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07/11/2007 3:09 PM ET
Pirates release details of Paul Waner's #11 jersey retirement ceremony
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Earlier this season the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that the club will retire the uniform number 11 worn by Hall-of-Fame outfielder Paul Waner. The Pirates will hold a pregame ceremony on Saturday, July 21 against the Houston Astros, which was the date in 1952 when Waner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Former Pirates and current Hall-of-Famers Bill Mazeroski and Ralph Kiner as well as members of the Waner family will be on hand to celebrate in the evening's events.
Following the national anthem, Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare will host a 10-minute on-field ceremony which begins with a video tribute to the Pirates Hall-of-Famer. The video will include interviews from former Pirates Nellie King and Frank Thomas, Hall-of-Famer Red Schoendienst, Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey and former beat-writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Charley Feeney. Frattare will then introduce the Waner family, who will be presented with a commemorative gift by the Pirates to recognize this special occasion.
"Paul Waner was one of the most dominating players not only in the storied history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but also throughout all of Major League Baseball during his career," said Kevin McClatchy, Pirates CEO. "His accomplishments as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates prove that he is indeed deserving of this ultimate honor."
In addition to the pregame ceremony, the Pirates will honor the retiring of Paul Waner's jersey by "rolling" the number 11 into the right field grass.
Waner becomes only the ninth player in Pirates history to have his number retired, joining Billy Meyer (#1), Ralph Kiner (#4), Willie Stargell (#8), Bill Mazeroski (#9), Pie Traynor (#20), Roberto Clemente (#21), Honus Wagner (#33) and Danny Murtaugh (#40). In 1997, in accordance with Major League Baseball, the Pirates also retired the uniform number 42 worn by Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier after breaking into baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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