Texas Rangers will honor new National Baseball Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez on Friday and Saturday, August 11-12. Here are some details for this special weekend:
Dr Pepper Hall of Fame Luncheon on August 11
The weekend will begin with the Dr Pepper Hall of Fame Luncheon on Friday, August 11 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. Rodriguez will be honored by a number of special guests including a pair of fellow Hall of Famers, second baseman Roberto Alomar and Ferguson Jenkins, National Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson, and Rangers Hall of Famers, including Tom Grieve, Eric Nadel, Jeff Russell, and Tom Schieffer. FSSW's John Rhadigan will be the master of ceremonies.
The Hall of Fame Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. and tickets, priced at $100 each, remain for the luncheon. The net proceeds will benefit the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. Tickets can be purchased at texasrangers.com/halloffame or by calling 817-622-7883. Other luncheon sponsors include FOX Sports Southwest, 105.3 The FAN, TXA21, and CBS11.
They Call Me Pudge Book Signing on August 11
Ivan Rodriguez will have a signing for his new book, They Call Me Pudge: My Life Playing the Game I Love, on Friday, August 11 from 4:30-5:45 p.m. at the Majestic Grand Slam Gift Shop at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Rodriguez is expected to sign a limited number of books which must be purchased at the Gift Shop during the signing. The book signing is open to all individuals with a ticket to the Rangers-Astros game on Friday, August 11, a 7:05 p.m. start. Individuals wishing to attend should go to the East Centerfield Gate at Globe Life Park in Arlington to enter the Gift Shop.
Pre-game Ceremony to Retire #7 on August 12
Rodriguez will become the third Ranger to have his uniform number retired by the club when #7 is added to the left field façade of Globe Life Park prior to the game on Saturday, August 12. The on-field ceremony will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m., and first pitch of the Houston Astros-Rangers game has been moved back to 7:35 p.m.
Alomar and Idelson will participate in the ceremony with members of Rodriguez' family, Rangers' Hall of Famers, and former teammates also in attendance. This will include a number of former Rangers who wore the number 7 before and after Rodriguez played with the club. A number of other special highlights are also planned. The first 15,000 fans entering Globe Life Park that evening will receive a PowerAde/Walmart Pudge Rodriguez Baseball HOF Bobblehead.
There are approximately 3000 reserved seats remaining for August 12.
Rangers and Astros "Turn Back the Clock" to 1999
On Saturday, August 12, the Rangers will wear home uniforms from the 1999 season, when Texas won its third A.L. West Division title in four seasons and Ivan Rodriguez earned the BBWAA A.L. Most Valuable Player Award. The Astros will sport their road uniforms from 1999, when they earned their third consecutive N.L. Central Division crown.
Hall of Fame Plaque on Display
The National Baseball Hall of Fame will have Rodriguez' actual Hall of Fame plaque on display on the Globe Life Park in Arlington first base main concourse on August 11 and 12. Fans can view and take photos of the bronze Hall of Fame plaque on Friday from 5:30 p.m.-end of the game (game time is 7:05 p.m.) and on Saturday from 8:00 p.m.-end of the game.
The plaque will make its way from Cooperstown, New York in time to also be on display at Friday's Dr Pepper Hall of Fame Luncheon in Fort Worth. The plaque is on permanent display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Pudge Hall of Fame Merchandise
The Majestic Grand Slam Shop is carrying a line of Ivan Rodriguez Hall of Fame merchandise, including the jersey patches and Stack Socks that the team wore during the Baltimore series this past weekend.
Rodriguez will join Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan (#34) in 1996 and former manager Johnny Oates (#26) in 2005 with retired Rangers' numbers. In addition, Major League Baseball retired the number 42 worn by Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in the major leagues, in 1997,
The Rangers' weekend to honor Rodriguez will take place following his induction this past Sunday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Rodriguez joined first baseman Jeff Bagwell, outfielder Tim Raines, former Royals and Braves General Manager John Schuerholz and former commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig as the inductees in the Class of 2017.
For tickets and more information, please go to texasrangers.com or call 972-RANGERS.