The Los Angeles Dodgers will hold their sixth annual LGBT Night Friday evening, including hosting the official 2018 LA Pride kickoff party.
The party will be held from 5:30-7:10 p.m. at Dodger Stadium’s Right Field Plaza Bar.
The ceremonial first pitch before the game against the Atlanta Braves will be thrown by Dale Scott, Major League Baseball’s first openly gay umpire.
Other scheduled guests include Olympic silver-medal winning freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy.
Varsity Gay League founder Will Hackner will be honored during pregame ceremonies with a Dodgers Community Hero Award. The league is the nation’s largest LGBT recreational sports league, with programs in 13 cities in eight states. VGL members will play kickball in the outfield following batting practice.
The national anthem will be performed by Brian Justin Crum, the fourth-place finisher for the 2016 season of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
A fireworks show set to a special music mix by DJ BowieJane is scheduled to follow the game. Fans will be invited onto the field to watch the show, which will take place before 11 p.m. and is subject to cancellation if the game lasts too long, like all of the Friday night fireworks shows at Dodger Stadium.
The Military Hero of the Game will be retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer William Duckworth, who joined the Marine Corps Reserve program in 1970 and served active duty assignments at Camp Pendleton, the Washington Naval Yard and the Marine Corps Reserve Support Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Duckworth is involved with the various veterans programs and events at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Metrolink is adding service on its Antelope Valley and San Bernardino lines beginning Friday evening to accommodate fans for Friday and select Saturday Dodger games.
Food specials for the eight-game homestand are Smoked BBQ Chicken Nachos, smoked chicken smothered in house-made sweet smoky barbecue sauce served on top of triangle-cut nacho chips, topped with green onions and cheddar cheese; Frito pie extreme dog, an all-beef hot dog topped with Fritos, chili, nacho cheese, diced onion, black beans, pickled jalapenos and sour cream; and turkey pastrami gravy fries, crispy french fries tossed in gourmet sea salt topped with turkey pastrami, brown gravy and chopped parsley.