LOS ANGELES -- In recent history, Major League Baseball has established traditions during the World Series. We see the Roberto Clemente Award handed out. We see the Hank Aaron Award presented to a player from each league. We see the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year.
And during Game 4 on TV, we see MLB's annual Stand Up To Cancer placard moment. The entire stadium of fans holds up cards while standing up along with all the players, coaches, media and everyone else in the ballpark. We've seen moving moments such as last year in Houston when manager A.J. Hinch's card said "Kevin Towers" on it. It was news to most people and the baseball world has since lost Towers.
This year's moment was the eighth annual Stand Up To Cancer World Series placard event. As the founding donor of SU2C, MLB and its 30 Clubs have committed more than $43 million to SU2C's innovative research.
We will fight and @SU2C together.
— MLB (@MLB) October 28, 2018
And we will beat cancer together. pic.twitter.com/B0I2s3YXS5
Here it is:
"MLB has been with Stand Up To Cancer from the very beginning. As the founding donor of SU2C, MLB and its 30 Clubs have committed more than $43 million to SU2C. They are one of our biggest allies in leading a national movement for cutting-edge research and innovative cancer treatments to save lives," said Stand Up To Cancer co-founder Rusty Robertson.
"The sight of more than 50,000 people from all walks of life standing up shoulder to shoulder with players, coaches, broadcasters and owners, holding signs in honor of loved ones, has become one of the most indelible and moving tributes in all of sports and pop culture. The Stand Up To Cancer Placard Moment underscores how this terrible disease affects everyone, and it will take all of us working together, collaborating, to end it."
"The Placard Moment inspires everyone, from players to people in the fight with cancer," Robertson said. "When the Red Sox last won the Series in 2013, Jonny Gomes credited the Placard Moment with inspiring him to hit his game-winning home run in Game 4 just minutes after he held two placards – one for his high school baseball coach who died of cancer and the other for a young boy battling the disease. Watching the Placard Moment has also inspired patients to join clinical trials – including one woman who had Stage IV melanoma, and now is doing well years later."
It really is a nice moment of unity amid all the competitive fire. Shots in the crowd could be seen of a woman holding a sign that said "my husband," a man holding a sign that said "Mom" and Andrew Benintendi was holding the same thing ("Mom"). Another example:
Alex Cora holds a #StandUp2Cancer sign for "Macuco" Cora, nickname of his father, José Manuel Cora, who died of colon cancer when the #RedSox manager was 12-years-old / con cartel en honor a su padre José Manuel "Macuco" Cora, quien murió de cáncer de colon cuando tenía 12 años
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) October 28, 2018
I wrote a specific name I don't need to share. On and on it goes. I can't imagine there was anyone in attendance that hasn't been affected in some way by cancer, be it a family member, friend or co-worker.
Kudos to MLB for keeping this tradition alive and for helping so much money to be donated to this worthy cause.