Future Hall of Famer Ripken Coming to Augusta
May 30, 2007 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Augusta, GA - Future Hall of Famer and GreenJackets owner Cal Ripken Jr. will be in Augusta on Tuesday, June 12. This is the one and only scheduled visit this summer for Ripken, one month before he is to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ripken will be recognized as one of the elite players to have ever put on a baseball uniform when he is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 29 along with the San Diego Padres Tony Gwynn. Ripken was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility receiving 537 votes out of 545 ballots, a percentage of 98.5.
Ripken was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 1978 amateur draft and played his entire career with the Orioles before retiring after the 2001 season. Along the way he was voted to 19 All-Star teams, was a two-time Most Valuable Player and played in 2,632 consecutive games, breaking the previous mark of 2,130 games set by Lou Gehrig, a record that stood for 56 years.
The GreenJackets will be taking on division rival, the Asheville Tourists with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Asheville is currently in second place behind first place Augusta. The GreenJackets held the top spot in the division for the first 37 games of the season with Asheville claiming first place for five days from May 14-19. The GreenJackets took over first place again on May 20 and still sit atop the division with 18 days left in the first half.
The team that finishes with the best record in the first half of the season is guaranteed a playoff spot in September. Augusta and Asheville will play seven more times before the first half of the season ends. On June 12, it will be the second to last meeting between the two squads.
It's a Hall of Fame summer this year at Lake Olmstead Stadium, culminating during Hall of Fame Weekend in July. On Saturday, July 28 the GreenJackets will honor Ripken with a Cal Ripken Jr. Hall of Fame Plaque giveaway, courtesy of Petsch Respiratory. The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive one.
Individual game tickets start as low as $5.00 per person. For more information on the event and for tickets call the GreenJackets office at 706-736-7889, or check out the official GreenJackets web site at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 30, 2007
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