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Trevor Bauer sets up 'Sandlot' baseball game during MLB break

March 16 (UPI) -- Cincinnati Reds star Trevor Bauer set up a Sandlot-style baseball game, featuring several Major League Baseball players, with proceeds from the event going to MLB staff members who are out of work due the coronavirus.

Bauer hosted the game Saturday night in Scottsdale, Ariz. MLB announced Thursday it would delay the start of the regular season by at least two weeks and canceled spring training due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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The Reds pitcher sent out a tweet Friday to gather interest for the game from other MLB stars. Bauer also explained that all pitchers and hitters would wear microphones for the game.

Tommy Pham, Cole Tucker, Tim Melville and Mike Clevinger were among the players to respond to the invitation. Bauer also set up a GoFundMe account with a $1 million goal for MLB game day staff members, who will not be working during the coronavirus outbreak. He donated $10,000 to the fundraiser.

The game was streamed on the social media channels of Bauer's media company, Momentum. Players sported apparel similar to what the characters wore in the 1993 baseball move The Sandlot, including flannel shirts and denim shorts. Bauer fired Wiffle ball pitches from the pitcher's mound as the MLB stars took huge hacks at the plate and hit several home runs.

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Bauer's GoFundMe account had raised about $23,000 by Monday morning.

"Had a great time doing this! If you can find it in your budget to help support the people who make game day possible, it would help a lot of people," Bauer tweeted Sunday.

The Major League Baseball Players Association told players Friday that they could stay at their spring training sites, go home or travel to the team's home city. Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects less than half of the team to remain in Goodyear, Ariz., at their spring training site.

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