Tampa Baseball Museum to Celebrate Local History of the Game with Free ‘Homeruns & Heroes’ Event in Ybor City Sept. 23
TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, along with the Ybor City Museum Society will host Homeruns & History, a free family-friendly event to celebrate the rich history of the game in Tampa, on September 23 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Ybor City’s Centennial Park (1800 E 8th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605). Proceeds of the event will benefit the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House.
Homeruns & History will feature appearances by Major League Baseball alumni, games, raffles, auctions, great prizes, book signings, vendors as well as an old-fashioned hotdog eating contest. It will also feature other baseball-inspired food, fun and comradery celebrating the sport. A special outdoor exhibit will be on display, consisting of some of Tampa’s iconic baseball players representing multiple areas of Tampa, including Al Lopez (the first Tampa native to play in the major leagues), Wade Boggs, Lou Piniella, Tony La Russa, Tino Martinez and Gary Sheffield.
Homeruns & History sponsorships are still available, starting as low as $250. For more information visit http://tampabaseballmuseum.org/events/.
Homeruns & History is made possible by an Ybor City Development Corporation event co-sponsorship grant. The event is being hosted in partnership with the Ybor City Saturday Market, an open-air market that is located in Centennial Park every Saturday.
ABOUT TAMPA BASEBALL MUSEUM AT THE AL LOPEZ HOUSE
Relocated from its original location at 1210 E. 12th Ave. in Ybor City to the northeast corner of 9th Ave. and 19th St., Al Lopez’s Tampa childhood home has since undergone a complete transformation to become the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House. Lopez, Tampa’s first player to play in the Major Leagues, debuted in 1928 for Brooklyn Robins and later managed the Cleveland Indians (1954) and Chicago White Sox (1959) to the American League Pennant. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
Now, his boyhood home is becoming the Tampa Baseball Museum, honoring and preserving the robust history of the game in the area. Whether it is youth baseball, minor leagues, spring training, wartime leagues and more, the game of baseball has deep roots and a prideful tradition in Tampa Bay.
While the opening of the Tampa Baseball Museum at Al Lopez House comes closer each day, the Ybor City Museum Society is always looking for great community partners to expedite the process. For more information on how to get involved call 813.247.1434 or email info@tampabaseballmuseum.org.