BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- With the Double-A Birmingham Barons set to play in the MiLB at Rickwood Field game against the Montgomery Biscuits on Tuesday night, their home ballpark -- Regions Field -- could have sat empty.

Instead, it was filled with the raucous chorus of children¡¯s voices, as Major League Baseball held a Play Ball event at Regions Field for about 100 kids from a pair of local Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs -- Papa Jack Birmingham RBI and AEB Legacy League Nike RBI.

Before heading to Rickwood, Barons president and general manager Jonathan Nelson greeted the children and their chaperones, who were gifted Franklin plastic bat and ball sets and Play Ball T-shirts.

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¡°Welcome to Regions Field. We¡¯re thrilled to have you here today,¡± Nelson said. ¡°The only thing we¡¯re going to ask you to do is just have fun. And I know that you¡¯re already doing that. You¡¯ll continue to do it.¡±

Much of that had to do with Play Ball ambassador Coach Ballgame, who is known for his exuberant personality and engaging teaching style. He led the kids through a circuit of activities on the field, including baserunning, soft tossing, hitting off a tee, throwing and catching. With his steady megaphone in hand, Coach Ballgame (real name: James Lowe) kept the kids engaged throughout the hour-and-a-half-long program.

It has been a busy month for Lowe, who also helped stage Play Ball events during the London Series between the Mets and Phillies and at Times Square in New York to kick off Play Ball Weekend.

¡°A lot of these kids, they don't know many Major League players, they don't know many Major League teams. Some of them have never even touched a bat or a ball,¡± Lowe said. ¡°So to be the first impression for these kids in London or Manhattan or here in Birmingham, Alabama -- I love it. I want to be the first impression for every child with the game of baseball and softball. I treat it as a gift, and I don't take it lightly.¡±

Coach Ballgame was joined by former Major Leaguers Randy Winn and Jeffrey Leonard, who took roles on his staff, assisting the volunteers with various demonstrations. They weren¡¯t the only folks tied to Thursday¡¯s MLB at Rickwood Field game who made special appearances, as Giants mascot Lou Seal and Cardinals mascot Fredbird also emerged from the tunnels to surprise the kids.

For Winn, a 13-year MLB veteran who was an All-Star in 2002, this was just as important of a stop, understanding that it¡¯s all about helping the kids fall in love with the game of baseball.

¡°You'd love it if every kid was going to be a Major League player, but that's not what these events are for,¡± Winn said. ¡°The love of baseball, that's what this is. I love coming to these events, [seeing] smiles on the kids¡¯ faces, the hope in their eyes. Because baseball is a vehicle for kids to come out, exercise and just have fun and be around their buddies.¡±

The same held true for Leonard, a two-time All-Star and the 1987 NLCS MVP in his 14-year career, who underscored how key these events are to helping correct course on what had been dwindling figures of youth participation in baseball and softball.

¡°It's America's game still,¡± Leonard said. ¡°It all begins in the house. When I grew up, it was handed down to me. A lot of these kids, it hasn't been handed down. So any time you have the opportunity to come out and share and give back and try to instill some of that joy in these kids, it¡¯s priceless. It¡¯s absolutely priceless.¡±

That¡¯s precisely why MLB made it a priority to include these kids in their plans for this weeklong celebration of baseball in Birmingham.

¡°It's really important that we connect with the young people, give them an up-close and personal look at our sport,¡± said MLB chief development baseball officer Tony Reagins. ¡°You have Major League players in the city, former Major League players here today. They can talk to them, connect with them, and hopefully that interaction is positive, so that they want to do it again. And if they want to do it again, if their interaction is positive, the chances of them being fans long term is double.¡±