First no-hitter of the season, and he dedicated it to Jose Fernandez and Yordano Ventura!
Month: June 2017
MLB Pride
June is LGBT Pride Month and this year more MLB teams are recognizing LGBT communities with Pride Nights. Eleven teams are hosting Pride or LGBT nights during the month of June, and 5 other teams have already held or plan to hold similar events. That’s 16 teams total, three more than I reported last year and the year before. (Oh – and just in case there’s no presidential proclamation this year regarding LGBT Pride Month, you can see all the previous proclamations at the Library of Congress website, and the archived site for the Obama Administration.)
However, as I stated previously, MLB clubs don’t always advertise their Pride Nights very well. Most teams bury the information on Pride Nights (and other special ticket events) under “Theme Nights” rather than putting them on their promotional schedules. Others make no mention at all of LGBT events, instead relying on local organizations to sponsor and advertise the events. For example, I had no idea that Tigers, Rockies, Mets, or Cubs had any special events until I read about them on Outsports. You can do better MLB.
Nonetheless, below is the calendar of LGBT Pride events at MLB ballparks this year. Note that this will be the first year the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting a Pride event, while other teams, like the Washington Nationals, have been doing this for more than a decade.
Happy June!
~ baseballrebecca
| Date | Team | Event | Additional Details |
| 21-Apr | San Diego Padres | Out at the Park | San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, San Diego Women’s Chorus and San Diego Pride and Padres staff jointly performed the National Anthem together; special ticket purchase included $5 donation to San Diego Pride. |
| 26-May | Miami Marlins | Pride at the Park | Hosted by the Marlins and the Clevelander Marlins Park. Special event ticket included a Pride at the Park trucker hat. Celebrity guests were” Carson Kressley and Chef Art Smith. A portion of the proceeds support the Marlins Foundation in support of local LGBTQ organizations. |
| 3-Jun | Detroit Tigers | Tigers Pride Day | Organized by Detroit Regional LGBT Chambers of Commerce – http://www.detroitlgbtchamber.com/ |
| 6-Jun | Oakland A’s | Pride Night | Special ticket includes an A’s Pride Scarf and admittance to the pregame party on the Westside Patio. |
| 9-Jun | Los Angeles Dodgers | LGBT Night | Special guests include: actor Matt Bomer, Billy Bean (Major League Baseball Vice President & Special Assistant to the Commissioner), Brian Pendleton (founder of #ResistMarch), actors Noah Galvin and Guillermo Diaz; and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo (plaintiffs in the landmark case overturning Prop 8 and restoring marriage equality to California). The National Anthem will be performed by actor Dot Marie Jones accompanied by members for the Gay Men’s Chorus and Trans Chorus of Los Angeles. |
| 9-Jun | Tampa Bay Rays | Pride Night | Special ticket includes a Rays Pride Tumbler |
| 9-Jun | Boston Red Sox | Pride Night | The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus will sing the National Anthem |
| 13-Jun | Washington Nationals | Night Out | The Nationals’ 13th Annual Night OUT. Proceeds from ticket sales contribute to Team DC’s Student-Athlete Scholarships, which are awarded each year to local college-bound LGBT student-athletes who, through their role in academics and sports, have enhanced the perception of the LGBT community. |
| 16-Jun | Colorado Rockies | LGBT Night | No additional information on the website |
| 17-Jun | New York Mets | Pride Night | A portion of the proceeds will benefit the LGBT Network and its Safe Schools Initiative to stop bullying in Long Island and Queens. |
| 22-Jun | Seattle Mariners | Pride Night | Hosted by the Seattle Mariners and Greater Seattle Business Association. Tickets include a Pride Night hat. |
| 23-Jun | Atlanta Braves | LGBT Night | This is the Braves’ 7th annual LGBT Night. A portion of the proceeds will go to Lost-n-Found Youth, whose mission is to take homeless LGBT youth off the street. Special ticket package also includes a Braves commemorative hat. |
| 26-Jun | San Francisco Giants | LGBT Night | The special event ticket package includes a LGBT/Giants scarf. Partial proceeds from each special event ticket will be donated to local non-profits in the LGBT community. |
| 2-Jul | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pride Day | This is the Pirates’ first Pride Day; each special ticket includes a special Pirates Pride Day cap. |
| 22-Aug | Philadelphia Phillies | Pride Night | The first 1,000 fans to purchase these special tickets receive a coupon for Phillies rainbow socks. |
| 3-Sep | Chicago Cubs | Out at Wrigley | This event is not mentioned on the Cubs’ website, but a special website has been created at: http://www.outatwrigley.com/ |
The Baseball Sociologist 