AuctionCards AutographsTicketsGame WornNews

Mariners, Padres to play for Vedder Cup in nod to Pearl Jam singer

Teams will compete for a trophy, which will likely include a Vedder guitar

Cover Image for Mariners, Padres to play for Vedder Cup in nod to Pearl Jam singer
An avid baseball collector and fan, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder followed the Cubs on their 2016 World Series run. (Credit: Getty Images)

A new rivalry is officially "Alive" in Major League Baseball.

The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres announced Friday they will play for the Vedder Cup when they meet in their six interleague games in 2024.

Named for Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who grew up in San Diego and came to fame with Seattle rock giants Pearl Jam, the Vedder Cup moniker was originally coined by sportswriters in the two cities, searching for a nickname for the rivalry between the two teams, who were designated as "natural rivals" when MLB adopted interleague play in 1997.

Although Vedder, who was born in Chicago and lived in the Windy City until his family moved west at age 8, is well-known for his Cubs fandom, the 60-year-old singer was involved in the creation of the new rivalry.

“He was super engaged with it and thought it would be really fun to be able to do it,” Mariners chief operating officer Trevor Gooby told the Seattle Times.

“(We) worked really closely with him and the team there and came up with the logo, working through some things of what the actual cup would look like. So it has been a lot of fun working with the Padres and Eddie to really make this something that will be a fun rivalry and something I think the fans would really love as well.”

The two West Coast squads will play for a trophy, which "is still in the design phase but will likely include a guitar provided by Vedder," according to the Times.

The teams will meet May 16-18 in San Diego and Aug. 25-27, and merchandise featuring the Vedder Cup logo will be sold at both ballparks.

In a release on their team website, the Mariners said they would offer a themed ticket package to the games, which would "include an exclusive Vedder Cup item not available in the Team Store."

RELATED STORY:

Vedder, who makes his home in West Seattle, and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready have thrown out the first pitch at previous games, and the Mariners have hosted multiple Pearl Jam nights, including when the band played the "Home Shows" at then-Safeco Field in 2018.

Vedder is also a rabid collector of baseball memorabilia, telling The Ringer in 2024 that he owns a game-used helmet from every MLB team and a vast collection of autographed photos from Baseball Hall of Famers, all of which is kept at the band's "clubhouse" in Seattle, which also includes a batting cage.

So, needless to say, Vedder's connection to the game runs "Deep."

Kevin Jackson is the Chief Content Officer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.