Tigers Pink bats bring hits, honor mothers everywhere

Tigers aid awareness, like results
Pink bats bring hits, honor mothers everywhere

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/10/09 7:30 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Magglio Ordonez didn't rule out taking his pink bats with him for the rest of the Tigers road trip. Miguel Cabrera might've rather left his here after two double plays. Just about everyone else was saving a bat or two.

The last time the Tigers swept a series from the Indians at Progressive Field, they completed it on Mother's Day two years ago. It wasn't exactly an offensive outburst from the pink bats that day, and neither was Sunday's 5-1 win. But after pulling out back-to-back pitching duels for the first two wins of this weekend's series, they had enough big hits that they liked the color.

Pink bats have become annual Mother's Day symbols as part of an overall "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative by Major League Baseball that raises awareness about breast cancer and directs proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Fans play the next big role in this process, because attention will move now to the MLB.com Auction and the gradual arrival of game-used pink bats, home plates and logo bases and lineup cards. Fans also can purchase their own personalized "Mother's Day 2009" pink bats right now for $79.99 apiece at the MLB.com Shop, with $10 from the sale of each one going to Komen.

Tradition or not, they provided a good day for Ordonez. When he lined a ball down the left-field line in his first at-bat, Ordonez had his first double all season, an amazing stat from someone who led the league with 54 in 2007 and followed with 32 last year. His leadoff walk in the fourth inning set up Detroit's fifth and final run. Once Ordonez singled in the sixth, he had just his sixth multi-hit game of the season.

The bats are an annual event for a good cause. This year, an extra cause was his own.

"Magglio looked OK," manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he's starting to see it better. It worked out well."

Every hitter in Detroit's starting lineup stepped to the plate with a pink bat, though a few switched after their first two plate appearances. Most of them also had pink wristbands to commemorate the occasion, and several players had pink titanium necklaces.

"It's just a good feeling to get some hits on Mother's Day," said Adam Everett, whose second-inning sacrifice fly and fourth-inning RBI single accounted for two-fifths of Detroit's offense. "It's always good [to help out]. We actually got some extra bats, and we're going to donate those. It's a very good [feeling]."

Among the Tigers who looked pretty with pink was Jeff Larish, who opened the Tigers' scoring with a drive to right for his second home run of the season.

"I'll give it to my mom," said Larish, who was in the big leagues on Mother's Day for the first time in his brief Major League career.

Curtis Granderson, whose two-run single capped Detroit's four-run second inning, has been a consistent participant in the event since he became a full-time Major Leaguer in 2006. He noticed that the quality of the bats has been better since the first year, when the manufacturers had to produce the bats in a hurry.

Everett, too, planned to save some bats for family. Considering his first home run of last season came on Mother's Day, he's starting to enjoy this tradition.

"You get two hits and a couple good at-bats, and you can't use it anymore," Everett said with a twinge of regret.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

My friend thought they were orange...

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Tigers aid awareness, like results
Pink bats bring hits, honor mothers everywhere

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/10/09 7:30 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Magglio Ordonez didn't rule out taking his pink bats with him for the rest of the Tigers road trip. Miguel Cabrera might've rather left his here after two double plays. Just about everyone else was saving a bat or two.

The last time the Tigers swept a series from the Indians at Progressive Field, they completed it on Mother's Day two years ago. It wasn't exactly an offensive outburst from the pink bats that day, and neither was Sunday's 5-1 win. But after pulling out back-to-back pitching duels for the first two wins of this weekend's series, they had enough big hits that they liked the color.

Pink bats have become annual Mother's Day symbols as part of an overall "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative by Major League Baseball that raises awareness about breast cancer and directs proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Fans play the next big role in this process, because attention will move now to the MLB.com Auction and the gradual arrival of game-used pink bats, home plates and logo bases and lineup cards. Fans also can purchase their own personalized "Mother's Day 2009" pink bats right now for $79.99 apiece at the MLB.com Shop, with $10 from the sale of each one going to Komen.

Tradition or not, they provided a good day for Ordonez. When he lined a ball down the left-field line in his first at-bat, Ordonez had his first double all season, an amazing stat from someone who led the league with 54 in 2007 and followed with 32 last year. His leadoff walk in the fourth inning set up Detroit's fifth and final run. Once Ordonez singled in the sixth, he had just his sixth multi-hit game of the season.

The bats are an annual event for a good cause. This year, an extra cause was his own.

"Magglio looked OK," manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he's starting to see it better. It worked out well."

Every hitter in Detroit's starting lineup stepped to the plate with a pink bat, though a few switched after their first two plate appearances. Most of them also had pink wristbands to commemorate the occasion, and several players had pink titanium necklaces.

"It's just a good feeling to get some hits on Mother's Day," said Adam Everett, whose second-inning sacrifice fly and fourth-inning RBI single accounted for two-fifths of Detroit's offense. "It's always good [to help out]. We actually got some extra bats, and we're going to donate those. It's a very good [feeling]."

Among the Tigers who looked pretty with pink was Jeff Larish, who opened the Tigers' scoring with a drive to right for his second home run of the season.

"I'll give it to my mom," said Larish, who was in the big leagues on Mother's Day for the first time in his brief Major League career.

Curtis Granderson, whose two-run single capped Detroit's four-run second inning, has been a consistent participant in the event since he became a full-time Major Leaguer in 2006. He noticed that the quality of the bats has been better since the first year, when the manufacturers had to produce the bats in a hurry.

Everett, too, planned to save some bats for family. Considering his first home run of last season came on Mother's Day, he's starting to enjoy this tradition.

"You get two hits and a couple good at-bats, and you can't use it anymore," Everett said with a twinge of regret.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

10 dollars for charity

$ 69:99 for MLB

Anything to make a buck

probably $10 - $15 for mlb, the rest is cost to the manufacturer.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

probably $10 - $15 for mlb, the rest is cost to the manufacturer.

MLB still making money off it though


Why not send the entire profit for charity; Like it would break Selig and MLB by doing so