Thank you to everyone who supported our 15th Annual Online Auction Hosted on MLB.com! Thanks to YOU, it was a huge success and will help us run our programs throughout the season!
Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires offered up more than 400 items including priceless, autographed sports memorabilia, rarely available specialty MLB logo caps and one-of-a-kind experiences during the 15th Annual UMPS CARE Charities Online Auction.
Among items up for bid were four tickets 2023 MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in Seattle, an archives tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame—complete with a round of golf and dinner—an autographed baseball by tennis legend (and Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner) Billie Jean King, MLB specialty caps, and even the opportunity to have lunch with an MLB Umpire!
For the first time this year, our auction included a special section featuring collectibles from officials from other sports—the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and more! Proceeds from this section of the auction will support a brand-new charity in Sports Officials Care! Officials from other leagues saw what the Major League Umpires were doing to give back to the community and wanted in. Sports Officials Care was launched in November. Learn more at SportsOfficialsCare.org.
“The online auction is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, and proceeds from this event support our UMPS CARE Charities programs throughout the season,” UMPS CARE Charities president and retired MLB Umpire Gary Darling said. “MLB Umpires know that life is more than balls and strikes. It’s about giving back to the community through the game we love—baseball.”
“Throughout the year, MLB Umpires take time out to invite kids and military families to enjoy VIP ballpark experiences, deliver Build-A-Bear® furry friends to kids undergoing treatment in hospitals, support kids who were adopted later in life with college scholarships and are training and inspiring the next generation of umpires through clinics and leadership courses. At UMPS CARE Charities, we know that helping people is an easy call.”
Handmade UMPS CARE wall displays made by Turn 2 Workshop
Lots of memorabilia like this MLB authenticated autographed bat by Luis Gonzalez!
Signed items from the 2023 World Baseball Classic!