Curaçao RBI, which is making its first-ever appearance at the RBI World Series, joins RBI Austin, Philadelphia Phillies RBI (junior division) and Rays RBI Tampa as #1 seeds in their respective playoff brackets at the 2018 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, the international baseball and softball championship tournament of the Major League Baseball RBI program. The Phillies are the defending Junior Baseball Division Champions, while Rays RBI Tampa is making their first appearance since 2008. RBI Austin represents the city's second appearance in the tournament, and marks the senior division team's first time participating. The 2018 RBI World Series is being hosted by the Minnesota Twins for the fourth time. All RBI World Series teams are competing in elimination games tomorrow for the opportunity to play in the championship games at the University of Minnesota's Siebert Field on Friday, August 10th. Both Baseball Championship Games will stream LIVE on MLB.com.
Divisional playoffs (East vs. West) begin tomorrow, Thursday, August 9th on fields throughout Minneapolis, including Neiman Field 1 & 2, Parade Stadium and Siebert Field. Games start at 8:00 a.m. CT and will stream LIVE on MLB.com. Following is the full tournament seeding and schedule for the elimination round of the 2018 RBI World Series:
Senior Division - West
#1 - RBI Austin (2-1), Austin, Texas
#2 - Atlanta Metro RBI (2-1), Atlanta, Ga.
#3 - Arizona RBI (2-1), Phoenix, Ari.
#4 - Cleveland Baseball Federation RBI (0-3), Cleveland, Ohio
Senior Division - East
#1 - Curaçao RBI (3-0), Willemstad, Curaçao
#2 - Chicago White Sox RBI (2-1), Chicago, Ill.
#3 - Jackie Robinson (Jersey City) RBI (2-1), Jersey City, N.J.
#4 - Philadelphia Phillies RBI (0-3), Philadelphia, Pa.
Junior Division - West
#1 - Rays RBI Tampa (2-1), Tampa, Fl.
#2 - Arizona RBI (1-1-1), Phoenix, Ari.
#3 - Detroit P.A.L. RBI (1-2), Detroit, Mich.
#4 - Uganda RBI (1-2), Nakirebe, Uganda
Junior Division - East
#1 - Philadelphia Phillies RBI (2-1), Philadelphia, Pa.
#2 - Chicago White Sox RBI (2-1), Chicago, Ill.
#3 - Houston Astros RBI (1-1-1), Houston, Texas
#4 - Jackie Robinson (Jersey City) RBI (1-2), Jersey City, N.J.
RBI alumni who appeared in the Major Leagues in 2018 include Justin Upton (Los Angeles Angels), CC Sabathia (New York Yankees), Nomar Mazara (Texas Rangers), Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals), Josh Harrison (Pittsburgh Pirates), Chris Young (Boston Red Sox), Yovani Gallardo (Texas Rangers), Hector Santiago (Chicago White Sox), Steven Souza, Jr. (Arizona Diamondbacks), Chris Iannetta (Colorado Rockies), J.P. Crawford (Philadelphia Phillies) and Dominic Smith (New York Mets). Gallardo (Fort Worth RBI - '03), Mazara (Dominican Republic RBI - '11), Crawford (Venice Boys & Girls Club RBI - '09) and Smith (Venice Boys & Girls Club RBI - '09) have each played in the RBI World Series. NBC News senior food analyst and former White House chef Sam Kass is also an RBI World Series alumnus.
The RBI program, which has served approximately 2 million young people since its inception, is administered by Major League Baseball and designed to give young people from underserved and diverse communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball, while also encouraging academic achievement and success and teaching the value of teamwork and other important life lessons. RBI currently serves young men and women in over 300 programs in approximately 200 cities worldwide. MLB and its Clubs have designated more than $40 million worth of resources to the RBI program, and all 30 Clubs support RBI leagues. For more information about the RBI World Series, please visit MLB.com/rbiworldseries.