The summer of Larry Walker is coming to a close on Saturday in a number retirement ceremony for the ages.
The 333rd Hall of Famer will be in attendance to see his black and purple no.33 beside Jackie Robinson’s no.42, Todd Helton’s no.17 and the initials KSM that commemorate the life of Keli Scott McGregor and his contributions to the Colorado Rockies.
“I guess I will have seen all of the jersey retirements for the Rockies,” Charlie Blackmon said of the big day. “I will have been there for those. That’s pretty cool.”
Over the course of his 17-year career, Walker hit 383 career home runs for the Rockies, Montreál Expos and St. Louis Cardinals, a majority (154) of which came at Coors Field.
The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30pm and will feature a speech by Walker himself, the reveal of the no.33 on the facing of the second-deck, a fireworks display and first pitch.
Besides all fans in attendance receiving a Larry Walker Hall of Fame bobblehead, some will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness Walker’s actual plaque from Cooperstown. Displayed on the centerfield concourse, fans can take a photo with the bust after the ceremony until 8pm.
Earlier this season, the Hall of Fame sent plaques of Arvada High School’s Roy Halladay, Joe Morgan and Satchel Paige to ballparks celebrating the legacy of the heroes. Walker will be the first honoree to witness fans enjoying the experience without having to make the 3,500 mile roundtrip to Cooperstown, NY.
Despite waiting until his tenth and final year on the ballot and then another 13-plus months for his induction ceremony, Walker finally made his speech on the stage at the Clark Sports Center to officially enter the Baseball Hall of Fame on September 8.
“I’m just really happy for him because you just never know,” shared Blackmon, the player who could be in line to have his number retired by the franchise. “His voting journey was, well, rather down than up, I guess. I’m just happy to see him finally get there.”
The 41,613 fans on Friday night enjoyed an electric post-game fireworks display. The first 15,000 fans through the turnstiles on Sunday will receive a #33 commemorative lapel pin.
Coincidentally, the final three games at home for the Rockies come against the Washington Nationals, the formerly Expos’ franchise that relocated to the District of Columbia in 2005, the same year Walker called it a career.
