Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced a joint donation of $250,000 to benefit victims of flooding in Louisiana.
Though MLB fields no team in the Bayou State, Louisiana boasts two dozen players currently competing at the highest level, including Seattle Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker, free agent closer Jonathan Papelbon, and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wade Miley. Historically, Louisiana sent almost 250 players to the big leagues, including Vida Blue, Bill Dickey, Tommy Harper, Ted Lyons, Will Clark, Mel Ott, Lee Smith, J.R. Richard, and Rusty Staub.
The gift provides $125,000 to the Red Cross and $62,500 each to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the High Socks for Hope.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Louisiana living in areas affected by the flooding, and we offer our sincerest gratitude to everyone who has stepped up to help in this time of need,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark explained in a release. “Players care deeply about the places they call home, and we’re grateful to be in a position to help players from Louisiana provide much needed financial assistance so that the area can recover as quickly as possible from the damage caused by the flooding.”
The state received three times the amount of rain in the storms that started on August 13 than it endured during Hurricane Katrina. The weather event resulted in the loss of more than a dozen lives and took homes from 60,000 people. Mold and water damage likely render other homes anything but that. The devastation centered on Baton Rouge and various communities in the eastern panhandle.
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