Rapper Travis Scott, in collaboration with the Astros Foundation and Project H.E.A.L., held the second annual Cactus Jack Foundation HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic on February 15th, 2024. Travis Scott holds this event to help raise money for his Cactus Jack Foundation. The foundation helps HBCU seniors who experience financial issues. Travis Scott was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and is known for being a huge Astros fan, so it was only right to have the event at Minute Maid Park. The event started with a home run derby and ended with a softball game. Many MLB players, past and present, participated in the event. Other celebrities and athletes that were there include CJ Stroud, Damar Hamlin, Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, and many more. Here are the 17 MLB players who participated in the game.
Current Houston Astro Players
There were seven players from the Astros in the game. Those players included Jeremy Peña, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Lance McCullers Jr., Mauricio Dubón, and Michael Brantley. It is such a fun event for these players because they do not have to worry about the pressures of winning for their respective teams, they can just have fun and raise money for a good cause.
Past MLB Players
Former Astros player and coach Jeff Bagwell was there. He played for the Astros from 1991 to 2005 and was coach in 2010. While in Houston, he won NL Rookie of the Year in 1991, was a four-time all-star, and received many other awards. His jersey number, five, was retired by the Astros in 2007.
Former pitcher for the New York Yankees, CC Sabathia participated in the game. In addition to the Yankees, he also played for the Guardians and the Brewers. Sabathia has his own celebrity softball game. He has done it three different years at Yankee Stadium.
Nine-time all-star Gary Sheffield was there alongside six-time all-star Jose Canseco.
Andre Dawson, who played in the majors for 21 seasons. He played with four different teams during his career and spent the most time with the Montreal Expos (11 years).
Ten-time Gold Glove Award winner Andruw Jones participated in the event. He spent most of his career with the Braves, then went on to play with three other teams before ending his major league career with the New York Yankees. Jones’ former Yankee teammate, Robinson Canó, was there as well. Canó spent his first nine years in the major league with the Yankees. He was an eight-time all-star and won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009.
Shane Victorino started his major league career with the San Diego Padres but spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a four-time Gold Glove Award winner and won the World Series twice with the Phillies.
Baseball Hall of Fame member, Reggie Jackson, participated in the game as well. In his 21-year-long career, he was a 14-time all-star and won five World Series—three times with the Oakland Athletics and two times with the New York Yankees. Jackson’s number, nine, was retired with the Athletics and number 44 with the Yankees.
Edited by Shaniya Scales