Stars come out to play at MLB Celebrity Softball Game at Truist Park

Their entrances were synchronized with rows of sparkling firework fountains and set the tone for an all-in-good-fun, entertaining softball game.

The annual MLB Celebrity Softball Game has been a tradition during the All-Star break for the past two dozen years, since its first iteration in Seattle in 2001.

Each year, a group of celebrities — some returning, some new — take the field divided into two teams, the National League and American League, for a five-inning game.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

This year’s National League team was managed by former Atlanta Braves catcher Javy Lopez. The American League was managed by record producer Jermaine Dupri.

Both rosters had professionals and amateurs. Dupri’s American team benefited from U.S. softball Olympian Natasha Watley and National Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia. Lopez’s National team flaunted a 15-year-returning legacy, U.S. softball Olympian Jennie Finch.

Other celebrities to take the field included rappers Quavo, J.I.D, Wisin and Young Miko; singer-songwriters Prince Royce, Myke Towers and Ronnie DeVoe; and actors Michael Kelly (“House of Cards”), Dascha Polanco (“Orange is the New Black”) and Storm Reid (“Euphoria”).

Also on the rosters were comedians Druski and Funny Marco; media hosts Jake Storiale, Maria Taylor, Nicky Cass and Elle Duncan; and a handful of athletes, including former Atlanta Falcons player Harry Douglas and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

The Celebrity Softball Game is seemingly designed with emphasis on sport and family-friendly entertainment. And with such a wide-range of characters on one field, the memorable moments stack up.

Early in the game, a winded Druski was asked on mic what his defensive strategy was. After an awkward pause, he belted out like a drunken sailor the lyrics to “Take me Out to the Ball Game.” The move elicited laughter and a short sing-along.

The Braves’ fuzzy mascot, Blooper, could periodically be spotted giving celebrities back massages and reaching around them to help perfect their bat swing.

The Geico Relievers, on-field ambassadors dressed in eye-catching neon green and royal purple baseball uniforms, encircled players as if they were royalty, rewarding them with cold refreshments and sweat towels while fanning them with oversize hand fans.

At one point, the Geico Relievers linked arms, do-si-do style, with Cass after he hit a home run in the first inning. Together, the chain link joyously skipped from third base to home.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

The game itself was surprisingly smooth for an amateur-pro mixed bag. There were dozens of home runs, a few remarkable catches in the outfield, a few strikeouts, some just-in-time tag outs on bases, and some sly steals (particularly by football star Owens). The game was engaging enough to keep the crowd’s attention.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

In the gaps between innings, ridiculous but fan-pleasing games were broadcast on the Jumbotron, including the humorous OxiClean “Sauce and Toss” challenge during which volunteers threw chunks of messy, sauce-covered food at their partners faces in an attempt to get food into their mouths.

In the process, their partners’ shirts are soiled; but not so badly that OxiClean can’t supposedly do the job.

Families came from north and south to see the celebrities play. Matt Eschelbach and his wife, Christin, brought their son, Mason, 9, and daughter, Mary Hil, 17, from Augusta to see the game.

Mason, whose lips were stained neon blue from a slushy he drank out of a Blooper souvenir cup, was wearing a flag tattoo on his cheek. He proudly shared that he plays recreational baseball. Sister Mary Hil was more in-the-know about the celebrities than her parents.

“I knew that Quavo was going to come, and Druski and Jordan Chiles,” she said.

“I knew Jermaine Dupri because I’m old,” joked her mom, Christin. “They all look surprisingly athletic. We saw them warming up.”

Jaxon Alen, 17, and Canon McClure, 16, heard about the celebrity game through TikTok. They convinced their families to drive them down from their home in Tennessee to stay overnight to see the celebrity game, plus the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game.

Jalen Fortson, 18, a basketball player from Atlanta, had never been to watch a live baseball game before.

“This is my first time ever being in a stadium,” he said. “Druski is really the biggest celebrity that I was interested in seeing today.”

The star of the night, as determined by the title of MVP, was Sabathia — a Yankees legend and Hall of Fame pitcher. At the end of the game, Sabathia hoisted a tire-sized MVP belt above his head as his team, the American League, stormed the field as the 17-15 winners.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC