Padres Series Starts Friday - Scheduled Autograph Sessions, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Friday against the San Diego Padres, and several former Dodgers are scheduled for an autograph session with fans during Sundays Viva Los Dodgers event.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

The eleventh 2016 issue of the new Dodger Insider magazine, spotlighting the Dodgers’ push toward a title despite the injury to Clayton Kershaw, will be available at Dodger Stadium.  (see it on the left).  On the cover are Kenley Jansen, Adrian Gonzalez, Kenta Maeda, Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Dave Roberts.  The Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand.  They are distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. 

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Friday, September 2nd at 7:10 PM
LHP Clayton Richard vs. LHP Julio Urías
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

Friday's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:40 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:10 PM.  It is Friday Night Fireworks, so fans will be able to go down onto the field after the game to watch the spectacle. The night's theme will be National Piano Month Celebration.  Song selections include: “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Mess Around” by Ray Charles, “Rocket Man” by Elton John, “In Between Days” by Ben Folds and “Clocks” by Coldplay.   Go here for more information on Friday Night Fireworks.

It is Hello Kitty Night at Dodger Stadium.  Folks who ordered a special ticket package will get an exclusive Hello Kitty Night t-shirt.  See that on the right.  If not already sold out go here for information.  This is already sold out.

Hello Kitty will be in the left-field plaza from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. DJ Adam will provide musical entertainment in the right-field plaza and an iHeart DJ will be in the left-field plaza from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Former Los Angeles Rams Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson will throw a first pitch.

It is also the 1st Annual Catholic Night at Dodger Stadium.  Discounted tickets are available here.  The evening will kick off with two ceremonial first pitches thrown by two of the three newest Auxiliary Bishops serving the Archdiocese – Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, Auxiliary Bishop for the San Fernando Pastoral Region and Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region. Friday Night Fireworks presented by Denny’s takes place immediately following the game.

The Dodgers will join Major League Baseball and all MLB Clubs in a league-wide effort to raise childhood cancer awareness by dedicating a special “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” tomorrow. The Dodgers and partner Cedars-Sinai, the official medical center of the Dodgers, will honor four-and-a-half-year-old patient Nathan Flores of Culver City. Nathan will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Nathan has been battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) for more than a year, but is now in remission, thanks to treatment at Cedars-Sinai led by Dr. Fae Majlessipour and Dr. Shivani Upadhyay. Nathan will be joined on the field by his parents, Natalie and Omar, and other family members. 

• The Military Hero of the Game is U.S. Army Colonel Manuel V. Espinosa of Belvedere. Espinosa served in numerous stateside and overseas intelligence assignments, including assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, and NATO Special Operations Forces. He holds master’s degrees in the strategic intelligence and strategic studies fields and his decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge and the Army’s Knowlton Award for Excellence in Intelligence Service.   
• The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) conducts silent auctions throughout the season featuring signed pieces of memorabilia from Dodger players, coaches and alumni. Auctions take place behind the Vin Scully press box on the club level. The items for auction tomorrow include a Justin Turner autographed jersey, a Kenley Jansen autographed photo and an Adrián González autographed baseball. More than 25 items will be up for bid.

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Saturday, September 3rd at 6:10 PM
RHP Luis Perdomo vs. TBD 
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

Saturday's game starts at 6:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 3:40 PM, and stadium gates open at 4:10 PM. 

It is 15th Annual Scouts Day and Egg Drop Contest at Dodger Stadium.  The Egg Drop Contest will be held in Lot G at 1:30PM prior to the game.  If not already sold out go here for information.

DJ Adam will provide musical entertainment in the right-field plaza, an iHeart DJ will be in the left-field plaza, Dhara World Music band will be in the right-field reserve and Michael O will provide musical entertainment in the left-field reserve from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Dodgers will join in on LA Fleet Week™ 2016, a celebration of U.S. armed forces at the Port of Los Angeles. The four-day festival is hosting active military ships along the Los Angeles waterfront and features public ship tours, military equipment demos, live entertainment, educational activities and more. LA Fleet Week at Dodger Stadium Saturday will feature a ceremonial first pitch, performances by Navy Band Southwest and a Military Hero of the Game. Commanding Officer of USS America Captain Joseph R. Olson will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Olson received his commission from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. His long and dedicated service earned him the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, five Meritorious Service Medals, four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and other awards.

The Dodgers are also partnering with OneLegacy, a Southern California nonprofit dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donations. Every day, nearly 20,000 men, women and children in California wait for a life-saving organ transplant. A single donor has the power to save up to eight lives through organ donation, and to enhance many more lives through tissue donation. The Dodgers will play host to an on-field recognition of OneLegacy Ambassadors who are organ recipients or who represent people who were organ donors.

• The Military Hero of the Game is U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist Third Class Jon T. Kimmel of Pocono, PA. He reported to Base Los Angeles Long Beach in 2015, where he serves as a member of the newly activated Base Security team. Kimmel is also a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and deployed for 15 months to Iraq. His awards include the Iraqi Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge, Army Achievement Medal and Coast Guard Good Conduct.

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Sunday, September 4th at 1:10 PM
SNLA/AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

Sunday's game starts at 1:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 10:40 AM, and stadium gates open at 11:10 AM.  The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a #32 Sandy Koufax Retired Numbers Pin.  See it on the right.

It is Viva Los Dodgers in the Dodgers parking lot prior to the game at the Historic 76 Station.  Festivities begin at 11:10 AM.  Entertainment will be provided by Soto Band and DJ Angie Vee. Dodger alumni Lee Lacy and Dennis Powell will sign autographs for fans.

This Sunday is also "TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO A GAME" Day at Dodger Stadium.  It is sponsored by a new Fox tv series called "Pitch."  It is about a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball.  The family-friendly day will begin before the game, at 11:00 AM, when fans can enter the PITCH Zone Experience, a batting cage where they can step up to the plate and test their skills. Participants will take away a personalized PITCH baseball trading card, as well as other giveaways. This activation will be located behind the Left Field Pavilion until 3:30 PM. Then, after the game, fans will have the exclusive chance to watch the season premiere of FOX’s new drama, PITCH, on the Dodgers’ DiamondVision screen.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, HLN TV host and host of his own daily radio show in Los Angeles on KABC, will perform the national anthem.

• The Military Hero of the Game is U.S. Army veteran Specialist Third Class Dimas P. Garcia of Los Angeles. He joined the Army during the Korean War in 1954. His military career included duties as a tank ammunition loader, tank gunner and tank commander leading a five-tank M48 platoon. He received the Army Medal of Honor during peacetime in 1955 for maneuvers performed at Camp Polk, LA. After his service, he worked as a military aircraft painter at Northrup Corporation.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) conducts silent auctions throughout the season featuring signed pieces of memorabilia from Dodger players, coaches and alumni. Auctions take place behind the Vin Scully press box on the club level. The items for auction Sunday include a Kiké Hernández autographed jersey, an Adrián González autographed photo and a Chase Utley autographed baseball. More than 25 items will be up for bid.

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