After Cincinnati Reds pitcher Amir Garrett defeated three other contestants in the first “MLB The Show’’ tournament, MLB Players Inc. -- in conjunction with Major League Baseball and Sony Interactive Entertainment -- is breaking new ground and take the initiative league-wide.

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As the next step in expanding esports and fan engagement opportunities for Players Association members, the “MLB The Show: Players League’’ is about to begin.

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Starting Friday at 9 p.m. ET and throughout the next two weeks, 30 major leaguers representing their respective clubs will compete in a round-robin tournament, playing a total of 29 regular-season, three-inning games. Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell and San Francisco’s Hunter Pence will face off from opposite coasts in the opening matchup.

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At the end of the Players League’s regular season, a standard MLB playoff bracket will ensue with the top 10 teams advancing in pursuit of the MLB The Show World Series title.

 

Fans can follow the tournament via live streams of the player matchups on multiple platforms, including Twitch and YouTube.

 

MLB Network’s Robert Flores will serve as the league’s broadcast analyst, breaking down the competition and interviewing players before, during and after games all season.  

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In addition to the launch of the Players League, the MLBPA, MLB and Sony Interactive Entertainment will donate $175,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of America and the Boys & Girls Club of Canada.

 

For more information on the upcoming tournament, be sure to follow @MLB_Players on Twitter.