SAN FRANCISCO — Streets, schools, and theatres aren’t the only places you’ll find APA Heritage Month celebrations this year. Thanks to the Giants, celebrations are now happening around one of America’s greatest treasures — the baseball diamond.
Despite some of the sport’s greatest (current and past) phenoms having an Asian background (Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Hideki Matsui, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki), the S.F. Giants are the only Major League Baseball team to dedicate one week to APA Heritage Month celebrations.
And the team is coming full circle. Forty-four years after drafting the first foreign-born Asian player to play in the major leagues (Japanese pitcher Masanori Murakami in 1964), they will celebrate San Francisco’s diverse Asian American community.
“As the Giants celebrate our fiftieth anniversary, we want to acknowledge Asian Americans as a vital part in the fabric of our community,” said Lawrence Baer, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We celebrate their heritage and hope to maintain a strong and powerful relationship as we support the “SF Hep B Free” campaign, a disease that disproportionately affects Asians in America.”
The ball club will lead the “SF Hep B Free” campaign’s public awareness efforts that week, starting with a homeplate ceremony Monday, May 12, featuring Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, the campaign’s honorary chair, and Dr. Samuel So, director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. The campaign ends Saturday, May 17, when $9 of a special $20 ticket purchase will be donated to the cause.
The Giants will honor a specific ethnic community with a limited edition giveaway on each game night that week.
The Giants’ Asian Heritage Week begins Monday, May 12, and ends Saturday, May 17. For more information: sfgiants.com/specialevents.
San Francisco Giants Asian Heritage Week Schedule
Monday, May 12
S.F. Giants vs. Houston Astros
Cultural entertainment begins at 5:15 p.m.
Game begins at 7:15 p.m.
Chinese Heritage Night
presented by Kikkoman
Featuring a traditional Chinese Lion Dance performance before and during the game. Fans with a special ticket will receive a Chinese Heritage Night baseball cap.
Tuesday, May 13
S.F. Giants vs. Houston Astros
Cultural entertainment begins at 5:15 p.m.
Game begins at 7:15 p.m.
Korean Heritage Night
Fans with a special ticket will receive a Korean Heritage Night t-shirt.There will be a cultural performance by the students of Claire Lillienthal Korean Immersion Program.
Wednesday, May 14
S.F. Giants vs. Houston Astros
Cultural entertainment begins at 5:15 p.m.
Game begins at 7:15 p.m.
Filipino Heritage Night
Enjoy pre-game and in-game cultural entertainment such as folk dances by
Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company, Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble and San Francisco Barangay Dance Company. Fans with a special ticket will receive a commemorative Filipino Heritage Night t-shirt.
Friday, May 16
S.F. Giants vs. Chicago White Sox
Cultural entertainment begins at 5:15 p.m.
Game begins at 7:15 p.m.
Japanese Heritage Night
presented by Kikkoman
Special performance by the San Franciso Taiko Dojo. Fans with a special ticket will receive a limited edition Masanori Murakami bobblehead to commemorate the first-ever Japanese major league player.
Saturday, May 17
S.F. Giants vs. Chicago White Sox
Game begins at 6:05 p.m.
SF Hep B Free Night
A $9 donation from each special $20 ticket sold to this game will go toward the SF Hep B Free campaign.