Tim Rogers
I have a soft heart for the Filipino people. In fact, I married one and have two sons with the same heritage. The Dodgers’ history of Filipino players is pretty scant as only Kolten Wong and Travis d’Arnaud have played on the major league team. Right now, I did not find any minor league players with Filipino heritage but someone may have been missed.
The Dodgers have made it a habit to honor many different heritages through the years and they are a huge hit. Filipino Heritage Night sold around 23,500 special even tickets in which the purchaser received a special jersey. Even though I had a press pass, I purchased a ticket so I could get the jersey for one of my sons.
Part of the fun was having some Filipino cuisine. For just $34.99 one could purchase a bucket full of lumpia. Longaniza, strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, and bread pudding were also available. Got adobo? It would have been great to have Jollibee to sponsor the event but now I’m being picky. There were very long lines so it looks like most customers were satisfied.
The National Anthem singer starred in two of my favorite movies, Wayne’s World and True Lies, the one and only Tia Carrere. I was able to get a picture with her after she was done warming up with Dieter Ruehle, the organist with the Dodgers. Throwing out the first pitch was a staple in the MCU as Ned Leeds, Jacob Batalon.
All in all, it was a wonderful night as the Dodgers battled the Orioles to determine who wins the three-game series. As of this writing, the Dodgers were winning 5-3.
