TAMPA, Fla. — Sept. 22 will officially be known as “Fred McGriff Day” in the city of Tampa.
The baseball legend, and Tampa native, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in July. To commemorate McGriff's accomplishment, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor prepared a special proclamation to celebrate his success.
The lanky first baseman was drafted by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 1981 amateur draft out of Thomas Jefferson High School in Tampa.
McGriff, who was affectionately nicknamed “Crime Dog” by ESPN's Chris Berman, batted .284 with 493 homers and 1,550 RBIs in 2,460 games over 19 seasons in MLB.
He played for six teams — twice for the Rays — and was an original member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The five-time All-Star helped the Atlanta Braves win the 1995 World Series.
“I’m humbled and honored to be standing in front of you and now to be part of this fraternity,” McGriff said during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. “When your career is validated by former players and executives that saw you play, that’s as good as it gets.”
McGriff was unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee in December after falling off the writers’ ballot in 2020.
"I want to thank everyone for being here, I want to thank Mayor Castor for ...you know... Fred McGriff Day ... you know that has a nice little ring to it," McGriff said in part while accepting his plaque on Friday.
McGriff was also presented with a commendation from the Tampa City Council.