World Series flashers banned by MLB for life over PR stunt

The women who showed their breasts on national television during Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night have been banned from attending Major League Baseball events indefinitely.

During the seventh inning of the Houston Astros’ win over the Washington Nationals, two women seated on the first base side of home plate flashed their boobs just as Gerrit Cole was about to deliver a pitch. The women, who are social media influencers and models, work for a publication called SHAGMAG, which co-founder Stephen McHugh describes as “the millennial version of Playboy.” Julia Rose, one of the women who flashed, is also a founder and CEO of the company. McHugh told Larry Brown Sports that Rose came up with the idea to raise awareness for breast cancer.

“Julia Rose, founder and CEO of SHAGMAG, pushed for the stunt to create awareness on breast cancer,” McHugh said in an email. “Julia’s company, SHAGMAG, is the millennial version of PLAYBOY. The digital magazine features Julia Rose every month along with another famous influencer, creator, or model.”

Rose and two other women — Lauren Summer and Kayla Lauren — were escorted from the ballpark and banned from MLB events indefinitely. Rose shared a photo of a letter she got from a league official informing her of the ban.

Cole may have been distracted by the stunt, as he ended up walking Ryan Zimmerman for only his second free pass of the game. However, he then benefitted from a bad call to get out of a jam, and the Astros went on to win 7-1 and take a 3-2 series lead.

Whether it was to promote SHAGMAG or raise awareness for breast cancer or both, those ladies certainly got people’s attention.