Pat Gillick to Throw Out First Pitch Tuesday

2011 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Phillies General Manager Pat Gillick will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the IronPigs game at Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday, July 26 at 7:05 p.m., the club announced today. Pat Gillick's appearance coincides with the first 3,000 fans 18 and older attending Tuesday's game receiving a Pat Gillick Hall of Fame bobblehead courtesy of Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Tickets for all upcoming IronPigs games can be purchased in-person at Coca-Cola Park, by calling (610) 841-PIGS or online at ironpigsbaseball.com. Despite leading all of Minor League Baseball in average attendance in 2010 with 9,227 fans per game, prices for single-game tickets remain identical for the fourth consecutive season and start as low as $6 for General Admission, granting fans access to the Capital BlueCross Lawn seating area and standing room only areas. Field Level reserved seats are just $9.

The architect of three World Series champions including the 2008 Phillies, Gillick will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, this Sunday after receiving election on December 6, 2010, by the Expansion Era Committee. He became just the fourth individual elected whose career has been defined nearly exclusively as a team architect, joining Ed Barrow, Branch Rickey and George Weiss.

Prior to being named GM of the Phillies on November 2, 2005, Gillick held the same position with the Blue Jays (1978-94), Orioles (1996-98) and Mariners (2000-2003). His career record as a GM stands at 2,276-1,993 (.533), including at least 91 wins in six of his final nine seasons. His resume includes two World Series championships (1992-93) and five AL East titles (1985, 1989, 1991-93) with Toronto, one AL East title (1997) and one wild card berth (1996) with Baltimore, one AL West title (2001) and one wild card berth (2000) with Seattle and one World Series championship (2008) and two NL East titles (2007-08) with Philadelphia.

Before beginning his noteworthy career as a baseball executive, Gillick was a left-handed pitcher in the Baltimore and Pittsburgh organizations. A native of Chico, Calif., he pitched collegiately at USC and was a member of the NCAA College World Series championship team in 1958.

Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for all remaining IronPigs home games presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are dedicated to providing family-friendly entertainment and are the only Minor League team to offer bubbles to fans entering the AT&T Plaza and balloons for all children exiting Coca-Cola Park.