They were supposed to be celebrating Opening Day, but instead Major League Baseball and Fanatics are teaming up for a very different cause: the fight against COVID-19.

Sports apparel maker Fanatics' 360,000 square-foot plant in Easton, Pennsylvania is usually rolling out MLB jerseys by the thousands this time of year, but on Thursday the retailer and MLB have halted production efforts of baseball jerseys to begin making safety masks and gowns for healthcare workers on the front line.

"The COVID-19 crisis has compelled our country to be more collaborative, innovative and strategic than ever before. As the demand for masks and gowns have surged, we're fortunate to have teamed up with Major League Baseball to find a unique way to support our frontline workers in this fight to stem the virus, who are in dire need of essential resources," says Michael Rubin, executive chairman at Fanatics.

As baseball season and nearly every other sport is temporarily on hold, it's left companies like Fanatics looking for new ways to find purpose. Fanatics fell into the "non-essential" items category as defined by the government, forcing the closure of their factory last week.

Rubin said after hearing about the shortages of safety equipment and after a call with Pennsylvania's Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shaprio, he got the idea to convert his factory. The Fanatics founder said he called MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to see if the league would be okay with halting production of baseball jerseys and instead pivot to making masks and gowns. Manfred loved the idea and gave Rubin the go ahead. The factory re-opened to begin production.