MINNEAPOLIS -- The Indians' blue will be several shades lighter this weekend, as the club joins all of Major League Baseball in its celebration of Father's Day while also doing its part to raise awareness for cancer research.
This year, the players will don special blue-tinted uniforms for the games on Saturday and Sunday, and MLB will again donate all royalty payments from the sales of the specialty caps and jerseys to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer.
:: Father's Day 2017 ::
It is also a way for the players to tip their caps to their dads.
"He's shown up at a minute's notice numerous times," Indians rookie Bradley Zimmer said of his father, Eric. "I'm sure there's plenty of guys in the Major Leagues that maybe don't have that luxury -- maybe they lost their dad, or he hasn't been in their life. That's just life sometimes. I'm very fortunate to have him in my life. He's done so much for me."
• Zimmer appreciates dad's support, travels
Beyond the teams' uniforms, which feature a blue ribbon for prostate cancer awareness, the base decals and lineup cards will also be blue. Fans will also see blue-toned compression sleeves, batting gloves, footwear, protective guards and catcher's gear. For the first time, Father's Day games will also feature a blue-stitched Rawlings baseball as the official game ball.
As part of this year's efforts, the Prostate Cancer Foundation is also conducting the "Home Run Challenge," which gives fans the chance to make a one-time monetary donation or pledge for every home run hit by their favorite team between June 1-18. Every dollar donated goes to the PCF to fund research for fighting prostate cancer.
Also on Sunday, all 30 teams and their broadcast partners will use the hashtag #MLBDads to share their favorite baseball moments about Dad on social media. MLB is encouraging fans to join the conversation, too.