They’ll be yelling more than just, “Play Ball!” at many of the Worcester Red Sox games this 2021 home baseball season.
You will hear “¡Wepa!” coming from the stands as fans cheer on the Minor League team.
For seven games the Worcester Red Sox will change their name to “Los Wepas de Worcester” as part of the Copa de la Diversión,” season-long series embracing the culture and color of the Hispanic-Latino community.
Worcester resident Daniel Velazquez Came up with the idea of naming the team after the popular Puerto Rican phrase, “¡Wepa!”.
“I am an artist myself; part of it was the alliteration,” said Velazquez. “Any Latin person you come across, you can say, ‘Wepa’, and they will know exactly what you’re saying. It’s almost like a Batman comic book when you see, ‘Bam!’ pop out of the page.”
For those of you wondering, the Spanish language expression, “!Wepa!” means, “All right! Good job! Congratulations! Yeah!”
Velazquez will be honored with a Ceremonial First Pitch prior to the first Los Wepas de Worcester game at Polar Park on Sunday, June 6 against the Rochester Red Wings.
Here’s the schedule the team is expected to don Los Wepas caps and jerseys:
- Sunday, June 6 at 1:05 pm vs. Rochester
- Tuesday, July 27 at 6:35 pm vs. Buffalo
- Sunday, August 1 at 1:05 pm vs. Buffalo
- Friday, August 13 at 6:35 pm vs.Syracuse
- Saturday, August 14 at 4:05 pm vs. Syracuse
- Wednesday, August 18 at 6:35 pm vs.Scranton/WB
- Tuesday, September 7 at 6:35 pm vs. Lehigh Valley
The “Copa de la Diversión” celebration will include ballpark music, food, entertainment, and community spotlights.
