Keeping with a tradition that now spans a decade and a half, a powerful moment intended to bring the baseball world together began just as the fifth inning of Game 4 of the World Series ended.
The in-game Stand Up To Cancer moment, a staple of the All-Star Game and World Series since 2009, provides a poignant, somewhat solemn pause in the middle of an otherwise noisy atmosphere typically found at a high-profile sporting event. And that’s the point -- everything, and everyone, stops in a unifying moment that honors those who have battled cancer in some capacity -- whether they’re currently in the fight, or have beaten the disease, or sadly (and too often) succumbed to it.
MLB, Stand Up To Cancer and Mastercard continued the in-game tradition (aired live on FOX) on Tuesday night. Players, umpires, coaches and fans -- everyone in the building at Chase Field in Phoenix -- were invited to hold up placards with the names of friends and loved ones affected by the disease.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo’s placards read “Barb Mitchell” and “Dean Singer.” Pitching coach Brent Strom’s said “Sam Bornholdt.” Rangers catcher Austin Hedges wrote “Mom” on his placard.
Broadcaster and Hall of Famer John Smoltz’s card said “Cliff Gates.” Play-by-play announcer Joe Davis’s read, “Uncle Mike.”
Fans throughout the stands held up signs, some hand-written, and some prepared in advance that included words such as “patients,” “survivors,” “loved ones” and “those we’ve lost.”
Two honorary first pitches were included in the pregame ceremony before Game 4 to recognize the impact and inspiration that Stand Up To Cancer has had on the cause. The honorees are both cancer survivors: D-backs fan Amy Gibbons, the immediate past president of the Phoenix Boys & Girls Club and an ovarian cancer survivor, and 13-year-old Rangers fan Maddox Carmean, who has gone through two bone marrow transplants, the second of which required a months-long stay in the hospital.
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative cancer research that gets new therapies to patients quicker. Since its inception, SU2C has announced nine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for new cancer therapies supported by SU2C research.
MLB and its 30 clubs are the founding donors of SU2C, committing more than $50 million, to date, to SU2C’s innovative cancer research programs.
As a founding donor, MLB has conducted significant awareness-building efforts through public service announcements, in-stadium promotions and various fundraising events.
Learn more about SU2C at StandUpToCancer.org/MLB.