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Will Ferrell 'Takes the Field': Watch 'SNL' comedian in hilarious new trailer

During exhibition games held in spring training, the comedian played for 10 Major League Baseball teams to raise money for charity.
/ Source: TODAY

An HBO documentary is taking a trip around the bases with Will Ferrell, who hit a home run for comedy and charity as a player for 10 Major League Baseball teams in one day.

Will Ferrell
Actor Will Ferrell teams up with Funny Or Die and Major League Baseball to support the fight against cancer at Peoria Stadium on March 12, 2015 in Peoria, Arizona.Getty Images

(Granted, Ferrell's games were exhibitions held during spring training, and the aforementioned home run was purely figurative in nature, but that didn't make his frantic antics any less entertaining.)

Posted to YouTube Monday, the trailer for "Ferrell Takes the Field" shows the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus goofing around on various baseball diamonds.

"My career has not gone according to plan," Ferrell told San Diego Padres fans, after his hectic day came to an end. "When I first showed up on the A's doorstep, I thought I'd be an A for life. But then I was a Mariner, and then a Red, a Diamondback, an Angel, a Cub, a White Sock, a Padre, a Dodger."

Ferrell's first roster move happened just minutes into his career, when the Oakland A's announced on Twitter that they'd traded him to the rival Mariners for a "Comedic Actor To Be Named Later."

During his brief yet memorable pro baseball career — beginning and ending March 12 — Ferrell exchanged high-fives, posed for photos, wore a beard made out of tortilla chips, took batting practice and arrived at the Chicago White Sox game by helicopter.

He also served as a third-base coach for the Chicago Cubs, inspiring teammates with gigantic signs whose messages ranged from "You are soooo handsome" to "Swing as hard as you can."

The day was not without controversy. Ferrell must have been shocked when the Arizona Diamondbacks announced they'd traded him for two popular foods at the concession stand.

Ferrell's baseball high jinks also served a greater purpose: Game-used items from his historic day were expected to be auctioned off to raise money for two charities: Stand Up To Cancer and Cancer for College.

"There's no doubt I turned some heads today," he said, while sporting a Padres uniform. "I brought passion to the field, dedication, ability, and a lot of ignorance. There is life in this 47-year-old arm."

Ferrell considered his journey a patriotic one. "They say nothing's more American than grabbing a hot dog, heading to the ballpark, and watching nine guys from the Dominican Republic make magic on the field," he said. "But you know what? Today, I learned they are wrong: Make that eight Dominicans, and one guy from Irvine, California."

According to Major League Baseball's website, Ferrell went "0-for-2 with two strikeouts, fielded the baseball five times (three times in left for the D-backs, once in center for the Angels and once as a Dodgers pitcher), [and] threw one pitch [to retire] with an ERA of 0.00."

As a batter, he also hit a dribbler that trickled foul, prompting what one announcer called the "loudest ovation I've ever heard for a foul ball."

The HBO documentary premieres at 10 p.m. Sept. 12.

Follow TODAY.com writer Chris Serico on Twitter.