Burdi starts social media challenge for blood donations

According to the American Red Cross, roughly 4,500 blood drives have been cancelled through Mar. 18 due to coronavirus concerns, resulting in over 150,000 fewer blood donations.

Pirates reliever Nick Burdi is trying to help out by not only donating, but making it a social media challenge with the hashtag, #MLBBloodDonationChallenge.

The rules are simple: Once you donate, you get to pick three people to do the same. Burdi kicked off the challenge by picking Pirates pitchers: Joe Musgrove, Steven Brault and Derek Holland.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Our country is in a dire need of blood products. I am starting a blood donation ? challenge throughout @pittsburghpirates and the @mlb. Every player who accepts the challenge and donates blood has to then challenge 3 more players!! Let’s do what we can and our part during this time!! Any fans that want to be apart of this challenge please use #MLBbloodDonationChallenge I challenge... @skoobuh @dutchoven45 @mu59rove

A post shared by Nick Burdi (@nickbur19) on Mar 19, 2020 at 12:09pm PDT

"Let’s do what we can and our part during this time," Burdi wrote on Instagram.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Thursday blood centers are taking extra precautions because of coronavirus, and that "Social distancing doesn't have to mean social disengagement."

On Twitter, Musgrove and Holland have already responded to Burdi's challenge, and Brault commented on Burdi's Instagram post that he would donate Friday.

I’m asking all guys to jump in and do this. We can help a lot. Nice work @NickyBurdi19 #letsgobucco https://t.co/F4hywUDnnu pic.twitter.com/zZDcOwCLye

— Derek Holland (@Dutch_Oven45) March 19, 2020

Let’s do it people! https://t.co/WgebRElQ3r

— Joe Musgrove (@ItsbuccnJoe59) March 19, 2020

Burdi is encouraging fans to take part.