Pro baseball players will compete in an online 'MLB The Show' league
It's also for a good cause.
Like other professional sports organizations coming to terms with the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball is turning to video games to give fans something to watch while things settle down. Starting today, you'll be able to cheer for your favorite MLB team as they compete in Sony's MLB The Show 20. Adding a personal touch to the affair, all 30 teams will be represented by one player on their active roster.
Over the next three weeks, the players will play one game against each of their opponents, with each game set to last three innings so as to give the players a chance to play multiple games in a single day. The top eight players will advance to the postseason. Some of the more notable players taking part include Matt Carpenter, Carlos Santana, Hunter Pence and Blake Snell. As you might imagine, a good portion of the players are younger.
Besides giving people something to watch, the league is for a good cause. The MLB, MLB Players Association and Sony will donate $5,000 on behalf of each player to their team's local Boys and Girls Club affiliate. Whoever ultimately takes the postseason crown will earn an additional $25,000 for their community, for a total of $175,000 going out to charity.
The MLB will livestream each and every game to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch. MLB Network hosts Robert Flores and Heidi Watney will provide commentary, recaps and analysis, plus player interviews, between games. You'll also be able to watch the games through the players' personal Twitch and YouTube accounts, which should hopefully lead to some candid moments.
