Six hundred fifty local high school baseball players and their coaches have been sponsored by Dennis Gilbert to attend Sunday’s game between the Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

The players, who hail from 24 Los Angeles-area schools, participated in the fifth annual Dennis Gilbert Spring Baseball Classic April 5-19 at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. Gilbert, Urban Youth Academy Director (and 10-year major-league veteran) Don Buford will be introduced on the field Sunday.

Gilbert is a special assistant to Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and an UYA board member.