IL1 Rochester Red Wings

Five Former Major Leaguers to Make Appearances at Frontier Field this Summer

Published on June 19, 2012 under International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - Five former major leaguers will make appearances at Frontier Field this summer, including former Twins Jim Kaat and Kent Hrbek, as well as John Flaherty, Dave Stewart, and Gregg Zaun. All five will host free autograph sessions on the following dates, beginning tomorrow with Stewart:

Player Date Game

Stewart Tomorrow Red Wings vs. Durham, 7:05 p.m.

Kaat July 24 Red Wings vs. Syracuse, 7:05 p.m.

Flaherty July 31 Empire State Yankees vs. Pawtucket, 7:05 p.m.

Zaun August 6 Red Wings vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Hrbek August 8 Red Wings vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Each of the five players will sign autographs in the Red Wings Hall of Fame from 6:00 - 6:50 p.m. and from 7:15 - 8:00 p.m. on their respective nights. They will also throw the Ceremonial First Pitch prior to their game.

Stewart won 20 games four seasons in a row from 1987-90 and played on three different World Series champions (Dodgers, A's, Blue Jays). He was the ALCS MVP in both 1990 and 1993, the World Series MVP in 1989, and pitched a no-hitter for Oakland against Toronto on June 29, 1990. He compiled a 2.77 ERA over 22 post-season games. Stewart was the Roberto Clemente Award recipient in 1990, presented to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team." Stewart's post-playing baseball career has included stints as a big league pitching coach and assistant general manager, and is currently the head of Sports Management Partners.

Kaat is a color commentator for MLB Network's Thursday Night Baseball series, following a distinguished baseball broadcasting career and 25 years as a major league pitcher. Kaat did commentary for MSG and YES from 1995 to 2006, and won a New York Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Coverage Series in 1998. Kaat has won seven Emmy Awards for sports broadcasting and has been nominated for many more. Kaat made his major league debut in 1959 with the Washington Senators. Over his 25-year playing career, he compiled 283 wins with an an ERA of 3.45 with six teams. Kaat was a three-time All-Star, won a record 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. He pitched for the Minnesota Twins for 15 seasons, and holds the single-season (25 in 1966) and career (190) wins records for the club. He was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2001.

Former New York Yankees catcher Flaherty joined the YES team in the spring of 2006 as field reporter, studio analyst and game analyst for YES' Yankees telecasts. He received a New York Emmy Award nomination in 2011 for his analyst work at YES. Drafted by Boston in 1988, Flaherty progressed within the Red Sox farm system before joining the parent club in 1992. He played 14 major league seasons with five teams (Red Sox 1992-93, Detroit Tigers 1994-96, San Diego Padres 1996-97, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1998-02 and the Yankees 2003-05). He is best known to many Yankees fans for his 2004 pinch-hit walk-off single that ended a 13-inning regular season game against the Red Sox. In 2005, he became Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson's personal catcher, in addition to backing up starting catcher Jorge Posada. During his MLB career, he had a .252 batting average in 1,047 games and collected 849 hits, including 80 home runs.

Zaun played for the Red Wings for four seasons from 1993-96. He spent 16 seasons in the majors as a catcher, starting with the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 and later capturing a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins in 1997. Zaun also enjoyed five seasons with the Blue Jays from 2004-2008. He began his broadcasting career with Rogers Sportsnet after the Jays closed out their 2006 season. Zaun announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in March 2011 and signed a two-year deal with Rogers Sportsnet as its full-time Major League Baseball analyst.

Hrbek grew up in the shadows of old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington and was destined to become a Minnesota Twin. The big kid treated Twins fans to much excitement from the day he first donned a Twins uniform and homered in the 12th inning at Yankee Stadium to give the Twins a win on August 24, 1981 until the last game of his career, August 10, 1994, when he came up with the bases loaded three times against Boston as the fans were on their feet every at-bat. Hrbek, who was the runner-up to Cal Ripken for American League Rookie of the Year in 1982, made his only All-Star appearance that season. He is among club leaders in nearly every offensive category, but may be best-remembered for his Game 6 grand slam in the 1987 World Series or for his tag of Ron Gant in Game 2 of the 1991 World Series. Hrbek had his No. 14 formally retired on August 13, 1995. He was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2000.

For ticket information, call (585) 423-WING (9464).

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