PITTSBURGH -- Jameson Taillon, Steven Brault and a couple other Pirates buzzed their hair for a good cause Friday afternoon.
For the second consecutive year, Major League Baseball and all 30 clubs raised awareness for the fight against childhood cancer. Every player, coach, umpire and member of the grounds crew wore gold ribbon decals and wristbands for Friday's series opener between the Pirates and Reds at PNC Park.
The Pirates took their support to another level, participating in the "2017 BaseBALD Challenge" with the St. Baldrick's Foundation by hosting a pregame head-shaving event. Taillon, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May and returned to the mound in June, took part alongside Brault, Chris Stewart, Jose Osuna, Elias Diaz and coaches Tom Prince and Euclides Rojas and a number of Pirates front office employees.
For every head shaved, Pirates Charities made a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds to find cures for childhood cancer.

In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Night, Pirates Charities hosted a superhero-themed "VIP" (Very Important Pirate) party for 25 children battling pediatric cancer. Dressed up as superheroes -- from Iron Man to Wonder Woman -- the kids took the stage in the news conference room at PNC Park and shaved the Pirates' heads.
The children and their families were recognized during a pregame ceremony on the field, where they met Bucs players and received a Pirates-themed cape before taking in the game from PNC Park's World Series suites.
Before the Pirates and Reds got underway, Pittsburgh WTAE-TV morning anchor Kelly Frey threw out the ceremonial first pitch. On March 10, Frey announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She took the mound in a Pirates jersey, jumping and waving to the crowd, and fired a pitch to the Pirate Parrot.
Pirates fans donated to another important cause Friday night, as proceeds from the Pirates Charities 50/50 Raffle went to the American Red Cross' Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.