An honorary San Francisco Giants bat girl will be taking a swing at breast cancer at this afternoon’s game, the team’s spokeswoman said.
Jennifer Solorio, a breast cancer survivor, will be named an honorary bat girl as the winner of a contest to recognize baseball fans who have been affected by the disease, officials said.
The contest is part of a partnership between Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.
The honorary bat girl program was started in 2009 to raise awareness for the “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer” initiative celebrated every Mother’s Day, a spokeswoman said.
Each team will honor one bat girl, and Solorio is among the 30 winners, officials said.
More than 500,000 fan votes and a panel of celebrity judges determined the winners, who were picked out of 1,500 entrants on the contest’s website, www.HonoraryBatGirl.com.
Solorio was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2010 at age 32, according to the contest’s website. Following her diagnosis, she became an active volunteer with the Sacramento affiliate of Susan G. Koman for the Cure and serves as a co-chair for the Survivors Committee Race for the Cure 2011.
She will be honored in festivities before today’s game versus the Colorado Rockies at 1:05 p.m.
To support the cause, players are expected wear pink ribbons on their uniforms, pink wristbands, and use pink Louisville Slugger bats. The bats will later be auctioned off on Major League Baseball’s website, to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
“We are proud to honor all breast cancer survivors on this special day when we pay tribute to the women who have had an impact on our lives – whether a mother, grandmother, aunt, sister or friend,” Giants President Larry Baer said in a statement.
Rachel Purdy, Bay City News
Want more news, sent to your inbox every day? Then how about subscribing to our email newsletter? Here’s why we think you should. Come on, give it a try.
