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The Dodgers announced on Tuesday that they will play the Cubs on Mar. 21 at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, with all proceeds going to the Christina-Taylor Green Foundation.
It is the second straight year the Dodgers will play in Tucson to benefit the Green foundation, which honors the life and memory of Christina-Taylor through charitable and educational projects that reflect and embody her interests, values and dreams. Last year the Dodgers played the White Sox in Tucson.
The Dodgers also played the Diamondbacks in Tucson in a charity game benefiting the Tucson Together Fund, which helped raise money for families and victims affected by the events of Jan. 8, 2011. Green, the daughter of Dodgers national cross-checker John Green, was one of the victims that day.
"We are very excited the Cubs agreed to play the Dodgers for this year’s game," said John Green. "This game brings everything full circle for me since I played in the Cubs organization and my Dad (Dallas) was their General Manager."
Last year, the Dodgers had several starting position players make the split squad trip to Tucson, which is roughly two hours from their complex at Camelback Ranch. Manager Don Mattingly chose the squad through a process he called Tucsonology, which saw Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Dee Gordon, A.J. Ellis, and Mark Ellis make the trip.
The Dodgers on the mound that day in Tucson featured several young pitching prospects, including Nathan Eovaldi, Allen Webster, Ethan Martin, Angel Sanchez, Zach Lee, Chris Reed, and Shawn Tolleson.
This year, there won't be a split squad, as the Dodgers were previously scheduled to have an off day on Mar. 21.
Before the 2012 Tucson game, general manager Ned Colletti said the Dodgers would be happy to continue to support the Green foundation. Dallas Green gave Colletti his first job in baseball, with the Cubs in January 1982.
"This is special to myself and to the Dodgers for a lot of reasons," Colletti said. "As long as I'm in Arizona training with teams in this part of the country, anytime John wants us down here for a game, I'll be here."