Private MD News

Pitchers Smoltz and Lowe aim to strike out prostate cancer

Category: Prostate

As Prostate Cancer Awareness Month begins, Major League Baseball pitchers John Smoltz and Derek Lowe have shown their enthusiasm for spreading awareness on the topic by joining on with the One A Day Men's Presents MLB Strikeout Prostate Cancer Challenge.

As part of the event One A Day and Major League Baseball will together donate $10 to The Prostate Cancer Foundation, the chief source of funding for prostate cancer research, for each strikeout recorded by a Major League pitcher during the 2009 season and postseason.

Exhibiting their enthusiasm for this cause, pitchers Smoltz and Lowe will additionally donate $10 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation for every strikeout they personally record during this season.

Dave Perron, vice president of Baseball and Sports Enterprises for the Prostate Cancer Foundation commented that the support of One A Day and MLB and the "hands-on involvement of these well-known pitchers" will enable the Prostate Cancer Foundation to "do even more to raise awareness and find a cure for this deadly disease."

So far this year, the program has raised $268,570. Last year, the program's inaugural season, the Strikeout Prostate Cancer Challenge raised a total of $333,780.

According to estimates by the American Cancer Society, over 2 million men in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive, and approximately 192,280 new diagnoses of prostate cancer will be made in 2009.