Major League Baseball’s PLAY BALL Weekend returns June 13–15 with its most expansive celebration yet, featuring more than 200 events across six continents and over 60,000 Franklin PLAY BALL sets distributed to kids worldwide.
This year’s event—marking the 10th anniversary of the PLAY BALL initiative—will kick off a day early with special launch events on Thursday, June 12 in Baltimore and Santa Monica. In Baltimore, MLB will partner with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation to debut the new NIKE RBI Initiative at historic Memorial Stadium, aiming to create new access points for young athletes. Out west, MLB Youth Ambassador Coach Ballgame and MLB Network’s AJ Andrews will headline the Santa Monica festivities.
All 30 Major League Clubs will host activities in their communities or ballparks, joined by all 120 Minor League teams and 56 Partner League Clubs. Events will take place across youth fields, stadiums, and public spaces as MLB continues its mission to make baseball and softball more inclusive, accessible, and fun for kids of all backgrounds.
As part of the global celebration, events are planned in Japan, India, China, Egypt, the U.K., Australia, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. Former All-Star Hunter Pence will represent MLB in Cairo.
PLAY BALL Weekend also extends into the digital space with the Diamond Kinetics app, giving kids the opportunity to participate virtually. The app features swing analysis using phone camera motion tracking, mini-games, interactive hitting lessons, and MLB-themed challenges. Kids can match their swing to stars like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Juan Soto while earning digital rewards.
Kansas City Royals shortstop and 2024 All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. serves as MLB’s first-ever PLAY BALL Ambassador, helping to inspire the next generation of players.
For more details on local events or to join the celebration, visit www.MLB.com/playball.
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