The fun ride continues for Pudge.
The City of Arlington as declared Tuesday, August 8 as Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez Day in honor of the Hall of Fame catcher. That’s right, Pudge finally got his own day, and deservingly so.
He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last month, becoming the 18th catcher to join the club. Rodriguez is also the sixth player who wore the Rangers uniform to be inducted into The Hall.
His 14 All-Star Game selections and 13 Gold Glove Awards are tops for any catcher in history. The Rangers signed Rodriguez at the age of 16 in 1988. He would go on to win the 1999 American League MVP by hitting .332 with 35 home runs, 113 RBI, 116 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. Rodriguez played 13 of his 21 seasons with Texas.
The Rangers will retire his No. 7 jersey Saturday before the game against the division-leading Houston Astros, for whom Rodriguez played during the 2009 season. The on-field ceremony to reveal the retired number will begin at 6:45 p.m. He becomes the third Rangers player to have his uniform retired by the club, joining fellow Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and former manager Johnny Oates.
Rodriguez’ actual Hall of Fame plaque will be on display on the first base concourse this weekend. Fans will be able to view take photos from 5:30 p.m. until the end of the game Friday and from 8 p.m. to the end of the game Saturday.
