PEORIA, Ariz. -- Will Ferrell's long Arizona journey ended with the game between the Dodgers and Padres on Thursday night in Peoria. Ferrell played 10 positions for 10 teams in five different Cactus League stadiums on Thursday, all for a special that will air on HBO at some point.
The project, through cooperation with MLB, raised money for Stand Up 2 Cancer and Cancer for College.
Ferrell showed up to Peoria Sports Complex in the seventh inning having come straight from Camelback Ranch, where the White Sox hosted the Giants. Ferrell was wearing his Giants jersey as he went through the crowd to get into the Padres dugout, which brought a chorus of boos from the crowd full of Dodgers and Padres fans.
All business. #FerrellTakesTheField pic.twitter.com/oNh3ZKZ0Zh
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 13, 2015
Ferrell entered the game for the Dodgers in the bottom of the seventh inning, and faced Padres minor league outfielder Rico Noel. Ferrell wasn't throwing hard while warming up - it should be noted the pace of play clock was not used for this pitching change - but that was to be expected. His one pitch to Noel resulted in a planned bunt attempt, a ground out back to Ferrell for one out.
Will Ferrell came SO CLOSE to missing the velocity cutoff for the PITCHf/x system. http://t.co/YbPQLvFJyH
— Dan Brooks (@brooksbaseball) March 13, 2015
Will Ferrell was clocked at 55.8 MPH. 2.7 MPH faster than this Vicente Padilla eephus in 2010. Ike Davis hit a bomb http://t.co/xMFTl9Gc5e
— Daren Willman (@darenw) March 13, 2015
"I have already signed up for rotator cuff surgery." - Will Ferrell tells @MLBNetwork. #FerrellTakesTheField pic.twitter.com/0V6PtqkSXC
— MLB (@MLB) March 13, 2015
After he was removed (the crowd was chanting "Leave him in!), Ferrell mocked anger at Don Mattingly and knocked over a water cooler in the dugout, yelling and repeating, "I get outs."
"He told me he was a ground ball pitcher," Mattingly quipped.
#FerrellTakesTheField quote: "this is the lamest curtain call in the history of Major League Baseball" @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Wgxxw28M14
— Joe Jareck (@JoeyJ33) March 13, 2015
Ferrell wore number 19 for his first nine teams of Thursday, including for the Dodgers even though it is a retired number in Jim Gilliam's honor. Ferrell played right field for the Padres in the ninth inning (where he got a close view of Joc Pederson's game-winning home run), but wore number 20 in deference to Tony Gwynn's number 19, retired by San Diego.
At the end of the night Ferrell addressed the crowd and was funny, including saying, "Some teams made a horrible mistake by cutting me."
All in all, it was pretty much harmless fun all around. Mattingly had no problem with it.
"It didn't bother me. It was fine. It was pretty easy. It promotes our game, it's doing something good for charity. Most of our guys, Will Ferrell is one of those guys you love his movies, he's funny," Mattingly said. "It's spring training. It can be a serious time from the standpoint of being ready, but him being out here for one hitter like that didn't change the game any."