Play Ball visits military base ahead of G4
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WASHINGTON -- Since 2015, Major League Baseball has hosted a Play Ball event prior to Game 4 of the World Series. The event is focused on having groups of kids playing outside and spending time with friends, while practicing baseball in the process.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 22 | WSH 5, HOU 4 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 23 | WSH 12, HOU 3 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 25 | HOU 4, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 26 | HOU 8, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 27 | HOU 7, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 6 | Oct. 29 | WSH 7, HOU 2 | Watch |
| Gm 7 | Oct. 30 | WSH 6, HOU 2 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Through the Play Ball initiative, both Major League and Minor League Baseball have hosted hundreds of Play Ball events throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Panama.
Saturday’s event, which was hosted by MLB and the Nationals, was particularly special as more than 250 kids participated in the event at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, marking the first time the Play Ball event was hosted on a military base during the World Series.
Fort Belvoir is the largest employer in Virginia’s Fairfax County, and the elementary schools in the area have close to 1,700 kids.
“Fort Belvoir is very family-oriented and this event really brings out our children out to the field and enjoy each other, the camaraderie [and] build self-esteem,” Col. Michael Greenberg said. “It’s just a great community event to really allow us to have fun together.”
Being in a military family certainly has its unique challenges. As the brave men and women continue to serve, families are prone to moving from place to place as they’re needed around across the country. But on Saturday, it was all about letting kids -- who ranged from 4-13 -- go outside and enjoy time with their friends.
“I have a family of my own. I enjoy military families,” Greenberg said. “What people have heard, which is 100 percent true, is we have service members that deploy every day. We have very unique challenges for our families, so hosting events with children running around and having a great time, parents watching their children having a good time, that’s really what a military is about.”
As the event was getting set to start, the kids in attendance interacted with each other behind home plate. All wore Nationals hats that were provided by the event, and they were ready to let out their youthful energy out on the baseball field. Some even showed off their dance moves from the "Fortnite" video game.
The event was broken down into an agility section, a Home Run Derby area, a space for grounders and popups and a bat and ball station that helped simulate a real game.
Once the groups took the field, they were joined by Indians pitcher and 2019 Roberto Clemente Award winner Carlos Carrasco and Olympic softball gold medalist Jennie Finch, who is a youth program ambassador for MLB.
The children took turns hitting off Carrasco, with a couple hitting inside-the-park home runs off the Indians right-hander.
“I’m so happy right now,” Carrasco said. “When I was 4 years old, I played a lot of baseball the same way we are here right now. Just running the bases, hitting the ball, agility. That’s what I did when I was a kid, and it brings me a lot of memories."
At the end of the event, the children in attendance were gifted with a toy bat and ball as they made their way back to their parents. It was another successful event before the World Series and Carrasco called it the “best Play Ball event” he had attended.
“When I started playing baseball, I loved the field," he said. "Right now, I can see that from these kids. They just want to pitch, grab the ball and hit. Just seeing these kids smile, it’s meant everything.”