Kids will be stars during Play Ball Weekend

Kids will run the bases again this weekend. In fact, they will run just about everything.

Major League Baseball on Monday announced the inaugural Play Ball Weekend, a league-wide effort by MLB and all 30 clubs to engage young baseball fans and celebrate youth participation in baseball and softball. The new initiative, which will make kids a starring attraction at ballgames along with 750 active players of note, will launch Saturday and Sunday in ballparks around the Majors.

Play Ball Weekend is an extension of the Play Ball initiative, which launched in 2015 as the sport’s largest effort to encourage widespread participation in both formal and casual baseball and softball activities. Play Ball Weekend also is a symbolic recognition of what MLB clubs do year-round to support the growth of youth baseball and softball in their respective communities and beyond.

“Play Ball Weekend is a unified demonstration of the national pastime’s commitment to engaging youth in all facets of our game,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “This special program is an elevated step of the Play Ball initiative, which has been a tremendous vehicle to strengthen the ties with young people all across the United States and Canada. We thank our clubs for the outstanding experiences they will provide throughout Play Ball Weekend.”

All 30 teams will feature a variety of customized and unique ballpark elements in support of Play Ball Weekend. At Wrigley Field, for example, local youth baseball and softball players will participate in a pregame cap exchange, rosin bag delivery and a “Play Ball” announcement before the Cubs-Pirates game next Sunday, taking the field before meeting Cubs players at each position. In Washington that day, the Nationals will welcome all area teams and leagues to the 12th annual Youth Baseball & Softball Day, and the many activities scheduled include a youth baseball and softball equipment drive in conjunction with MLB’s Baseball Tomorrow Fund.

Want a plastic bat and ball set at Sunday’s White Sox-Yankees game in the Bronx? The first 10,000 guests age 14 and under get those, and they will be handed …

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