Ceremonial & off-field activities for Games 3-5 of the 2021 World Series 

Major League Baseball today announced the ceremonial & off-field activities for Games Three through Five of the 2021 World Series. The 117th Fall Classic between the National League Champion Atlanta Braves and the American League Champion Houston Astros continues tonight, Friday, October 29th, at Truist Park with LIVE coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and ESPN Radio. ESPN Radio is providing live national coverage of all 2021 World Series games.

FIRST PITCHES:

• Game Three – MLB and the Braves will play a 2:30 minute video about the late Hank Aaron in Truist Park and on FOX, followed by an on-field recognition of Billye Aaron who will accompany Hank’s children – Hank Jr., Gaile, Dorinda and Lary – to the mound where Hank Jr. will throw the ceremonial first pitch.
• Game Four – A very special first pitch ceremony will feature cancer survivor and Braves fan Elizabeth O’Connor. Through the “Bid 2 End Cancer” auction series from Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the ceremonial first pitch was offered up for auction to raise money for the organization’s lifesaving cancer research funding efforts. Oakland A’s Chairman Emeritus Lew Wolff won with a $500,000 bid and worked with SU2C to identify O’Connor as the recipient of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. O’Connor is a survivor who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer two weeks after giving birth to her son. More info on her story from the 2012 SU2C telecast.
• Game Five – Hall of Famer, Braves Legend and 1995 World Series Champion Greg Maddux will throw the ceremonial first pitch of Game Five.

NATIONAL ANTHEMS:

• Game Three – Lead vocalist of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning group Zac Brown Band and Georgia native Zac Brown will perform the National Anthem for Game Three. Most recently, Zac Brown Band released their seventh studio album, The Comeback, which debuted as the Top New Country Album release and No. 1 on the Current Country Album Sales chart.
• Game Four – Singer, actor and Broadway star Jordan Fisher will perform the National Anthem on Saturday at Truist Park. Fisher’s many stage, television and film credits include Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before 2, Fox’s Grease: Live and Rent: Live, Disney+’s animated series Star Wars: Visions and The CW’s The Flash. Up next, Fisher is returning to the Broadway stage this December as the title character in Dear Evan Hansen.
• Game Five – Georgia native and multi-platinum singer/songwriter Lauren Alaina will perform the National Anthem for Game Five on Sunday. Alaina recently released her third studio album, Sitting Pretty On Top of the World and will also release her first book, “_Getting Good At Being You,_” this fall.

COMMUNITY & YOUTH:

• Game Three –
• Earlier today, MLB and the Braves hosted a community event at the Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron New Beginnings Academy as part of their Fall Classic Legacy Initiative. MLB and Braves staff helped organize an effort that stocked the school’s food pantry, provided clothing and necessities for the community closet, provided lunch for the school, and distributed fresh produce for the Hammond Park community. MLB and the Braves also purchased a commercial refrigerator and freezer for the school pantry. Additional work will include the renovations of the teacher’s lounge and a wall mural in tribute to Hank Aaron. As part of the Fall Classic Legacy initiative for the 2021 World Series, MLB awarded Atlanta Braves with a $25,000 grant toward an enrichment project within their community.
• Game Four –
• IN-GAME SU2C MOMENT: MLB, Stand Up To Cancer and Mastercard will continue the annual Fall Classic tradition of an in-game SU2C moment at Truist Park, with players, umpires, coaches and fans, as they all hold up placards with the names of loved ones affected by the disease. The moment will take place after the 5th inning and will air LIVE on FOX. MLB and its 30 Clubs are the founding donors of SU2C, committing more than $50 million, to date, to SU2C’s innovative cancer research programs.
• YOUTH RECOGNITIONS DURING PREGAME:
• 2021 RBI World Series Champions – Several members from each championship team of the 2021 RBI World Series will be recognized during pregame ceremonies. Teams include Atlanta Braves RBI (junior baseball division), Cincinnati Reds RBI (senior baseball division), and Houston Astros RBI (softball division).
• ** MLB Youth Academy Network “Youth of the Year” –** Ten members of the MLB Youth Academies from around the country and Puerto Rico also will be recognized during pregame ceremonies. The members are their respective Academy’s “Youth of the Year,” which recognizes a member who has had a positive year on and off the field, has overcome challenges in their lives, or has made a positive impact in their community. This year’s honorees include:
• Oswaldo Martinez (_Compton Youth Academy_)
• Shannon Martin Jr. (_New Orleans Youth Academy_)
• Julian Scott (_Houston Astros Youth Academy_)
• Liani Torres (_Philadelphia Phillies Urban Youth Academy_)
• Marcellus Brown (_Nationals Youth Baseball Academy_)
• Ke’Juan McDaniel Watts (_P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy_)
• Gabriel Rios (_DREAM Youth Academy in the Bronx, NY_)
• Diego Aponte Rivera (_Puerto Rico Baseball Academy & High School_)
• Jabari Parker (_Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy_)
• Andrew Reece (_Texas Rangers Youth Academy_)
• JENNIE FINCH EMPOWERMENT AWARD + ARM & HAMMER CHECK PRESENTATION: The third season of the Jennie Finch Empowerment Award presented by ARM & HAMMER, which honored four young women who demonstrated leadership characteristics on and off the field, will conclude prior to Game Four. During a special video presentation, representatives from Church & Dwight Co., Inc., will commemorate a $40,000 scholarship donation ($10,000 on behalf of each winner).
• A blue-ribbon panel, including Finch, chose the winners, with one representing each of the following MLB softball development events:
• Alma Tatem from Detroit P.A.L. RBI – Softball Breakthrough Series
• Stephanie Viera from Paterson (N.J.) RBI – RBI Northeast Regional
• Angelina Sannicandro from the Philadelphia Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy – Jennie Finch Classic
• Makayla Stephens from Atlanta Braves RBI – RBI World Series
• Pitch, Hit & Run and Jr. Home Run Derby Finalists: During Game Four, 40 youth baseball and softball athletes will be recognized for being finalists of MLB’s Youth Skills Competitions – Pitch, Hit & Run presented by MLB Network and Jr. Home Run Derby powered by @MLBDevelops. The youth, ages 7-14, will compete in the finals in Truist Park on Monday, November 1st during the World Series off-day.

“PLAY BALL!”: Hall of Famer, Braves Legend and 1995 World Series Champion Chipper Jones will announce PLAY BALL! before tonight’s Game Three.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA GAME BALL DELIVERY:

• Game Three – Angel Ortiz, 13, a freshman at Moore Middle School and member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta will deliver the game ball for Game Three being accompanied by former Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur.
• Game Four – Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year Brianna Parker, 18, will deliver the Game Four ball accompanied by Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s President & CEO Jim Clark. Throughout 2021, MLB and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (whose headquarters are in Atlanta) have celebrated the 25th year of partnership together.
• Game Five – Olympic Gold Medalist, Atlanta native and Boys & Girls Clubs of America alumna Jackie Joyner-Kersee will accompany another youth member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta for the Game Five ball delivery.

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.