When the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders return to open the reconstructed PNC Field on April 4, a legendary New York Yankee and Hall of Famer will be there, too.
Reggie Jackson, known as "Mr. October," will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the RailRiders face the Pawtucket Red Sox at 7:05 p.m.
"An appearance by a Hall of Famer like Reggie Jackson highlights the great partnership we enjoy with our parent club and franchise co-owners, the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees," RailRiders president and general manager Rob Crain said in a release. "From renderings to reality, PNC Field is an achievement for our community. Mr. Jackson's presence reinforces just how special and historic Game 1 at the PNC Field will truly be."
Jackson hit three home runs on consecutive swings in leading the Yankees to a World Series-clinching Game 6 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977.
A first-ballot Hall of Famer who entered Cooperstown as a Yankee in 1993, he is one of the 25 members of Major League Baseball's 500-home run club with 563. A member of five World Series champions, winning three with the Oakland Athletics and two with the Yankees, Jackson hit 10 World Series home runs and was twice named the Series MVP.
The 1973 American League MVP and 14-time All-Star hit a record five home runs in the 1977 World Series, with four coming on consecutive swings against four Dodgers pitchers. Jackson was born and raised in Wyncote, Pa., just a two-hour drive south of PNC Field.