Reds to honor couple who battled breast cancer

BOSTON -- Mike Shroder and Patty Stump were named as husband and wife co-winners for Major League Baseball's 2014 Honorary Bat Girl contest. Shroder and Stump, who are from Mason, Ohio, will be recognized during pregame ceremonies on Mother's Day Sunday when the Reds play the Rockies. They also received complimentary tickets for their family, commemorative Reds jerseys and pink wrist bands for breast cancer awareness.

Shroder and Stump were nominated by 2013 Honorary Bat Girl Josie Shuler.

"Mike and Patty are both breast cancer survivors, a rarity in the medical world according to the UC Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society," Shuler wrote in her winning nomination essay. "In 2006, Mike was diagnosed with breast cancer and beat it. Then a year and a half later, Patti received a breast cancer diagnosis. After four years cancer free, Patty was diagnosed with cancer once again, but she fought it. Mike and Patty both continue to fight the disease through fundraising and volunteerism for Susan G. Komen Foundation."

On Sunday, players and on-field personnel will wear the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms along with pink wrist bands. Commemorative base jewels and dugout lineup cards will also be pink. Games will use a pink stitched Rawlings baseball, the official ball of MLB, as the official game day baseball.

Numerous players will use pink bats and pink Louisville Slugger bats, the official bat of Major League Baseball, will be stamped with the MLB breast cancer awareness logo. Many game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats from Mother's Day games that have been authenticated by MLB will be auctioned exclusively on MLB.com to benefit the fight against breast cancer.