The First Pitch

Last updated
The First Pitch
ArtistWilliam Koch
Year2012
Medium Bronze
Location Buffalo, New York
Coordinates 42°52′53.09″N78°52′28.54″W / 42.8814139°N 78.8745944°W / 42.8814139; -78.8745944
Owner Buffalo Bisons

The First Pitch is a 2012 bronze statue of James D. Griffin, by William Koch. [1] It is located at Swan Street and Washington Street, outside Sahlen Field in Buffalo.

Griffin, the former Mayor of Buffalo, was instrumental in getting Sahlen Field built and bringing the Buffalo Bisons franchise to the city while he was in office. Following his death in 2008, Griffin was posthumously honored by the Buffalo Common Council after they voted to change Sahlen Field's address to One James D. Griffin Plaza. [2]

The work depicts Griffin throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Sahlen Field's inaugural game on April 14, 1988. [3]

Related Research Articles

Warren Spahn American baseball player

Warren Edward Spahn was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notably for the Boston Braves, who became the Milwaukee Braves after the team moved west before the 1953 season. His baseball career was interrupted by his military service in the United States Army during the Second World War.

Trenton Thunder Minor League Baseball team

The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.

Buffalo Bisons Minor League Baseball (AAA) team in Buffalo, New York

The Buffalo Bisons are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States.

Sahlen Field Baseball stadium in Buffalo, New York

Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, it opened on April 14, 1988 and can seat up to 16,600 people, making it the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. It replaced the Bisons' former home, War Memorial Stadium, where the team played from 1979 to 1987.

Canisius College Private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York

Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's and certificate programs.

War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo, New York) Former football, baseball and soccer stadium in Buffalo, New York

War Memorial Stadium, colloquially known as The Rockpile, was an outdoor football, baseball and soccer stadium in Buffalo, New York. Opened in 1937 as Roesch Memorial Stadium, the venue was later known as Grover Cleveland Stadium and Civic Stadium. The stadium was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), Buffalo Indians-Tigers (AFL), Buffalo Bills (AAFC), Buffalo Bulls (NCAA), Buffalo Bills (AFL/NFL), Buffalo Bisons (IL), Buffalo White Eagles (ECPSL), Buffalo Blazers (NSL), Buffalo Bisons (EL/AA) and Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA). It also had a race track and hosted several NASCAR events. The venue was demolished in 1989 and replaced with the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, which retains entrances from the original stadium.

WBFO is the NPR member station for Buffalo, New York, carrying an almost entirely public news/talk format. It broadcasts from studios in the Lower Terrace section of downtown Buffalo which it shares with WNED-TV and WNED-FM. Previously, it broadcast from the South campus of the University at Buffalo. It currently leases an as-yet unutilized satellite studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. WBFO runs two permanent satellite stations: WUBJ in Jamestown, New York, and WOLN in Olean, New York, along with a digital audio simulcast on the second audio program of WNED-DT4.

James D. Griffin American politician

James Donald "Jimmy" Griffin was an American politician who served in the New York State Senate and then for 16 years as the Mayor of Buffalo, New York (1978–93). He later returned to public life serving as a member of the Buffalo Common Council.

Seneca station (Buffalo Metro Rail) Light rail station in Buffalo, New York, US

Seneca is a Buffalo Metro Rail station located in the 200 block of Main Street between Seneca and Swan Streets in the Free Fare Zone, which allows passengers free travel between Erie Canal Harbor and Fountain Plaza station. Passengers continuing northbound past Fountain Plaza are required to provide proof-of-payment. On June 27, 2019, The Buffalo News announced that Merchants Insurance, which has been located at 260 Main Street since the 1960s, bought the naming rights for $161,000 for initially five years, with the option to renew for another five years.

Luke Easter (baseball) American baseball player

Luscious"Luke"Easter was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball and the Negro leagues. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, was 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), and weighed 240 lb.

Frank Grant American baseball player

Ulysses Franklin Grant was an American baseball player in the 19th century. Early in his career, he was a star player in the International League, shortly before race-based restrictions were imposed that banned African-American players from organized baseball. Grant then became a pioneer in the early Negro leagues, starring for several of the top African-American teams of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is widely considered to have been the greatest African-American player of the 19th century. In 2006, Grant was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Buffalo Blues Baseball club

The Buffalo Blues were a professional baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League, which was a minor league in 1913 and a full-fledged outlaw major league the next two years. It was the last major league baseball team to be based in the city of Buffalo. In 1913 and 1914, as was the standard for Federal League teams, the franchise did not have an official name, instead going by the generic BufFeds.

Western New York Flash Professional soccer club in the United States

The Western New York Flash was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Professional Soccer in 2011, Women's Premier Soccer League Elite in 2012, and the National Women's Soccer League in 2016.

Thruway Cup

The Thruway Cup is an annual competition between Minor League Baseball's Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Red Wings, and Syracuse Mets of the International League. The Cup standings are compiled from the games the teams play against each other through the course of the regular season. The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season is crowned the Thruway Cup champion and wins the Thruway Cup trophy. Unique to this competition, it was agreed that any team winning the trophy three times would get to "retire" the cup and keep it as their own. As of the end of the 2021 season, Rochester has won ten times, Buffalo nine times, and Syracuse four times.

Sahlens American meat packing company

Sahlen Packing Company Inc. or Sahlen's, is an American meat packing company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company was founded by Joseph Sahlen in 1869. Sahlen's specializes in smokehouse deli meats as well as hot dogs and sausages. Sahlen's products can now be found in over 30 states across the US.

2021 Tampa Bay Rays season Major League Baseball season

The 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season was the 24th season of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise and their 14th as the Rays. The Rays played their home games at Tropicana Field as members of Major League Baseball's American League East Division.

References

  1. Fetouh, Omar (August 17, 2012). "Jimmy Griffin statue unveiled at Coca Coca Field". news.wbfo.org. WBFO NPR.
  2. Zremski, Jerry; Meyer, Brian (July 16, 2008). "Russert, Griffin names headed for public spaces Bills' stadium road; baseball park plaza". The Buffalo News.
  3. Krell, David (July 26, 2020). "Mario Cuomo". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research.