Juneteenth: Arizona Diamondbacks Commemorating Holiday Saturday

PHOENIX, AZ — The Arizona Diamondbacks will commemorate the Juneteenth holiday during the team's game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

The team will start its holiday by hosting a free clinic with Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church as part of MLB's Reviving Baseball in Innercities program.

The program will be held at Randy Johnson Field at Eastlake Park, and is free to all participants from metro Phoenix's two Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as members of Pilgrim Rest, the team said.

Saturday night, Pilgrim Rest's Nancy Taylor will perform the National Anthem prior to first pitch, with the church's choir performing "Lift Every Voice and Song" later that night.

The D-backs game against the Dodgers starts at 7:10 p.m. Saturday.

Dave Matthews Band member and former Pilgrim Rest keyboard player Buddy Strong will catch the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday, with Reverend Dr. Terry Mackey of the church throwing out the pitch.

The team will also honor the Greater Phoenix Urban League, as well as the George Washington Carver Museum and Base Arizona, in addition to ASU's director for the Study of Race and Democracy, Lois Brown.

Additionally, the D-backs will have a host of special food items on Saturday night, including the fried apple pie recipe of acclaimed Black chef Edna Lewis, who was the first Black woman from the American South to have a cookbook in her own name.

The dessert item will be available at Taste of Chase (near section 130) and Red Hot (near section 322).

For more information on the D-backs Juneteenth celebration, visit the team's website.