Apparently There’s a Guitar Trophy Designed by Eddie Vedder for When These Two MLB Teams Play Each Other

Why are two Major League Baseball teams battling for a guitar trophy designed by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder? It's part of a charitable initiative meant to aid the EB Research Partnership. Two teams that have close ties to the Pearl Jam frontman — the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners — have come together to aid efforts for one of the charitable organizations that Vedder has lent his backing to over the years.

What Is the Vedder Cup?

As interleague play has become more common in baseball in recent decades, fans had unofficially taken to naming the matchup between the Padres and Mariners "the Vedder cup."

For those who need a refresher on their Pearl Jam history, Vedder was residing in San Diego when he learned through drummer Jack Irons that a Seattle band might be looking for a singer. After listening to a five-song demo of their music, he wrote lyrics and returned them to the band which got him an audition. Eventually he was hired as the singer and Pearl Jam was born.

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But now with Major League Baseball getting involved and well-known baseball fan Eddie Vedder throwing his support behind it, we have new stakes in what is now a yearly San Diego-Seattle matchup.

With three games apiece in each team's home ballpark, the winner of the series now gets a trophy to showcase their victory over the other for each season. The two teams are currently in the midst of their 2025 battle with two more games set to take place in Seattle's T-Mobile Park Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 26 and 27), but the Mariners have already taken the title for 2025 after sweeping the Padres earlier in the year in Petco Park and winning the first game in Seattle Monday night (Aug. 25).

Mariners catcher and potential 2025 AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh can be seen below hoisting the Vedder Cup guitar trophy in front of the Seattle hometown crowd.

What Does the Winning Team Get?

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder had a hand in designing the signature guitar that will serve as the Vedder Cup trophy.

The 1963 Fender Telecaster resembles the same model that Vedder plays live with Pearl Jam. The guitar has a silver/black cresting wave, hand-drawn by the singer.

Vedder's signature is on the guitar's headstock. Also notable on the instrument is an arrow in the pick guard area as well as a mod symbol that resides on the instrument between the two baseball team logos.

There is also an area on the instrument where small chrome plates engraved with the winning team each season will be placed. At present, there is space for four entries but once all four slots are filled the plates can be rotated out to signify the most recent victors.

The guitar also features a neckplate with a silhouette of Into the Wild, Vedder's debut solo record. And the musician's handwriting in calligraphy on the instrument reads "Vedder Cup, est. 2025 by Major League Baseball" with the MLB logo included.

There's also one other notable stylistic choice with the rear of the guitar headstock featuring a logo of the EB Research Partnership (EBRP) that Vedder and his wife Jill established in 2010 in order to seek a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Before handing over the instrument, MLB.com reports that Vedder put the guitar through an extensive jam. “He gave it a good run through,” said George Webb, equipment manager for Pearl Jam. “He always likes to feel like he puts a little energy, spiritual energy, into an instrument and not just hand off something that's brand new, never touched, kind of thing.”

What Else Comes With the Vedder Cup?

In addition to the Vedder Cup guitar, MLB.com reveals that the MVP of the series-winning team will be awarded a "Better Man" trophy. This handheld trophy features a statue similar to the Academy Award Oscar figure but with a surfboard behind it, giving a nod to Vedder's love of surfing.

Vedder will also present the MVP with a signed ukulele.

Who Does the Vedder Cup Benefit?

The Vedder Cup is serving to bring attention and raise funds for treating Epidermolysis Bullosa, a family of life-threatening rare genetic disorders that affect the skin.Individuals with EB lack critical proteins that bind the skin's two layers together. Without these proteins, the skin tears apart, blisters and shears off, leading to severe pain, disfigurement and internal and external wounds that may never heal.

According to the EBResearch.org website, it is estimated that 500,000 people worldwide have EB. Individuals with the most severe forms of EB have a life expectancy from early infancy to 30 years of age. Today, there is no known cure for EB, but the EP Research Partnership is dedicated to finding a cure.

Both Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill serve as co-founders and members of the EB Research Partnership. Donations made be made through the EBResearch.org website.