 |
| Dave Winfield & Trevor Hoffman at today's press event |
April 28, 2016
At a press conference that took place today at Petco Park, San Diego Padres legends Trevor Hoffman and Dave Winfield were introduced as the official spokespeople of the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
As All-Star spokespeople, Hoffman and Winfield will help to generate public awareness for the 87th Midsummer Classic and its surrounding events. They also will participate in All-Star events and will make a variety of appearances throughout All-Star Week in San Diego, including attending MLB All-Star FanFest, ballpark events, community refurbishment projects and more.
Hoffman had an 18-year Major League career that included parts of 16 seasons with the Padres, as well as time with the Florida Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers. With the second-most career saves in MLB’s history (601 in 677 opportunities), Hoffman completed his career with a 2.87 ERA, .211 opponent batting average and 1,133 strikeouts in 1,035 relief appearances.
The seven-time All-Star finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting and was a key contributor to the team’s National League Championship in 1998. In 2011, the Padres retired Hoffman’s no. 51, an honor bestowed upon only four other Padres (Steve Garvey, Tony Gwynn, Randy Jones and Winfield) and Jackie Robinson, whose number was retired throughout MLB in 1997. In 2014, Hoffman was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame. Also in 2014, MLB announced that Baseball would annually honor the top relief pitchers in the game, and the National League award would be named the “Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award presented by The Hartford.”
A California native, Hoffman has been heavily involved in the local community since first joining the Padres in 1993. Now in his second year in the role of senior advisor, baseball operations for the Padres, he has held several roles within the organization since his retirement in January 2011, including special assistant to the president and CEO (2011-13) and upper-level pitching coordinator (2014). Winfield, a 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer (2001), began his 22-year Major League career with the Padres in 1973. He chose Major League Baseball after being the only athlete in history to be drafted by four different leagues, including the NFL, the ABA and the NBA. In eight seasons with the Padres, he was named to four NL All-Star teams (1977-80), led the club in home runs five times (1976-80) and paced the team in RBI six times (1974-75, 1977-80). From San Diego, he moved on to the New York Yankees, where he had a career-best .340 batting average in 1984 and five Gold Glove Awards. Playing for the California Angels in 1991, he became the oldest player to hit for the cycle at the age of 40.
The seven-time Gold Glove Award winner became a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and was a key part of the franchise’s first-ever World Series Championship, highlighted by a run-scoring double in the top of the 11th inning in Game Six against the Atlanta Braves. In 1993, he collected his 3,000th career hit with the Minnesota Twins. Overall, Winfield amassed 3,110 hits, 465 home runs and 1,833 RBI. Currently, he is an advisor to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park (July 12), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 11), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 10), MLB All-Star FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (July 8-12), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the region. The 87th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.
For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, visit AllStarGame.com.
