Taiwan-born astronaut to appear at Washington Nationals Taiwan day

Washington, Aug. 22 (CNA) The Washington Nationals will host their second Taiwanese Heritage Day at Nationals Park on Aug. 29, with Taiwan-born NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game against the Miami Marlins.

Lindgren was chosen for the honor because of his status as an accomplished astronaut who connects Taiwan and the United States through his multicultural heritage, the Millennial Global Youth (MGY) Foundation, an organizer of the annual Taiwanese Heritage Day, said Saturday.

Lindgren, whose Chinese name is Lin Chi-erh (林琪兒), was born in Taipei in 1973 while his father was serving in the U.S. Air Force in Taiwan and lived in Taichung for more than two years. His mother, Chang Chu-yun (張楚筠), is Taiwanese.

The upcoming event will be the third time this year that Lindgren has thrown out the first pitch for a Taiwan-related professional baseball event.

He first performed the ceremonial honor before a game between the Rakuten Monkeys and the Wei Chuan Dragons at the Rakuten Taoyuan Baseball Stadium in Taiwan in April.

He then joined Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), the commissioner of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), at Citi Field at the end of July to throw out the first pitch for the New York Mets' annual Taiwanese Heritage Day.

Besides featuring the Taiwan-born NASA astronaut, several booths will be set up around Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. to promote Taiwanese culture to those in attendance, the MGY Foundation said.

Musical events will warm up the crowd ahead of the Aug. 29 game, the foundation said, and Taiwanese-American pianist and singer-songwriter Vienna Teng (史逸欣) will sing the American national anthem, the foundation said.

Another highlight, according to the foundation, will be when a Formosan black bear mascot joins the likes of George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln at the Nationals' famous giant caricature-headed Presidents Race that takes place during the middle innings.

Additionally, participants will have the chance to win a round-trip flight between Washington, D.C., and Taiwan at the MGY Flight Ticket Raffle, courtesy of EVA Air, according to the foundation.

The MGY Foundation is a group composed mainly of second-generation Taiwanese-Americans dedicated to spreading the culture of Taiwan in hopes of promoting multicultural diversity and building relationships within the community.