HONORARY BAT GIRL CONTEST WINNER FOR THE MARLINS TO BE RECOGNIZED AT MARLINS PARK ON MOTHERS DAY

Nine-Time Grammy Winner and Music Legend Bonnie Raitt Shares Special Video Message to Support Those “Going to Bat against Breast Cancer”

Miami, FL – Major League Baseball announced the 30 winners of the 2012 Honorary Bat Girl program, which recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and demonstrate a commitment to “Going to Bat” in the fight against the disease.  The winner of the Honorary Bat Girl Contest for the Miami Marlins is Gale West from South Florida. In 1988 she lost her mother to breast cancer. This taught her immediately the importance of yearly mammograms and self-examination. In September 2001 she faced the same diagnosis. With the loss of her mother and her own fight, support for awareness has become an important part of Gale’s life.

“As a lifetime fan of baseball I am thrilled and so grateful that MLB has been such a strong voice in creating awareness. It is fantastic to know that when the players swing their pink bats and wear their pink gear on game day they are sending a powerful message to their fans everywhere; truly going to bat against breast cancer,” said Gale West.

In October 2011 Gale celebrated 10 years cancer free by going “to bat” herself with the help of family and friends. Together they raised over $1,000 for research. Gale West is one of the 30 winners, one for each MLB Club. Gale West will take part in a meet and greet with a player, be honored during a pre-game ceremony, and will be given a special Miami Marlins jersey and two tickets to the game.   Each winner was selected by a Guest Judging Panel that includes MLB players and celebrities in addition to fan votes casted on HonoraryBatGirl.com.

Nine-time Grammy award winner Bonnie Raitt, who lost her brother and close friends to cancer, recorded a special video at the MLB Fan Cave to lend her support to the Honorary Bat Girl initiative and the ongoing fight to eradicate the disease.  The video, which will run online and in-stadium, can be seen at http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=21041567&c_id=mlb . The Guest Judging Panel who helped select the 30 winners included MLB players Joe Blanton of the Philadelphia Phillies, whose mom is a breast cancer survivor; Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves, whose aunt passed away from lung cancer; Howie Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, whose best friend’s mom is a breast cancer survivor; and Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants, whose mom was affected by cancer.  Also on the Guest Panel was MLB Network host Chris Rose, who has several close friends who have been affected by the disease; international soccer star Mia Hamm, supporter of the Honorary Girl Initiative with former MLB player and current ESPN analyst Nomar Garciaparra, whose grandmother passed away from breast cancer; actor James Denton of Desperate Housewives, who lost his mother to breast cancer. 

Also on Mother’s Day, hundreds of MLB players are expected to use pink bats by Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, stamped with the MLB breast cancer awareness logo. To further demonstrate their support for the breast cancer cause, players and on-field personnel will wear the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms along with pink wrist bands. Commemorative dugout lineup cards also will be pink.

The Honorary Bat Girl Contest was introduced in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer initiative celebrated on Mother’s Day. In 2006, Major League Baseball created the “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer” program.  Since its beginnings, MLB has continued to grow the program throughout the League and with all 30 Clubs to honor those affected by the disease. Along with MLB licensed partners and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, MLB raises awareness about the breast cancer cause. Game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats from Mother’s Day games that have been authenticated by MLB will be auctioned exclusively on MLB.com to benefit cancer research. To learn more about Major League Baseball’s charitable initiatives visit MLBCommunity.org.