Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Announces 2013 RBI Regional Tournament Schedule

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), the Major League Baseball youth initiative that provides young people from underserved and diverse communities with the opportunity to play baseball and softball, today announced the program's 2013 championship tournament schedule featuring the RBI World Series and the RBI Regionals. The RBI Regionals, which are the qualifying rounds to determine berths for the 2013 RBI World Series, will take place from today, June 27^th, through July 22^nd in cities throughout the United States (U.S.) and in the Dominican Republic (D.R.). Championship games for several RBI Regional tournaments will be played at MLB ballparks, including Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Busch Stadium, Citi Field, Progressive Field and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The baseball championship games of the 2013 RBI World Series will be played at Target Field as for the third consecutive year, the 2013 RBI World Series will be hosted by the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Cities hosting RBI Regionals include Boca Chica and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic;Anaheim, California; Arlington, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey; New York, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; and Vero Beach, Florida. At each location, RBI leagues from several cities compete for their regional championship in the softball (ages 19U), junior baseball (ages 13-15) and senior baseball (ages 16-18) divisions. The division champions from each region will advance to this year's RBI World Series.

The schedule and details for the 2013 RBI Regionals and RBI World Series are as follows:

Caribbean Regional Tournament - June 27-30

Boca Chica & Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Hosted by: MLB Latin American Office

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Mets, Phillies and Yankees Dominican Baseball Academies (Boca Chica); Softball - Centro Olímpico Dominicano, Santo Domingo

Eligible Countries/Territories: Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela

Northeast Regional Tournament - July 10-13

New York, NY

Hosted by: MLB & Harlem RBI

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Citi Field, Queens NY; Softball - St. Johns University, NY

Eligible States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island

West Regional Tournament - July 11-14

Anaheim, CA

Hosted by: Angels RBI

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Angels Stadium, Anaheim CA; Softball - Erstad Field, Placentia, CA

Eligible States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

East Regional Tournament - July 12-15

Cleveland, OH

Hosted by: Cleveland Baseball Federation RBI

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH; Softball - Cleveland State University

Eligible States: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio

Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament - July 18-21

Harrisburg, PA

Hosted by: Harrisburg RBI

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Clipper Magazine Stadium, Lancaster, PA; Softball - Veterans Park, Harrisburg

Eligible States/Districts: Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia

Southeast Regional Tournament - July 18-21

Vero Beach, FL

Hosted by: Vero Beach Sports Village/Minor League Baseball

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Holman Stadium; Softball - Vero Beach Sports Village

Eligible States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina

Southwest Regional Tournament - July 18-21

Arlington, TX

Hosted by: Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington/Texas Rangers

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Rangers Ballpark in Arlington; Softball - Workman's Softball Complex, Arlington

Eligible States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas

Central Regional Tournament - July 19-22

St. Louis, MO

Hosted by: Mathews Dickey Boys & Girls Club RBI

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Busch Stadium; Softball - James "Cool Papa" Bell Stadium

Eligible States: Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin

*NOTE: Canada RBI leagues also eligible

2013 RBI World Series - August 3-14

Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN

Division Schedule: Baseball - August 3-8; Softball - August 9-14

Hosted by: Minnesota Twins

Championship Game Sites: Baseball - Target Field; Softball - Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, University of Minnesota

The RBI World Series is the international baseball and softball tournament of the RBI program, and in order to qualify, RBI leagues from the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and South America will compete in these eight RBI Regional tournaments. The 2013 RBI World Series will be held from August 3 ^rd to 14^th at various fields throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the championship games will be played at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, the home of the University of Minnesota softball team, and Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. The Senior Division Baseball Championship Game and the Softball Division Championship Game will both air on MLB Network and stream on MLB.com. In 2011 and 2012, RBI World Series events in Minnesota have featured appearances by Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig; Baseball Hall of Famers (Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield); Twins Legend Tony Oliva; Sharon Robinson, MLB Educational Programming Consultant and daughter of Jackie Robinson; and MLB Network analyst and 12-year MLB veteran Harold Reynolds, among others.

The RBI program has provided a path for many players to enter the college and professional game. More than 200 RBI participants have been drafted by MLB Clubs throughout the program's 25-year history, and many others were given the opportunity for higher education through baseball and softball scholarships. RBI alumni on MLB rosters during the 2013 regular season include Michael Bourn (Cleveland Indians), Carl Crawford (Los Angeles Dodgers), Coco Crisp (Oakland Athletics), Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee Brewers), James Loney (Tampa Bay Rays), Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles), James McDonald (Pittsburgh Pirates), Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals), CC Sabathia (New York Yankees), Andrelton Simmons (Atlanta Braves), Tyler Skaggs (Arizona Diamondbacks), Justin Upton (Atlanta Braves) and Chris Young (Oakland Athletics), among others. Among the 14 RBI alumni selected in the 2013 MLB Player Draft, New York Mets first round pick Dominic Smith (11^th overall) and Philadelphia Phillies first round pick J.P. Crawford (16^th overall) are both alumni of the Venice Boys & Girls Club RBI program and the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. Dominic Smith (Venice BGC RBI - '09/'10), J.P. Crawford (Venice BGC RBI - '09), Carl Crawford (Houston RBI - '97) and James Loney (Houston RBI - '99) have all played in a RBI World Series.

The RBI program is administered by Major League Baseball and is designed to provide young people from underserved and diverse communities with the opportunity to play baseball and softball, encourage academic success, and teach the value of teamwork and other important life lessons. RBI currently serves more than 220,000 young men and women in over 300 programs established in more than 200 cities worldwide. MLB and its Clubs have designated more than $30 million worth of resources to the RBI program, and all 30 Clubs support RBI leagues. For more information, please visit: MLB.com/RBI.