Overview

• Seattle beat San Diego 9-6 at T-Mobile Park on August 25 to clinch the first official Vedder Cup, moving to 4-0 in the season series with two games remaining.
• Cal Raleigh hit his 50th home run of the season, becoming the first catcher in MLB history to reach the mark, while Jorge Polanco drove in four and Bryce Miller earned the win.
• MLB’s newly formalized rivalry features a single traveling trophy: a customized 1963 Fender Telecaster designed with significant input from Vedder and personally played by him before its arrival in Seattle.
• The format adds individual honors, including a ‘Better Man’ MVP statuette and a signed ukulele from Vedder, and the frontman has urged that the guitar be used rather than displayed as a static prize.
• The initiative underscores Vedder’s ties to both cities and the teams’ partnership with EB Research Partnership, and it incorporates a higher exit‑velocity tiebreaker if the six-game series finishes even.