Major League Baseball

Pirates for Blood

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 6:50 p.m. ET

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With the NBA, NHL, NASCAR and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, professional athletes are using their platforms to facilitate financial support for arena workers and those affected by COVID-19 across the nation. Each day, we will feature a philanthropic effort taking place in the sports world.

Nick Burdi is taking this opportunity to donate more than money to those struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 27-year old Burdi has pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization since 2018. While most athletes across the nation have generously donated money to food banks and other nonprofit organizations, Burdi landed on another way to give back amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

And the Pirates are right there with him.

According to a report on MLB.com, Burdi began the #BloodDonationChallenge after watching a clip of the U.S. Surgeon General on television:

Pirates reliever Nick Burdi and his wife, Rebecca, were watching the news on Thursday when they heard U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams call on healthy young people to donate blood amid the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

After learning that there is a blood shortage across the country due to a wealth of cancelled blood drives, Nick and Rebecca immediately decided to donate.

Rebecca encouraged Nick to get his Pirates teammates and the organization involved, according to a report on WPRI.com:

“We have a group text going with the Pirate guys, and she says why don’t you text them and see who’s interested in doing it and we started talking more about it and texted some guys and Derek Holland and Joe Musgrove, Steven Brault, they all jumped in,” Burdi said. “Hopefully in 5-7 days, things take off and hospitals get the supplies of blood they need and help patients that are in desperate need of it."

Fellow Pirates pitchers Steven Brault, Joe Musgrove and Derek Holland jumped on board.

Burdi has started himself a movement.

And the response that Burdi has received from the Pirates and the community has been overwhelming:

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