Grich, Baylor here Aug. 9 for IL HOF ceremony

Former Red Wings Bobby Grich, Don Baylor and Mike Ryba will be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame before the Monday, August 9 home game between the Wings and the Gwinnett Braves at Frontier Field. Both Grich and Baylor will be present for the pre-game ceremony, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a commemorative poster compliments of CLEAR Wireless.

Both Grich and Baylor were Minor League Players of the Year with Rochester Red Wings teams of the early 1970’s. Don Baylor won the honor in 1970 during his first of two All-Star campaigns with the Red Wings. He was immediately succeeded by teammate Grich, who led the 1971 Red Wings to the Governors’ Cup and Junior World Series championships as the IL Most Valuable Player.

Another Rochester legend elected to the IL Hall of Fame in 2010 is pitcher Mike Ryba, who remains among the franchise leaders in winning percentage and ERA seven decades after receiving the League’s Most Valuable Player Award. Ryba won 42 games for the Red Wings in two seasons, posting a 2.82 ERA. Ryba, Baylor and Grich are also members of the Red Wings Hall of Fame.

The IL Hall, dormant since 1964, was formally revived in 2008 during the League’s 125th anniversary season with a class of 27 former players, managers, and executives. On the heels of a 14-member class in 2009, the Class of 2010 is the third of a three-year transition period as the Hall of Fame heads towards an annual induction of no more than three individuals beginning in 2011.

Click here for the official press release from the International League.
Click here for stats on all of the 2010 inductees.
Click here for a complete list of IL Hall of fame members.
Click here for the IL Hall of Fame section at ILBaseball.com.
Click here for an audio interview between WHAM Radio's Bill Flynn and Don Baylor, conducted in August of 1987 while Don was with Boston. Don was traded from Boston to Minnesota after the interview, in which he talks about his role as a player rep, the need for blacks to have more chances to be decision makers in baseball, the 1971 Red Wings season, and why the support of Red Wings fans made Rochester his favorite place to play in the minors.