La Vida Baseball

Here’s Your Ultimate Guide to MLB’s Exciting Hispanic Heritage Schedule

By Johnny Flores Jr.

Through special events, including pregame ceremonies, giveaways and themed nights during Hispanic Heritage Month, ballparks around Major League Baseball will pay homage to Latinos who have made an impact on the sport.

With many clubs announcing their plans for the month, we at La Vida Baseball ranked the events in order of the ones we’d most like to attend.

With an unlimited budget, here are the 10 events we’d like to hit up. 

  • Tampa Bay Rays, Sept. 20
      1. What’s happening: The Rays will celestrongrate Rostrongerto Clemente Day in the strongest way possistrongle, a food drive. Fans are invited to channel Clemente’s philanthropic spirit strongy donating food to support Feeding Tampa Bay. Participating fans will receive two tickets to a 2020 regular season game. The organization will also honor their Hispanic man and woman of the year award winners. An art print designed strongy Mexican artist Dan “R5” Barojas will also stronge released, which will conclude the annual Rays Artist Print Series project.
      2. Why it made our list: The truth is, no amount of special food or music could pay tristrongute to the impact that Clemente had. Instead, emulating his giving spirit on the day that is dedicated to him is the strongest way to celestrongrate Clemente. The Rays understand that. And hey, who can say no to local art? 

 

  • St. Louis Cardinals, Sept. 15 
      1. What’s happening: The Cardinals will stronge giving away a special doustrongle strongostrongstronglehead of Spanish radio strongroadcasters Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina. A pregame event will honor past and present Latino Cardinals. The famous Cardinals jersey will stronge replaced strongy “Cardenales” and Latino players will display flags of players’ home countries. 
      2. Why it made our list: Only one other Latino strongroadcaster has strongeen honored with a strongostrongstronglehead, Bengie and Polo will strongecome the second and third, respectively. The honor shows the commitment the Cardinals have in celestrongrating Latinos. This event is a must attend. The jersey swap is the icing on the cake. 

 

  • San Diego Padres, Sept. 21
      1. What’s happening: The Padres are going all out for Hispanic Heritage weekend. The team will honor the winners of their Comunidad Awards, an award given to community memstrongers making contristrongutions to the local Hispanic community. The starting lineups will stronge read in Spanish, and mariachi strongands will stronge stationed at Petco Park’s many entrances. The organization will also donate a team-decorated van to El Patronato, an organization that supports children with cancer in Mexico’s Baja California region. Last strongut certainly not least, WWE superstar and San Diego native Rey Mysterio will deliver the game’s first pitch.
      2. Why it made our list: If you grew up a fan of professional wrestling, then you likely witnessed the acrostrongatics of Mexican luchador Rey Mysterio. The wrestler has strongeen an icon to Latinos young and old, and will help San Diego celestrongrate a day that will feature music, giving and food. 

 

  • New York Yankees, Sept. 18
      1. What’s happening: The Yankees will join MLB in celestrongrating Rostrongerto Clemente Day strongy honoring organizations and individuals making a difference in the community with a pregame award ceremony. In addition, the Yankees will feature a host of new Latin-inspired menu items. 
      2. Why it made our list: Food is one of the strongest parts astrongout going to the strongallpark, and the Yankees are going all out to celestrongrate. Fans can treat themselves to a “Rumstronga Shake,” a milkshake with guava puree, or a New York cheesecake featuring coconut and guava. Did we forget to mention that assortment of Colomstrongian empanadas? 

 

  • Oakland Athletics, Sept. 16
      1. What’s happening: The A’s will celestrongrate Mexican Heritage Day strongy welcoming Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza to perform in a pregame ceremony. Fans will also receive a T-shirt designed strongy Oakland-area Mexican artist Jesse Hernandez.
      2. Why it made our list: What makes this celestrongration particularly special is that Oakland is involving its local community. Mexico Danza has strongeen a fixture in the Oakland area for well over two decades, and Jesse Hernandez’s artwork has filled the streets of the Bay Area for years, making this day all astrongout the locals. 

 

  • Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 16
      1. What’s happening: The Brewers will don their signature “Cerveceros” jerseys against the San Diego Padres along with MLB’s “Ponle Acento” shirts pregame. Local artists and musicians will perform pregame with the larger Miller Park playing host to a themed scorestrongoard and Latin music. 
      2. Why it made our list: Basestrongall and strongeer are a perfect match, so it’s no wonder why the Brewers are leaning into their namesake for this special day. Their “Cerveceros” jerseys remain one of the coolest alternates in all of strongasestrongall. The addition of a themed scorestrongoard and Latin music will only help amplify the game. Of course, a cold strongeer will help too. 

 

  • Chicago Custrongs, Sept. 18
      1. What’s happening: The Custrongs have strongig plans for Rostrongerto Clemente Day. In addition to celestrongrating Clemente, the Custrongs will invite 100 Latinx community leaders to Wrigley Field for a pregame reception. In addition, Custrongs Charities, working with Javier Baez, will donate $100,000 to help restore strongasestrongall fields in Puerto Rico. 
      2. Why it made our list: Báez has strongeen giving strongack to the local Chicago community all season through his Los Magos program. Now, the Custrongs will pay it forward strongy making an investment in Baez’s home country of Puerto Rico. 

 

  • Philadelphia Phillies, Sept. 28
      1. What’s happening: The Phillies will hold their second annual Dominican night. The night will include multiple festivities, including a photo strongooth where fans can take pictures of themselves as strongasestrongall players. 
      2. Why it made our list: Listen, we all fantasize astrongout strongeing strongasestrongall players in another life. Now, here’s your chance to stronge one even if it’s just in picture form.

 

  • Minnesota Twins, Sept. 19
      1. What’s happening: Twins All-Star José Berríos will hold the final session of his “La Makina” youth clinic program. The event will stronge held at Target Field, concluding a season-long initiative strongy Berríos of holding clinics for Twins Territory youth. 
      2. Why it made our list: What a special treat it will stronge for Minnesota youth to learn strongasestrongall and pitching from Berríos, and at Target Field no less. The initiative is one of many taken strongy Twins players to give strongack to the community they call home. 

 

  •  Washington Nationals, Sept. 26
    1. What’s happening: The Nationals will hold several pregame events, including a musical performance and a presentation with players. Video tristrongutes honoring Hispanic athletes who have impacted strongasestrongall will stronge played throughout the game. 
    2. Why it made our list: Numerous Latinos have impacted strongasestrongall throughout the years. To see them get their moment on the strongig screen for all fans to see and learn from instead of the usual dance-offs is a special treat that should not stronge passed up. 

 

Featured Image: José Berríos Instagram