Orioles to host "A Celebration of Frank" at Oriole Park on April 6

By Pete Kerzel

Orioles

March 29, 2019, 7:18am

Comments

In memory of Orioles Legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the Orioles will host a celebration of life at Oriole Park at Camden Yards beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6, prior to the 7:05 p.m. game against the New York Yankees. The program, "A Celebration of Frank," will include a video tribute and a collection of notable guest speakers to honor the memory of one of the greatest players in Orioles history.

Guest speakers are subject to change but are scheduled to include Orioles Legends and Baseball Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer, as well as Orioles Hall of Famer Boog Powell and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President Jeff Idelson.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, April 2, Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh will honor Robinson by renaming of portions of 33rd Street, where Memorial Stadium once stood, as Frank Robinson Way.

Additionally, on Opening Day, the Orioles Charitable Foundation will donate a total of $60,000 to several civil rights and African American museums including the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture in Baltimore, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., and the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington D.C. Prior to the game, representatives from each organization will be recognized, and the Orioles will hold a tribute and moment of silence for Robinson. Throughout the season, the team will also wear a commemorative "20" patch on their jerseys.

Robinson spent more than half a century in Major League Baseball as a player, coach, manager, and executive. The two-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, and two-time World Series champion, Robinson broke baseball's color barrier as the first African American manager in Major League history in 1975 and was an advocate of civil rights issues throughout his entire career. Robinson remains the only person in Orioles history to serve as a player, coach, manager, and front office executive.