baseball will give nearly three dozen kids, ages 7-14, the experience of a lifetime opportunity to be part of the Fall Classic with the Finals for the MLB Pitch, Hit & Run skills competition. The 32 finalists will compete on Sunday, October 30th at Minute Maid Park, home of the American League Champion Houston Astros, following the completion of Games One and Two of the 2022 World Series. The Finals will stream LIVE on MLB.com at 9:30 a.m. ET. The finalists, along with various other players in the larger youth baseball & softball community, will attend and be recognized at Game Two. The finalists are:

Age 7-8 Baseball

Cody Guiliano, Valley Center, CA
Jaren Patnode, Prescott, WI
Jayden Kensy, Buffalo, NY
Kingston Finkelstein, Palm Coast, FL

Age 7-8 Softball

Alivia Amato, Cold Spring, NY
Katie McCombie, Nicktown, PA
Piper Wade, Dayton, OH
Rachel Kyranakis, Hoschton, GA

Age 9-10 Baseball

Brady Thomas, Washington, DC
Brayden Watkins, Vestavia, AL
Dylan Mock, Conway, Springs, KS
Miles Block, Marlboro, NJ

Age 9-10 Softball

Brooklynn Carrillo, Frisco, TX
Charleigh Widelski, Mokena, IL
Loxley Pilgrim, Rome, GA
Taylor Holmes, Allendale, NJ

Age 11-12 Baseball

Braden McCormack, Stockton, CA
Levi Lamb, Maple City, MI
Malachi Smith, Kansas City, MO
Zakir Sadiki II, Riverview, FL

Age 11-12 Softball

Hailey Metacarpa, Midlothian, VA
Jaycie Helmer, Shoreview, MN
Juliana Gonzalez, Mesquite, TX
Katelyn Schoeps, Port Orange, FL

Age 13-14 Baseball

Brock Rainis, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Camden Metzger, Hanover, VA
Haiden Parker, Odessa, TX
Jacob Budarz, Manchester, CT

Age 13-14 Softball

Alexandria Calvert, Monroe, GA
Maggie Frazee, Midland, MI
Piper Ladwig, Urbandale, IA
Samantha Barton, Reading, MA

Local youth baseball and softball leagues, as well as individual community youth organization volunteers or leaders, are eligible to host competitions in their towns and cities by registering at either official event site, which can be accessed through PlayBall.org. LeagueApps, MLB's youth baseball and softball digital partner, will provide its multi-platform technology to help securely collect and organize registration data for both competitions. MLB will provide an official kit to all hosts for ease of set-up, while MLB Network will support both programs within its studio programming and across its social media platforms.

The Finals for the 26th annual Pitch, Hit & Run will include the top three baseball and softball participants from four age divisions (7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14). In 2022, thousands of young athletes compete in competitions across the country.

Rhys Hoskins (PHI), J.P. Crawford (SEA), Nestor Cortes Jr. (NYY), Brandon Drury (SD), Joey Gallo (LAD), Eric Hosmer (BOS), Andrew McCutchen (MIL), Adley Rutschman (BAL) and Spencer Torkelson (DET) are all Pitch, Hit & Run competition alumni.

Pitch, Hit & Run is part of the PLAY BALL initiative, which is baseball’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to engage in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues, special events and casual forms of play. PLAY BALL events have become MLB’s signature youth engagement activity during the baseball and softball calendar, demonstrating the positive way the game can serve as an outlet for physical activity, fun with friends and learning how to play the sport at its most basic levels. PLAY BALL also serves as the League’s youth umbrella in which all associated programs and events derive from the initiative’s consistent, simple message: However You Play Ball, PLAY BALL!

Be one of the first to know when HOST registration goes live for 2023 Jr. Home Run Derby and Pitch, Hit & Run competitions by visiting us online here (Jr. Home Run Derby) and here (Pitch, Hit & Run).