One of the newest inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame is a Tampa native. Fred McGriff, an original player on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, will be honored on Friday with a proclamation declaring September 22 as “Fred McGriff Day” in the City of Tampa.
McGriff hit 493 home runs during his 19-year major-league career. He played for six teams, twice for the Rays, during his career, hitting 30 or more home runs in a season for a record five different teams. The five-time All-Star was a member of the 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
McGriff was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 23 during a ceremony on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
To commemorate his accomplishment, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will present McGriff with the “Fred McGriff Day” proclamation inside the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Operations Building. City employees will be invited to help celebrate.
Media outlets planning to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing media@tampagov.net