ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – “Take me out to the ball game, Mister White.” That’s definitely not a quote from the hit TV series that helped raise Albuquerque’s international profile, but there’s a good chance you could hear it when the stars of Breaking Bad return to Isotopes Park in a month.
Bryan Cranston (Walter White) and Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) are expected to throw out the first pitch and sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at the Isotopes game on Saturday, July 30. The duo are also slated to host a silent auction at the park that night, with proceeds benefitting the New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers and Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico.
The game versus the Las Vegas Aviators is slated to start at 6:35 p.m. on July 30. Adding some New Mexico flair, Blake’s Lotaburger will also host it’s Green Chile Cheeseburgers Night that evening, and the ballpark will a host a postgame fireworks show.
The Isotopes say the silent auction should make for some interesting opportunities, as well. They’re promising items items from Cranston and Paul’s personal collections, presumably to include some memorabilia from the show. Exactly what those items will be has yet to be announced.
Speaking of Albuquerque in a news release Thursday, Cranston said the city will “always have a warm place” in his heart. Albuquerque has hosted 16-years worth of shoots for the Breaking Bad series, including the spinoff series “Better Call Saul,” and the direct-to-streaming movie “El Camino.”
“Albuquerque was our creative home throughout the run of Breaking Bad,” Cranston said. “Now, Aaron and I thought we can do something to say thank you in the best way possible, by raising money for two very important charities that serve the ABQ community, while also having fun at the ballpark.”
The Isotopes franchise says the auction will begin exclusively at the ballpark when the gates open at 5:30 p.m. The auction is expected to last through the fifth inning. Auction winners will be invited to attend a private photo op with both Cranston and Paul during that night’s game.
“ABQ: we see you,” Paul said in a statement attached to the Isotopes press release. “We were so grateful the city was an important part of the stories, because it was a character as well. Thank you, Albuquerque.”
The Isotopes have welcome several other Breaking Bad cast members to special events in the past. In 2011, Cranston pitched in the Isotopes celebrity baseball game.
