The Seattle Mariners are celebrating the contributions of Asian American Pacific Islanders to our region’s culture.
Thursday, May 27, is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners will spotlight several members of the community during a pregame ceremony as well as special presentations during the game.
Pregame Presentation – The Mariners salute the founders of Our Stories Are Your Stories, a video storytelling campaign to raise awareness and lift AAPI voices. Mari Horita, Katherine Cheng, Betti Fujikado, Mimi Gan and Maya Mendoza-Exstrom will be introduced on field and Mariners Care, the team’s nonprofit foundation, will present them with a $2,000 donation to support the campaign.
Ceremonial First Pitch – Mari Horita, who is Vice President of Community Engagement for the Seattle Kraken, will be joined on field by her mother, Lillian Horita, and her daughter Naomi Fina, for the game’s ceremonial first pitch. As a child, Lillian spent three years in a Japanese internment camp during WWII.
National Anthem – Nathan Chan, Seattle Symphony assistant principal cello. Chan is a classically trained cellist. In 2013, he won the Julliard Cello Concerto competition. He is an advocate for the use of music and technology to inspire and introduce new audiences to classical music.
Guest Public Address Announcer – Kahealani Sharpe, member of the Mariners Hometown Nine, will introduce Mariners and Rangers players over the PA during the first inning.
Salute to Those Who Serve – Gene Moy, WWII veteran. Moy, at 104 years old, is among the oldest living Chinese American veterans. He served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1945. He was recently awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest honor for distinguished achievement.
Hometown Hero— Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor of medicine and public health at the University of Washington. Dr. Chu is a frontline COVID-19 researcher who is credited with first identifying the presence of the COVID-19 virus in Washington state.
The Mariners have launched an AAPI resource page that highlights members of the Mariners Front Office of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent. It also provides links to resources and information to support the AAPI community. It’s located at Mariners.com/AAPI.
May 27 is also Marco Gonzales bobblehead Night. Five thousand fans will receive a bobblehead, courtesy of ROOT SPORTS. It is also a Mariners Value Game with select View Level seats are available for just $10 courtesy of BECU.