From Joe DiMaggio to Yogi Berra to Mike Piazza, Italian Americans have long dominated the sport of baseball. Over 15 MLB players of Italian descent have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and this year is your chance to see current and future Italian American greats in action while celebrating your culture! The Italian American Baseball Foundation (IABF) has partnered with 18 MLB teams to host “Italian Heritage Nights” across the country, and has just announced the preliminary schedule for these celebrations:
The theme-style promotions will highlight Italian culture through music, on-field activities, giveaways, and more. While the exact program will vary from stadium to stadium, this is an exciting development as the IABF continues to lead the way among cultural organizations in the sport. While each game will promise a fun night out with family or friends, a few that stand out from the pack are the games hosted by the New York Yankees (8/2), Philadelphia Phillies (8/14), and San Diego Padres (8/23).
The Yankees’ contest against the Toronto Blue Jays will be particularly entertaining as a rivalry game, featuring at least eight Italian Americans across both teams such as Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, Gerrit Cole, Jon Berti, and Ron Marinaccio for New York, along with Cavan Biggio, Jordan Romano, and Bo Bichette for Toronto. If East Coast residents can’t catch this event, they can still attend the Phillies game against the Miami Marlins less than two weeks later to see former All-Star Aaron Nola and three-time All-MLB honoree J. T. Realmuto. On the opposite coast, San Diego will go up against the New York Mets at the end of August. While the Padres don’t have many players of Italian descent besides Joe Musgrave, best known for his no-hitter in 2021, the Mets have several: Adam Ottavino, Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, and Pete Alonso.
To learn more about how to purchase your tickets, please follow the links below. Be sure to monitor the IABF website for additional announcements on upcoming heritage games as well:
- Tampa Bay Rays (6/9)
- Washington Nationals (6/18)
- Chicago White Sox (7/9)
- San Francisco Giants (7/9)
- Trenton Thunder (7/19)
- Oakland A’s (7/20)
- Nashville Sounds (7/23)
- New York Yankees (8/2)
- Cincinnati Reds (8/2)
- Philadelphia Phillies (8/14)
- Los Angeles Angels (8/14)
- St. Louis Cardinals (8/16)
- San Diego Padres (8/23)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (8/25)
- Somerset Patriots (8/27)
- Boston Red Sox (8/27)
- Detroit Tigers (8/28)
- Colorado Rockies (9/14)
- Kansas City Royals (9/22)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (9/27)
