Pete Fairbanks and wife Lydia to donate $100 to the Turner Syndrome Foundation for every strikeout he tallies

Pete Fairbanks has developed into one of the most reliable bullpen arms for the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming a fan favorite in the process. While his performances on the mound have helped his popularity, his charitable work has taken him to another level. The veteran pitcher and his wife Lydia donate $100 to the Turner Syndrome Foundation every time he racks up a strikeout.

"For every strikeout he tallies this season, Pete Fairbanks and his wife Lydia are donating $100 to a cause near and dear to their hearts" - @MLB

For Pete and Lydia Fairbanks, the "Strikeouts for Ellis" campaign came from their own heartbreaking experience with Turner Syndrome. This past offseason, as the couple were anticipating their third child, whose name was Ellis, it was revealed that she likely had the genetic disorder which is caused by a missing chromosome. Turner Syndrome only occurs in females and 1-3% of babies diagnosed survive.

Unfortunately for the Fairbanks family, Ellis was not part of that small percentage. The Tampa Bay Rays closer and his wife lost baby Ellis after almost 20 weeks.

Since her passing, the family has used their platform to shine a light on the genetic disorder while also honoring their unborn daughter.

"On July 28th, Pete and Lydia hosted the Turner Syndrome Foundation at the ballpark. That day, Pete got the save and ended the game on a strikeout and thus another donation to their cause" - @MLB

Entering Saturday's action, Pete Fairbanks has racked up 42 strikeouts for the Rays, which has led to $4,200 in donations from him and his family. Each contribution to the cause has been matched by the Rays Baseball Foundation. The campaign has a $50,000 goal and has already reached over $35,000 from 101 different supporters.

Pete Fairbanks found himself in trade rumors all season, adding to an already stressful year

As if the passing of his third child was not enough to deal with for Pete Fairbanks, the veteran closer was also linked to several different clubs heading into the trade deadline. The Tampa Bay Rays moved on from some of their veterans, including Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin, leaving Fairbanks as another potential trade candidate.

Luckily for Pete and Lydia, he was not traded and they can continue focusing on other important matters outside of baseball.