AbbVie Named Official Pharmaceutical Partner of Major League Baseball

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Mar 24, 2026, 08:00 ET

Partnership expands "Striking Out Cancer" campaign beginning on Opening Day

AbbVie named Official Pharmaceutical Partner of Major League Baseball (MLB), expanding Striking Out Cancer league-wide starting on Opening Day
Each strikeout will trigger a donation from AbbVie to support Stand Up To Cancer
Integrated across every game and key MLB events, Striking Out Cancer transforms baseball's most iconic moments into season-long national impact

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), naming AbbVie the Official Pharmaceutical Partner of MLB beginning with the 2026 season. This partnership, a first-of-its-kind for the company, marks the national expansion of Striking Out Cancer - first introduced during the 2025 MLB season through AbbVie's collaboration with the Chicago Cubs, which enters its second year in the 2026 season. This new partnership extends Striking Out Cancer beyond AbbVie's hometown of Chicago to become a league-wide initiative.

Throughout the MLB season, AbbVie will donate $20 for every strikeout, up to a maximum donation of $1 million per season. This per-strikeout contribution reflects the 20% of the population worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer before age 75, according to the World Health Organization's Global Cancer Observatory.¹ Striking Out Cancer is integrated into every game, across every market, all season long. The campaign also includes additional increased donation enhancements around key MLB events and a special contribution in the event of a perfect game or no-hitter. With an average of 40,000 strikeouts recorded across MLB each season, the partnership offers season-long opportunities to support cancer awareness, advocacy and the importance of making advances in cancer research on a national stage.

By uniting under a shared mission, Striking Out Cancer will become a unifying force across the league. Donations will benefit Stand Up To Cancer, a transformational organization created to raise awareness and accelerate impactful cancer research.

"Cancer impacts millions of families, and partnerships like this allow us to meet people where they are and spark meaningful conversations around awareness and action," said Tracie Haas, senior vice president, corporate affairs, AbbVie. "By expanding Striking Out Cancer across Major League Baseball, we can elevate awareness and reinforce our commitment to helping make a real difference for patients, their families and communities."

Throughout the season, Striking Out Cancer will be featured across MLB platforms, including MLB Network, MLB digital and social channels. Striking Out Cancer and its impact will also be spotlighted during some of the League's most visible moments, including the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, MLB at Field of Dreams and the MLB Wild Card Series. The Wild Card Series will be presented by AbbVie beginning with the 2026 Postseason. With baseball's massive platform and AbbVie's leadership in oncology, Striking Out Cancer creates a rare intersection of science, sport, and story by turning strikeouts into symbols of awareness and hope.

"We're proud to partner with AbbVie and expand this important initiative across the league," said April Brown, MLB senior vice president, social responsibility. "The partnership with AbbVie exemplifies the transformative potential of sports-driven advocacy. By channeling the excitement and energy of every strikeout, the partnership delivers more than just a statistic on the field. Each "K" recorded during the season offers another opportunity in the fight against a disease that impacts the lives of so many."

"We are tremendously grateful to AbbVie for selecting Stand Up To Cancer as the beneficiary of Striking Out Cancer," said Rusty Robertson, co-founder, Stand Up To Cancer. "Collaborations like these help accelerate our mission to raise awareness and to bring new cancer treatments to patients. We are equally thankful to Major League Baseball, our founding donor, whose longstanding support has been instrumental in advancing groundbreaking cancer research. Together with the support of AbbVie and MLB, we continue to drive progress and offer hope to patients and families everywhere."

Striking Out Cancer launches on March 25^th coinciding with Opening Day presented by Adobe and will continue through the MLB Postseason. For more information, please visit: www.abbvie.com/mlb.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, neuroscience and oncology – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

About AbbVie in Oncology

AbbVie is committed to elevating standards of care and bringing transformative therapies to patients worldwide living with difficult-to-treat cancers. Today, our expansive oncology portfolio is comprised of approved and investigational targeted treatments for a wide range of blood cancers and solid tumors that either impede the reproduction of cancer cells or enable their elimination. We achieve this through scientific advancements and approaches, dedicated and experienced teams and innovative partnerships that accelerate the delivery of potential breakthrough medicines. For more information, please visit www.abbvie.com/oncology.

About Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB has achieved three straight years of total attendance gains for the first time in 18 years and remains the best-attended sports league in the world. Since 2023, historic rule changes have improved the quality of play on the field, emphasizing speed and athleticism at a better pace. In 2025, MLB had its third straight season clocking in with an average game time of 2:40 or below for the first time in 40 years. Viewership of MLB games nationally, locally, on MLB.TV and in Canada and Japan all increased over last year, with most platforms achieving double-digit percentage increases. Game Seven of the thrilling 2025 World Series presented by Capital One averaged 51.0 million viewers combined across the United States, Canada, and Japan, making the 11-inning contest the most-watched MLB game in 34 years, dating back to Game Seven of the 1991 World Series. MLB.TV set another consumption record this season with 19.4 billion minutes watched, an increase of +34% over last year. The MLB App registered its most-trafficked season ever with daily traffic increasing by +18% over 2024. As the league expanded its marketing efforts and promotion of star players like reigning Most Valuable Players Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, MLB has significantly increased its younger fan base as evidenced through viewership, social media, ticket purchasing, and participation metrics. Through its MLB Together social responsibility efforts, MLB remains committed to making a positive impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world. With the continued success of MLB Network, MLB digital platforms, international events, and local media production and distribution, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America's National Pastime and a truly global game. To learn more about MLB, please visit MLB.com.

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients. SU2C is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and was initially launched as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders, SU2C utilizes these communities' resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of April 2025, more than 3,100 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is SU2C's scientific partner. A Scientific Advisory Committee, led by William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., conducts rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.

Current members of the SU2C Founders and Advisors Committee (FAC) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Julian Adams, Ph.D., serves as SU2C's president and CEO.

For more information visit StandUpToCancer.org, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook and YouTube.

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