Philadelphia, PA – Sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute, the first Greek Heritage Night brought out some 800 Greek baseball fans to the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies.
The evening featured several Greek moments that started with a commercial about Greece on the big screen. The two minute feature documented some of the travel destinations people come to Greece for.
Minutes later, the 1st pitched ball, was thrown out by Christos P. Panagopoulos, the ambassador of Greece to the United States, that was followed by a hug from famed team mascot, the Philly Phanatic.
Greek members of the community were seen around the stadium, but especially in sections 105 and 112. Flags were seen waved and families smiling waiting for the moment that cameras would pan on them.
While the Phillies fell behind early to the Rockies, they didn’t disappoint. Perhaps the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox church dancers “Pegasus” had something to do with it. Following the end of the 5th inning, they rallied the dancers on to the field where they performed a Greek dance and were joined by the Philly Phanatic, who was dressed in traditional Greek Folk Army guard attire.
Late in the game, the Phillies rallied in the 9th inning and beat the Rockies 6-3, maybe with a little help from the Greeks.