Angels honor breast cancer awareness with pink bats

TORONTO -- Many Angels used pink bats for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays in honor of breast cancer awareness and Mother's Day.

They included third baseman Ian Stewart and second baseman Howie Kendrick. C.J. Cron also said he will use one, but he was not in the starting lineup.

Players from both the Angels and Blue Jays wore arm sleeves while taking batting practice before the afternoon contest. Additionally, each base and baseball used during Sunday's game at Rogers Centre had a breast cancer awareness logo on it.

The pink bat tradition began in 2006 in association with Susan G. Komen, which is one of the largest breast cancer organizations in the United States.

Across Major League Baseball, honorary bat girls were present for the Sunday games, and were comprised of fans who were affected by breast cancer and are demonstrating a commitment to eradicate the disease.

The Honorary Bat Girl winners were selected by fan votes on HonoraryBatGirl.com along with feedback from a guest judging panel that included Evan Longoria of the Rays, Freddie Freeman of the Braves, Pablo Sandoval of the Giants, country music superstar and Braves fan Jason Aldean, and Sam Ryan, an MLB Network host and reporter.

Introduced in 2009, the Honorary Bat Girl program raises additional awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative celebrated on Mother's Day.

Los Angeles, which travels to Philadelphia after the club's four-game set in Toronto concludes, will honor Danielle Adams in a special on-field ceremony when the team returns home on May 15 in a game against the Rays.

Adams was diagnosed with Stage II triple negative breast cancer in March 2013. Over the past year, she has gone through four rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, followed by four additional rounds of chemotherapy. She finished treatment on October 21 and had reconstructive surgery on December 12.