Game is dedicated to veterans and military families as MLB highlights Welcome Back Veterans Initiative
Hall of Famer and Boston Red Sox Legend Carl Yastrzemski To Join Heroes on the Mound for the Ceremonial First Pitch
Mary J. Blige to Perform National Anthem Prior to Game One on FOX
MLB will highlight support for the military, specifically through the Welcome Back Veterans, initiative, by dedicating Game One of the 2013 World Series to honoring veterans and military families. There will be a special pre-game ceremony recognizing three living Medal of Honor recipients, including Salvatore Giunta (Medal of Honor received November 16, 2010), Clinton Romesha (Medal of Honor received February 11, 2013) and William Swenson (Medal of Honor received October 15, 2013). Hall of Famer and Boston Red Sox Legend Carl Yastrzemski will join these men on the field for the ceremonial first pitch. The pre-game will also include iconic Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Mary J. Blige performing the National Anthem. Game One of the 109th Fall Classic between the American League Champion Boston Red Sox and the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals airs on Wednesday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
WELCOME BACK VETERANS: Launched in 2008, Major League Baseball and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation have committed more than $28 million to Welcome Back Veterans (WelcomeBackVeterans.org). To date, a total of $15 million in grants has been awarded to non- profit agencies and hospitals supporting returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' and their families' greatest needs, focusing on treatment and research of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program is supported by Welcome Back Veterans.
BANK OF AMERICA SUPPORT: Bank of America, the Official Bank of Major League Baseball, will provide American flags for fans at each Fenway Park entrance, and asks those in attendance to wave the flag during God Bless America (before the bottom of the 7th inning) as an expression of thanks to our troops. Bank of America will donate $1 on behalf of each participating fan to Welcome Back Veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project in an effort to reach a total donation of $1 million, which will go toward helping service members and veterans succeed here at home. Bank of America's "Express Your Thanks" initiative, which re-launched on Memorial Day 2013, aims to help support members of the military and veterans across the country by donating $1 for each expression of thanks. Fans can visit BankofAmerica.com/troopthanks to learn more about this program and how they can express their thanks.
PERFORMANCES: Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Mary J. Blige will perform the National Anthem prior to Game One. Blige, who previously performed the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium during the 2009 World Series, recently released her first-ever holiday album, A Mary Christmas, with legendary producer David Foster. Singing "God Bless America" before the bottom of the 7th inning will be Retired United States Marine Corps Sgt. Dan Clark.
PLAY BALL!: Jacoby Miller, the five-year-old son of U.S. Air Force Captain Garrett Miller, who is currently deployed in Afghanistan, will yell "Play Ball!" before the start of Game One. The Millers are from Glastonbury, CT.
FIRST-BALL DELIVERY: Deon Singletary, 14, from the West End House Boys and Girls Club (Allston, Massachusetts) will deliver the first-ball to the mound. He will be joined by three- time MLB All-Star and Red Sox Legend Luis Tiant. Singletary is a freshman at Another Course to College in Brighton, MA.
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