El Tiante Headed to Baseball Dinner
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Fisher Cats Foundation have confirmed another group of guests for the 2015 Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental. Popular Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant will return to Manchester for the event on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Radisson Hotel Expo Center in downtown Manchester. He'll be joined by former Red Sox pitching coach Rich Gale, former San Diego Padre Greg LaRocca, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Derrick Sylvester, and Miss NH, Holly Blanchard.
The quintet joins a star-studded head table that includes New Hampshire pitching legend Chris Carpenter; Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.; MLB sluggers Dante Bichette and Cecil Fielder; former Red Sox pitcher and current Fisher Cats pitching coach Bob Stanley; Paralympic gold medalist Victoria Arlen; and several more. The celebrities will gather to help raise money for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD), the Ted Williams Foundation, and the Fisher Cats Foundation. Since 2007, the event has donated more than $1.28 million to these charities.
Tiant spent 19 years in the major leagues, winning 229 games for six different teams. His most successful and arguably his most popular seasons were wearing a Red Sox uniform from 1971-78. A three-time All-Star, the Cuban etched his name in Red Sox history with a dominating postseason in 1975, leading the Red Sox at the time to within one win of their first World Series title in almost 60 years.
Before guiding Red Sox pitchers, Gale, a native of Littleton, N.H., played seven years in the majors, including his final season with the Red Sox in 1984. The University of New Hampshire product pitched in two games for the Royals in the 1980 World Series, capping off a 13-win season. He went to Japan in 1985 and pitched the winning game in Hanshin's first-ever Japan Series title. He guided Red Sox pitchers over the 1991-92 seasons.
LaRocca is Manchester High School West's only major leaguer, making his debut with the San Diego Padres in 2000. He spent parts of three seasons in the major leagues with San Diego and Cleveland after illustrious careers at West and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He finished his career with seven seasons in Japan, starring for Hiroshima, Yakult, and Orix.
Sylvester just completed his first full season in the Dodgers minor league organization. The right-hander from Franklin, N.H. was drafted in the 31st round by the Dodgers last year after a stand-out career at Southern New Hampshire University. He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning over 16 appearances this summer between the Dodgers' Arizona League entry and Great Lakes of the Midwest League.
Blanchard is the reigning Miss NH, winning the title at her home high school at Pinkerton Academy in May. The baton-twirling beauty won the crown while sharing her platform, "Charity from the Heart: Giving Time to Make a Difference." A graduate of the University of Connecticut, she is the director of youth programs for Make-A-Wish New Hampshire, and she competed in the Miss American pageant in September.
The Granite State Baseball Dinner begins at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Radisson Hotel Expo Center. It includes an autograph session, dinner, silent and live auctions, raffle prizes, and a Q&A with the celebrities. Tickets are $80, and are available at www.nhfishercats.com.
For more information about the charitable Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, please contact Tom Gauthier, the Fisher Cats' executive director of broadcasting and media relations, at (603) 606-4130 or visit www.nhfishercats.com. Corporate sponsorships are also available. Opening Day 2016 is Thursday, April 14 against the Trenton Thunder at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Full and Half-Season Tickets and a complete 2016 schedule are available by visiting www.nhfishercats.com.