AbbVie Becomes Official Major League Baseball Pharma Partner, Expands Striking Out Cancer Into Nationwide Research Drive

AbbVie has entered a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball, becoming the league’s Official Pharmaceutical Partner starting in the 2026 season. The collaboration marks AbbVie’s first league-wide sports partnership and expands its Striking Out Cancer initiative from a local program in Chicago into a nationwide campaign across professional baseball.

"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 channelling 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."

Originally launched in 2025 through AbbVie’s work with the Chicago Cubs, Striking Out Cancer will now be integrated into every MLB game throughout the season. Under the program, AbbVie will contribute $20 per strikeout, with annual donations capped at $1 million. The per-strikeout figure reflects global cancer statistics, indicating that one in five people will be diagnosed with cancer before age 75.

"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."

Given that MLB records roughly 40,000 strikeouts per season, the initiative provides sustained opportunities to raise awareness and funding for cancer research. Additional donation boosts will occur during major league moments, including special contributions for milestone events such as perfect games and no-hitters.

"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."

Funds raised will support Stand Up To Cancer, an organisation dedicated to accelerating innovative cancer research and public awareness. The campaign will be prominently featured across MLB’s broadcast and digital platforms, including MLB Network, and highlighted during marquee events such as the MLB All-Star Game, MLB at Field of Dreams, and the MLB Wild Card Series, the latter to be presented by AbbVie beginning in the 2026 postseason. The partnership combines the visibility of professional sports with AbbVie’s oncology leadership to turn in-game moments into symbols of hope and advocacy.