Detroit Tigers Foundation Hosts Complimentary Youth Clinic to Celebrate MLB’s Play Ball Weekend

As part of Major League Baseball’s ‘Play Ball Weekend’ initiative, the Detroit Tigers Foundation hosted a complimentary youth baseball and softball clinic on June 7 near the Detroit Riverwalk focused on skill development, engagement and growing the game throughout the Detroit community.

The event welcomed more than 200 youth participants ages 6-13 from throughout metro Detroit for a morning of instruction, interactive activities and baseball and softball fundamentals.

Youth participants enjoyed several interactive, fun stations and activities, including Hitting/Home Run Derby, Pitching/Throwing, Defense and Agilities, as well as Airbrush Tattoo and Blow-up Activations, followed by a scrimmage to show off the new skills they learned to end the morning.

“MLB Play Ball Weekend is something the entire league looks forward to every year, and the turnout of eager, ready-to-learn kids at the clinic was awesome,” said Tigers manager of baseball growth initiatives Matthew Williams. “To see all the smiling faces and to see the boys and girls really paying attention and eager to get better is a great step for growing baseball and softball for the future.”

The complimentary clinic was managed by several groups of local, qualified volunteers, including Tigers Nike RBI coaches and players, Baseball Done Right/Tigers Summer Camp staff, the Detroit Riverfront Conservatory, Wayne State University baseball players and a variety of players from local high schools and colleges.

Clinic participants received a Play Ball Weekend T-shirt and a bat-and-ball set, and after the clinic, all participants received two tickets to the Tigers’ home game Sunday night where the club earned a walk-off win against the Seattle Mariners. The clinic participants also got to run the Comerica Park bases after the game.

MLB’s Play Ball Weekend was also the inspiration for the Tigers’ Play Ball Detroit program, which launched in 2023 by the Detroit Tigers Foundation and Nike, inspiring thousands of children in neighborhoods across the city of Detroit to dream big through the power of Tigers baseball each year. Through a thoughtful mix of free to low-cost programming as well as hyper-local solutions, Play Ball Detroit provides necessary resources to grow the game throughout the city.

“Play Ball Detroit has grown so much since its inception a few short years ago, and it’s because of the dedication of so many incredible Tigers representatives in partnership with some very dedicated partners,” Williams said. “We’re excited for many more Play Ball Detroit events throughout the 2026 season and beyond.”

To learn more about the Tigers’ Play Ball program, visit Tigers.com/PlayBallDetroit.