D-Backs Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Weekend Friday through Sunday

The Arizona Diamondbacks will celebrate the Latino community during the 24th annual Hispanic Heritage Weekend, presented by Estrella Jalisco and supported by Cox, Honeywell, Arizona Milk Producers and APS, this Friday-Sunday at Chase Field. This will be the second straight year the event has included 3 days of festivities with each game highlighting different cultures and groups, such as the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico.

The highly anticipated Serpientes Replica Jersey, courtesy of Pepsi, will be given to the first 10,000 fans on Saturday.

Friday, September 16

• Team Mexico Softball Coach Jorge Araujo will throw the ceremonial first pitch and be accompanied by Raci Miranda & Samantha Vargas.
• The team will recognize Anabell Castro-Thompson as a community hero serving the Hispanic community.
• Castro-Thompson is a Nurse Practitioner and Senior Vice President of Health Equity at Equality Health where she implements innovative models of care for underserved ethnic minority populations, aimed at improving patient outcomes and reducing the cost of healthcare. As a former President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, she worked on advancing the health in Hispanic communities and to lead, promote and advocate the educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. Her strategic vision has impacted population health, health policy, environmental justice, end of life care, volunteer programs, community partnerships and collaborative programming.
• The team will celebrate a variety of Hispanic countries’ independence days.
• Salsa dancing in partnership with Latin Night at The Duce will be hosted in La Terraza from 7:00-8:30 p.m., including Latin dance instruction starting at 7:00 p.m. DJ D-Lo will provide the music.

Saturday, September 17

• Rosemary Ybarra-Hernandez, the 2020 Pete Garcia Award Winner, will throw the ceremonial first pitch.
• Ybarra-Hernandez was recognized in 2020 for her contributions to this Hispanic community as President and Founder of AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute. Since its inception, AGUILA has helped hundreds of students achieve a college education with scholarships and mentoring, as well as personalized support and mentoring for youth. As an educator, Ybarra-Hernandez has worked to develop conduits between educational institutions across the country and the youth of the community — specifically for young Latinos who want to obtain a college degree. Her mentoring of youth through AGUILA for the past 18 years has produced college degrees for large numbers of students who otherwise would never have known they could obtain a higher education.
• Anheuser-Busch/Hensley will be donating $5,000 to AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute to support the ongoing efforts of the alumni program and graduates.
• The team will also celebrate local Hispanic restaurant owners including Alexis Carbajal from Phoenix Coquí, T. Rivera and Magaly Martínez Saenz from Tres Leches Café and Angelica Urrego from Arepa Babe and more.
• The team will honor James Beard Award Winner Don Guerra of Barrio Bread and James Beard Award Finalist Rene Andrade of Bacanora, which is up for Best New Restaurant of 2022.
• The team will host a trio of International Relations Organizations including Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, Phoenix Sister Cities and Global Ties Arizona.
• D-backs alumni Miguel Montero and Augie Ojeda will sign autographs in La Terraza from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Hatuey “Chuy” Mendoza, owner of Yanikeke Empanadas and a D-backs Minor League coach, will be recognized pregame.

Sunday, September 18

• The team will honor 2022 Pete Garcia Award Winner Tony Astorga, who will also throw the ceremonial first pitch.
• Astorga, who retired in 2011 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona where he served for 23 years as the Senior Vice President, CFO, is a philanthropist, mentor and source of inspiration focused on providing opportunity and pathways for young professionals in the Hispanic community. His leadership, strategic and visionary approach has led to appointments to national, state and local boards and commissions. He has received numerous civic and business awards, including most recently the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce “2022 Legacy Award.” He focuses on teaching kids about economic development and the importance of education to make positive difference in their future.
• The team will recognize the Los D-backs Ambassadors Council and past Pete Garcia Award winners.
• Colombian-American country music singer and songwriter Filmore will sing the National Anthem.
• The D-backs Kids Club will offer a bonus prize Serpienteria game.

Other weekend highlights

• The team will wear their Nike MLB City Connect Series “Serpientes” uniforms as a tribute to the Hispanic Culture so prominent in Arizona all weekend.
• Yanikeke Beef Empanadas will serve its unique food offerings at the La Terraza concession stand all weekend.
• La Terraza will host an Art Walk featuring Frida’s Garden all weekend.
• DJ D-Lo’s music will greet fans pregame in the rotunda on Friday and Saturday.
• Arroz Con Mango, a Cuban band, will perform pregame on the concourse on Friday.
• La Mera Mera Banda la Llegadora will perform live throughout the game from the Left Field Bleachers on Saturday.
• Mariachi & Ballet Folkloriko will have 100 dancers performing from 3:00-3:45 p.m. on the main concourse at Section 132, during pregame from the field and in-game during the fourth inning from La Terraza on Saturday.
• Fans will have a chance to take photos with Luchadores in La Terraza during the game on Saturday.
• Ballet Folklorico Tapatio will perform on the main concourse and in La Terraza during the game on Sunday.

Fans interested in attending the D-backs vs. Padres game, scheduled for a 5:10 p.m. first pitch, may purchase tickets at dbacks.com/tickets, by calling 602.514.8400 or in person at the Chase Field Ticket Office.