Eddie Murray to Throw Out Ceremonial First Pitch on September 4th
(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) -- Eddie Murray, who was elected to the Charlotte Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday, September 4th. Murray, an eight-time Major League Baseball All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, will return to Charlotte that night for a special 40th Anniversary celebration of the 1976 Charlotte O's. The special night at the ballpark will also feature a celebration of the 85th Anniversary of Jim Crockett Promotions, thanks to the Crockett Foundation. A full list of other guests, including former Charlotte O's players and professional wrestlers appearing at BB&T Ballpark on September 4th, will be announced in the coming weeks.
In 1976, baseball returned to Charlotte for the first time since the 1972 Charlotte Hornets season. Led by Murray, who was just 20 years old at the time, the inaugural Charlotte O's posted a 74-66 record in 1976. Murray went on to hit .298 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs for the O's in 88 games that season. The following year, the switch-hitting slugger went on to achieve success at the major league level. He hit .283 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles and was named the 1977 American League Rookie of the Year.
Over the course of his 21-year distinguished major league career, Murray compiled a .287 batting average with 3,255 hits, 504 home runs and 1,917 RBIs. A three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Murray helped lead Baltimore to a World Series Championship in 1983. Among some of his other accomplishments, he led the American League in home runs (22) and RBIs (78) in 1981 and finished in the top five in MVP voting six times over his career. His 504 home runs are ranked 27th all-time in Major League Baseball history.
Gates will open at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 4th as the Knights host the Gwinnett Braves (Triple-A Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) in a 7:05 p.m. game from BB&T Ballpark. Sundays are Sunbelt Family Sundays at the ballpark presented by Sunbelt Rentals. After the game, the Knights will light up the Uptown Charlotte skyline with the final fireworks show of the season presented by BB&T and News Talk 1110 WBT.
Single-game tickets for this game, as well as all remaining games during the 2016 season, are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the BB&T Ballpark Ticket Office, online at CharlotteKnights.com, or by phone at 704-274-8282. Uptown Knights Are Better Than Ever!