Ceremonial and off-field activities for Games One and Two of the 2021 World Series
Major League Baseball today announced the ceremonial & off-field activities for Games One and Two of the 2021 World Series. The 117th Fall Classic between the American League Champion Houston Astros and the National League Champion Atlanta Braves begins tonight, Tuesday, October 26th, at Minute Maid Park with LIVE coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and ESPN Radio. ESPN Radio will provide live national coverage of all 2021 World Series games.
NATIONAL ANTHEM & GOD BLESS AMERICA PERFORMANCES: The National Anthem for Games One and Two will be performed by Keke Palmer (Game One) and U.S Navy Petty Officer First Class Giavanni Walker (Game Two), respectively.
v Keke Palmer: Emmy award-winning actress, musical artist, producer and author Keke Palmer is currently lending her voice to “Maya” in Disney+'s revival of the _The Proud Family_, and also is set to star as the lead in _Nope_, Jordan Peele’s next feature at Universal. She will host Disney+’s upcoming, over-the-top food competition show _Foodtastic_, and has teamed up with Amazon Original Stories to release _Southern Belle Insults_, a series of five new short stories released digitally on Amazon Prime and Kindle this November.
CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCHES: The Ceremonial First Pitches for the games will be handled by two Astros Legends who also happen to be immortalized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Craig Biggio will throw the Fall Classic’s first ceremonial pitch tonight while Jeff Bagwell will handle those duties for Game Two.
FALL CLASSIC LEGACY TO GIVE BACK TO HOUSTON X ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD: A pair of important efforts in the spirit of Community and Philanthropy will take place in Houston prior to Game Two. Earlier in the day, MLB and Houston will host a community event at the Houston Area Women’s Center Shelter, at which they will unveil plans to refurbish a play area for the children who reside there. This effort is part of the Fall Classic Legacy initiative, which is designed to give back to World Series host communities. Also on the day of Game Two, MLB will celebrate the legacy of baseball’s greatest humanitarian by announcing the recipient of the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award. The winner will attend the community event at the HAWC alongside Luis Clemente, son of the late Hall of Famer.
SPECIAL GUESTS AT GAME ONE: Members of the 2021 Little League World Series Championship team out of Taylor North Little League in Michigan will be attending Game One of the Major League version of the World Series.
“PLAY BALL!”: Beloved Houston sports figure Andre Johnson (former WR for the Houston Texans) will announce “Play Ball!” before the start of Game One.
GAME BALL DELIVERY: Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston will deliver the game balls of Games One and Two to the mound. Daelyn Davis, 13, a freshman at Royal High School will deliver the game ball for Game One – his first professional baseball game ever – in view of his favorite player (Jose Altuve). Zachary Garcia, 17, from Lamar Consolidated High School will deliver the ball for Game Two.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY DURING WORLD SERIES: As part of Major League Baseball’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, MLB has ensured that the 2021 World Series incorporates environmentally friendly features and activities. Efforts include:
- World Series Green Teams will collect recyclables between innings and raise awareness for what fans can do in their everyday life to be more environmentally conscious during Games 1-7.
- MLB is providing reusable MLB Green branded water bottles and water refill stations to Broadcasters, Media and MLB Staff in an effort to reduce single-use plastics.
- For more information, please visit mlb.com/green.