The Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will partner to celebrate Major League Baseball’s Play Ball initiative by surprising 80 local youth for a wiffle ball game at Dodger Stadium Tuesday, June 20 and treating them to the Dodgers-Mets game the next day on Wednesday, June 21. The 40 participating youth will represent the Dodgers RBI program from Jackie Tatum Harvard Recreation Center and the other 40 youth will represent Los Angeles Police Department Community Safety Partnership Program in Pueblo del Rio and Ramona Gardens Housing Developments.

Dodger players and alumni Derrel Thomas, Kenny Landreaux and Billy Ashley will be on hand for Tuesday’s wiffle ball games, and Dodger Strength & Conditioning Coach Brandon McDaniel will lead the kids in warm ups and pregame stretches. Participants will receive lunch, a Play Ball plastic bat and ball set and tickets to the Dodgers-Mets game on June 21, where some will take part in pregame ceremonies. Water for the activities will be provided courtesy of Dasani Water.

“The mission of Play Ball is to help children see that baseball and softball can be played anywhere,” said Naomi Rodriguez, Vice President of External Affairs and Community Relations, Los Angeles Dodgers.  “These are activities that should be accessible to all children—despite economics, ability level or geographic locations. Nevertheless, there is something special about getting to play on the field at Dodger Stadium. Today, we are giving youth a special opportunity to play where their very own Dodger team plays.”

The Play Ball  event held on March 20, 2017 in Downtown LA was a huge success.
(Photo courtesy of LA Dodgers)

“This is what we are used to doing. This is our year-long mantra. Make it easy for kids to play. Get kids to participate in the sport, have fun and benefit from all that sport offers,” said Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “We are thrilled to support the second annual Play Ball events here at Dodger Stadium.”

The Play Ball initiative, which is supported by both USA Baseball and USA Softball, is the sport’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to participate in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues, special events and casual forms of play.

In addition to supporting Major League Baseball’s Play Ball initiative, the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation have invested in the local community to increase youth baseball and softball programming and participation. During their upcoming homestand, the Dodgers will host more than 2,000 youth through their Kids 4 Dodgers Baseball Program, which provides Los Angeles area underserved youth with a Dodger game experience courtesy of the Dodgers. Transportation to and from Dodger Stadium in a customized Dodger bus, tickets, t-shirts, and food will be provided. More than 20,000 youth will be served through this program this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s signature programs, Dodgers Dreamfields and Dodgers RBI, are both aimed at increasing youth participation in baseball and softball. The Dreamfields program has invested $7.7 million to build and refurbish 47 baseball and softball fields in underserved communities, which provide a safe place for youth to conduct positive recreational activity in their own neighborhoods, with a long-term goal of completing 50 fields. Dodgers RBI is a baseball/softball youth development program that aims to increase participation in the sport and use sport participation as an engagement tool that increases access to education, literacy, health, wellness, and recreational resources. In 2017, 7,800 players, ages 5-18, will participate in Dodgers RBI across 57 locations throughout Greater Los Angeles.

(Article courtesy of Dodgers PR Department)