The Fredericksburg Nationals celebrated what would have been the 21st birthday of Harambe, the gorilla who tragically lost his life at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016, on Saturday.
Harambe, born on May 27, 1999, would have turned 21 on Thursday, when the FredNats are in North Carolina for a six-game series against the Down East Wood Ducks, so they marked the occasion a bit early to celebrate Harambe's life in front of their home fans.
To honor Harambe, the FredNats wore Harambe-themed replica jerseys emblazoned with photos of Harambe across the stomach and on the sleeves.
The FredNats are auctioning off the game-worn Harambe jerseys through Sunday, May 30, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Gorilla Stichting Nederland, a conservation group devoted to protecting gorilla populations in Central Africa.
So far, Junior Martina's No. 4 jersey and a team autographed No. 50 jersey have fetched the highest bids, at $660 and $690, respectively.
The first 1,000 fans into FredNats Ballpark received a custom Harambe beer stein.
It was a rare highlight for what's been a tumultuous inaugural season for the FredNats, who got off to a historically awful 0-15 start before earning their first win — a 2-1 victory over the Salem Red Sox — last Friday. According to the organization, it was the fourth-worst start in minor league history behind the 1968 Leesburg A's, which began 0-16. As of Tuesday afternoon, the FredNats are 1-17 (.056) with a minus-123 run differential.
Like Harambe, Saturday's game was tragically lost, with the FredNats falling 4-1 to Salem.
