Major League Baseball’s reigning world champs, the San Francisco Giants, hosted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tuesday night, July 5.
Local Church leaders were on hand for the pre-game award ceremony and the airing of a public service announcement (PSA) featuring the Mormon Helping Hands (MHH) efforts in California. The PSA included photos from MHH projects, food drives, a blood drive and a Scout decorating a grave at Golden Gate National Memorial Cemetery.
In addition to the pre-game ceremonies, more than a dozen Latter-day Saint missionaries assigned to the Bay Area sang the national anthem prior to the first pitch.
Members of the Church have participated for many years in professional sporting events that have dedicated specific games to “Mormon night recognition.” Major League Baseball hosts a number of these days for various organizations around the country each season. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is a chance to utilize nationally recognized venues for a greater awareness of the good they are doing in the community. In California, the “Mormon night” special events have been hosted by teams such as the Dodgers, Angels, Giants and Padres. On the East Coast, the Boston Red Sox have hosted the Church in their park as well.
See a KSL TV story about this event.
Here is the PSA that ran between innings during the game: