San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — – A multi-city tribute to Puerto Rico’s baseball heritage and players –
21 Events, in collaboration with Discover Puerto Rico, proudly concluded the 2025 edition of Puerto Rico’s Day at the Ballpark, a series of cultural celebrations at select professional baseball stadiums honoring Puerto Rico’s 127-year baseball legacy and its legendary players.
Since debuting in 2023, the series has grown into a marquee cultural activation, showcasing Puerto Rico’s rich heritage through baseball, music, art, and community. This year’s events, held between July 22 and September 6, took place at Citi Field (New York Mets), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies), Truist Park (Atlanta Braves), Rate Field (Chicago White Sox), and PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates).
Celebrating Puerto Rican players and culture
Honorees for the 2025 season included Edwin Díaz, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Baerga, JC Romero, Joe Jiménez, Félix Millán, José Valentín, and John Candelaria, each recognized in on-field tributes. In Pittsburgh, actor Luis Guzmán delivered a memorable ceremonial first pitch before John Candelaria was honored on-field.
At every stop, fans experienced in-stadium activations that brought Puerto Rican culture to life. These included scoreboard videos, stadium-wide takeovers, Puerto Rican music, announcer tributes, interactive kiosks with giveaways, and internal stadium TV spots. Guests received giveaways like commemorative shirts, and curated activations designed to immerse fans in Puerto Rico’s vibrancy.
Adding an artistic dimension to the celebrations, each honored player received an official framed print of “Ritmo y Sazón,” an adaptation of a mural by acclaimed Puerto Rican artist Juan Salgado, originally commissioned by Discover Puerto Rico for the Wynwood Mural Festival at Art Basel. The artwork reflects the island’s spirit; its rhythm, joy, natural beauty, and cultural pride; featuring iconic elements like the coquí’s song and the Maga flower.
Impact & reflections
“Baseball isn’t just a sport in Puerto Rico, it is part of our DNA and deeply tied to our cultural identity,” said Glorianna Yamin, VP of Marketing at Discover Puerto Rico. “The Puerto Rico Day at the Ballpark series honors that legacy, celebrating the contributions of our players while inviting fans everywhere to connect with the warmth and vibrancy of our island. It has been an incredible way to extend the spirit of ‘Live Boricua’ into stadiums across the country.”
Over the past three years, Puerto Rico’s Day at the Ballpark has grown into one of the most visible cultural celebrations in sports, reaching more than 128 million people nationwide; nearly one-third of the U.S. population. The series has drawn over half a million attendees in total, with each event averaging 30,000 fans per game, creating vibrant showcases of Puerto Rican pride across major stadiums. From coast to coast, the initiative has amplified Puerto Rico’s cultural and baseball heritage, delivering lasting impact for both communities and audiences.
“Puerto Rico loves baseball and baseball loves Puerto Rico,” added Ralph Paniagua, Managing Director of 21 Events. “This series continues to spotlight the tremendous contributions of Puerto Rican players past and present, while also celebrating the culture and energy of Puerto Rico in front of fans across the game. We are proud of how this year’s events showcased our heritage with music, art, and unforgettable moments like Luis Guzmán’s first pitch in Pittsburgh.”
Continued growth of the series
In addition to Discover Puerto Rico’s sponsorship, strategic partners, producers, and media allies included LatinoBaseball.com, Joseph Paniagua Productions, Skip Font, HypeSmack, the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Puerto Rico’s Day at the Ballpark series remains a signature cultural celebration that bridges Puerto Rico’s storied past with its vibrant present, reinforcing the island’s enduring connection to the game of baseball.
About Discover Puerto Rico
Discover Puerto Rico is a private, not-for-profit Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) whose mission is to make Puerto Rico visible to the world as a premier travel destination. The DMO brings prosperity to the people of Puerto Rico by collaboratively promoting the Island’s diversity and uniqueness for leisure and business travel, and events. It is responsible for all global marketing, sales, and promotion of the destination and works collaboratively with key local governmental and nongovernmental players throughout Puerto Rico’s visitor economy and the community at large, to empower economic growth. To discover all the beauty the Island has to offer, visit DiscoverPuertoRico.com.
About 21 Events, Inc.
21 Events, based in Puerto Rico, is responsible for producing events that celebrate the Latino culture and the success of their community. 21 Events is a powerhouse sponsorship and activations platform for Latino sports, entertainment, experiential, and digital. 21 Events has spearheaded Fortune 100 brand activations with more than 18 Major League Baseball teams, the Roberto Clemente Exhibit, the Tito Puente Foundation and Jose Feliciano Family, among others.
About latinobaseball.com
Founded in 1992, latinobaseball.com is the keeper of Latino Baseball history played in the Caribbean and U.S.