WooSox Host Portuguese Heritage Night, First of 10 Heritage Nights, on Tuesday, April 25
On Tuesday, April 25, the Worcester Red Sox hosted Portuguese Heritage Night at Polar Park, on the 49th anniversary of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution, which ended the Portuguese Colonial War and sparked the country's transition from a fascist government to a democracy. Approximately one-third of Hudson residents are of Portuguese
On Tuesday, April 25, the Worcester Red Sox hosted Portuguese Heritage Night at Polar Park, on the 49th anniversary of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution, which ended the Portuguese Colonial War and sparked the country's transition from a fascist government to a democracy.
Approximately one-third of Hudson residents are of Portuguese descent or birth, and several were featured in the WooSox' Portuguese Heritage Night pre-game ceremonies.
Kevin Santos, the third-team president of the Hudson Portuguese Club, delivered a Ceremonial First Pitch. Founded in 1917, the club has served as "a home away from home" for waves of Portuguese immigrants and their families who first made their way to the mill town of Hudson, Massachusetts. Santos is a first-generation American born to Portuguese immigrant parents.
The musical group of the Hudson Portuguese Club, Nossa Senhora das Candeias, performed two original songs during pre-game ceremonies. The group travels all over New England performing music inspired by the Azorean Islands with a select set from mainland Portugal. Performing at the WooSox game were Artur Chaves, Victor Chaves, Marta Reis Costa, Jose "Joe" Leandres, Manuel Santos, Juvenalia Chaves, Laura Fontes, and Kevin Santos.
Hudson resident Sonia Bettencourt, who was born in the Asian country of East Timor before moving to Portugal at an early age, performed the Portuguese national anthem and the Star-Spangled Banner. A Luso-American fado singer, Bettencourt sings in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. In April of 2018, her original fado, titled, "Fado Meu," won "Best Fado Performance of 2018" at the International Portuguese Music Awards.
To conclude pre-game ceremonies, 13-year-old Hudson native Simon Cordeiro, a student at David J. Quinn Middle School, delivered the Rodenhiser Game Ball to the Mound. His twin brother, Bernardo, enjoyed the honors of beginning the WooSox' game against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders by saying, "Play Ball!"
Portuguese Heritage Night was the first of 10 Heritage Nights scheduled for the 2023 season. The rest are Irish Heritage Night (May 2), Albanian Heritage Night (May 4), Greek Heritage Night (June 9), Ghanaian Heritage Night (June 24), Jewish Heritage Day (June 25), Southeast Asia Heritage Night (July 7), Italian Heritage Night (August 8), Polish Heritage Night (September 2), and Korean Heritage Night (September 13).
The WooSox lost their games on April 25 and April 26 before winning the next four games of the six-game series. As of Saturday evening, May 6, the WooSox are 4–1 in their 7-game series against the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.