The Los Angeles Dodgers will honor former manager Tommy Lasorda on his 87th birthday at tonight’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.
The Hall of Famer will be joined by family members in the ceremonial first pitch. Frank Sinatra Jr. will perform the national anthem. Sinatra’s father performed the anthem at Lasorda’s first Opening Day as the Dodgers’ manager, April 7, 1977.
The Dodgers are asking all fans to wear blue during the three-game series against the Giants, which if the Dodgers win two games, they would be assured of their second consecutive National League West championship.
The Dodgers lead San Francisco by 4 1/2 games. The Dodgers have six games remaining, the Giants seven.
The Dodgers have dubbed the effort to have all fans wear blue as a #DodgerBlueOut. It will also include all merchandise being discounted 20 percent at all stadium retail locations; blue balloons at stadium entrances; face painting and photo booths with blue props; seat upgrades for fans in their “bluest-blue” outfits; and blue margaritas.
Throughout the three-game series, a special extreme loaded hot dog, the Blue Heaven Dog, an all-beef hot dog topped with blue cheese, coleslaw and chopped applewood smoked bacon, will be available at extreme loaded dog concession stands on Dodger Stadium’s field, loge and reserve levels.
U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Miguel Mata of Los Angeles will honored as the Veteran of the Game. He enlisted in 1996 and is the chief hospital corpsman with Fleet Surgical Team Three in San Diego.
Mata is responsible for training enlisted sailors and ensures they maintain their skill sets by working in various military medical clinics in San Diego.
Mata’s deployments include Baghdad, Iraq. He recently returned from serving onboard the USS Boxer for operations in the Western Pacific, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Mata’s accolades include the Combat Action Ribbon and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement, one with a combat distinguishing device for valor.
Mickey Hatcher, an outfielder-infielder on the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series championship team, will sign autographs in the right field pavilion plaza from 5-7 p.m., the same time Derrel Thomas, an infielder-outfielder on the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series championship team, will be signing autographs in the left field pavilion plaza.
The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a pin commemorating Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter June 18.
The game will be broadcast on KDOC-TV Channel 56, as will each of the team’s remaining five regular-season games. KDOC is carried by every cable, satellite and telco provider in Southern California and can also be received over the air.
All auto gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and all stadium gates at 5 p.m. for the 7:10 p.m. game.
