McMillon to be Inducted into Charlotte Baseball Round Table of Honor

(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) -- On Sunday, May 3, the Charlotte Knights will induct Billy McMillon into the Charlotte Baseball Round Table of Honor. McMillon, a standout with the Charlotte Knights for two seasons (1996--97), will be inducted before the 2:05 p.m. game against the Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox). McMillon, a 2019 inductee into the International League Hall of Fame, will embark on his second season as the manager of the PawSox this year.

Originally drafted by the Florida Marlins in the eighth round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft, McMillon excelled at Clemson University from 1991-1993. While at Clemson, he earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference twice and first-team All-American once. On October 6, 2012, he was honored for his collegiate achievements and inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame.

With the Knights, McMillon took home International League Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 after leading the league in batting average with an impressive .352 mark -- the highest single-season mark in Knights franchise history. For the season, he finished with 122 hits, 72 runs scored, 32 doubles, 17 home runs and 70 RBIs en route to his first of three All-Star nods. He returned to the Knights a season later and became just the second player in Knights history to hit three home runs in a game. McMillon was named to the “All Knights Stadium Team” in 2013 during the team’s final season at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill.

For his professional playing career, McMillon compiled a career .304 batting average with 1,101 hits, 652 runs scored, 256 doubles, 20 triples, 127 home runs, and 610 RBIs in 992 games over 11 Minor League Baseball seasons. He was a career .310 hitter over 600 International League games with the Knights, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, Toledo Mud Hens, and Columbus Clippers. He captured his second IL batting title in 2000 when he hit .345 with the Mud Hens. Overall, he also appeared in 269 games in the majors with the Marlins (1996-97), the Philadelphia Phillies (1997), the Detroit Tigers (2000-01), and the Oakland A’s (2001, 2003-04).

Since 2008, McMillon has worked in the Red Sox farm system. In 2013, as manager of the High-A Salem Red Sox, McMillon guided his team to a Carolina League Championship. One year later, as manager of the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, he was named Eastern League Manager of the Year.

The Charlotte Knights revived the Charlotte Baseball Hall of Fame and renamed it the Charlotte Baseball Round Table of Honor in 2016. The team held an induction ceremony on two occasions that year and inducted three members into the inaugural Class of 2016. On July 13, 2016, the Knights inducted Charlie Manuel and Jim Thome at the 2016 Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game Luncheon. On September 4, 2016, Frances Crockett earned induction during an on-field ceremony at BB&T Ballpark. In 2017, the Charlotte Knights inducted team owner Don Beaver on May 28 and former Charlotte O’s legend Drungo LaRue Hazewood on September 3. In 2018, the team inducted former Knights slugger Brian Daubach during an on-field ceremony on June 7. Last year, the team inducted Joe Borchard on May 17.

Single-game tickets for this game, as well as all 2020 home games are available now online at CharlotteKnights.com, in person at the BB&T Ballpark Ticket Office, and by phone at 704-274-8282. Opening Knight of the 2020 season is set for Thursday, April 16 at 7:04 p.m.