Actor and comedian Will Ferrell is gearing up for a quintuple-header on Thursday.
During appearances at five Arizona spring training games, the Anchorman star plans to don 10 different baseball uniforms and play all nine positions, HBO and Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.
To make the five-game feat possible, Ferrell wil travel to the stadiums by helicopter, and some start times were adjusted to accommodate his busy schedule. The spring training stadiums are located in the Phoenix suburbs of Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria.
Will Ferrell to play in five Cactus League baseball games tomorrow! http://t.co/4EFCoGRbPb #FerrellTakesTheField pic.twitter.com/U7ettUDcUk
— Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) March 11, 2015
Ferrell’s serial performances aren’t entirely out of left field, though. The appearances on Thursday will be filmed as part of an upcoming HBO special from Funny or Die, the comedy website he co-founded. He will also pay tribute to Bert Campaneris, who played nine positions during a single game five decades ago.
The special will promote cancer awareness, a cause the actor has championed in the past. After the games, Ferrell’s gear will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to charities such as Cancer for College and Stand Up To Cancer.
“Spring Training affords an appropriate setting where our game can serve as the backdrop for an event that will benefit organizations that fight cancer,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Will is a big fan of our game, and many of us in baseball – among our clubs, players and our millions of fans – are big fans of his. Major League Baseball is happy to take part in what will surely be a fun and memorable day for a great cause.”
Every so often, a distinguished guest will step up to the plate during a spring training game. Longtime Yankees fan Billy Crystal took a swing and a miss in pinstripes during a spring training game against the Pirates in 2008, and Tom Selleck famously took a turn at the plate for his favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, in 1992.
Even Ferrell has made a few appearances on the field. In 2012, he and comedian Zach Galifianakis stopped by Wrigley Field to promote their movie The Campaign. The comedians announced the Cubs’ starting lineup and threw out the ceremonial first pitches of the game. And in 2010, Billy Ray “Rojo” Johnson, a hot-headed Venezuelan pitcher – who was actually Ferrell in a mustache – threw one pitch for Houston’s Triple-A club, the Round Rock Express, before being ejected. The stunt raised money for cancer.
“We hope to always be in the Will Ferrell business,” says Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming. “This latest collaboration is one of those things only Will could pull off. I can’t wait to see him take the field.”
Ferrell’s schedule will run as follows (all times local):
12.05 pm: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics (HoHoKam Stadium)
1.10 pm: Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Tempe Diablo Stadium)
2.10 pm: Cincinnati Reds at Arizona Diamondbacks (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick)
4.05 pm: San Francisco Giants at Chicago White Sox (Camelback Ranch)
6.15 pm: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres (Peoria Stadium)
Fans can follow Ferrell’s antics online using the hashtag #FerrellTakesTheField or by tuning in to MLB.com, which promised to provide extensive coverage of the “historic” day.
