The Oakland Athletics, The Scotts Company LLC (Scotts) and Major League Baseball are scheduled to celebrate the opening of a newly refurbished youth baseball field today at Elmhurst Community Prep School in Oakland.
The official ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly renovated field is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and is expected to be attended by representatives from the Athletics, including Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, Scotts, MLB and the Oakland Cal Ripken Baseball League. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation is scheduled to lead a baseball clinic on the field for 50 youth baseball players from the Oakland Cal Ripken Baseball League.
This project is part of the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program, a partnership between Scotts, MLB and its Clubs to give back to kids and communities around the country by renovating youth baseball and softball fields.
"Oakland has a rich tradition of baseball and the A's are excited to join Scotts and Major League Baseball to provide a quality, safe place for children to play the game that we love," said Oakland A's President Dave Kaval.
"At Scotts we truly believe that the lawn is a place to play, live and experience and I can't think of partners that embodies this better than Major League Baseball and the Oakland A's," said Josh Peoples, Vice President and General Manager of Scotts. "These field refurbishments are just one way we can give back to youth and communities across the country. Encouraging fans and families to get outside and enjoy activities like baseball is what this program is all about."
The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program is one of the key programs under MLB's PLAY BALL initiative, which began in 2015 to encourage widespread participation in all forms of baseball and softball activities, especially among youth. Scotts is a supporter of PLAY BALL and also the title sponsor of Scotts® MLB Pitch, Hit and Run -- MLB's largest national youth skills competition.
In addition to today's ribbon cutting ceremony at the new field, representatives from the Oakland Cal Ripken Baseball League, Major League Baseball and Scotts will be at the Oakland Coliseum for an on-field presentation on Thursday, June 15 before the A's play host to the New York Yankees.
The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program is scheduled to dedicate a newly renovated field each month from March through August. Other targeted communities include Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami. In 2016, Scotts and MLB modernized fields for young ballplayers in South Carolina with the Atlanta Braves, New York City with the New York Mets, Kansas City with the Kansas City Royals, Houston with the Houston Astros, Boston with the Boston Red Sox, and San Diego during 2016 MLB All-Star Week with the San Diego Padres.
Scotts is now in its eighth season as the Official Lawn Care Company of Major League Baseball and second season as an official partner of the PLAY BALL initiative.