The San Francisco Giants have a proud history, and though they only have one All-Star in 2017, catcher Buster Posey was not the only player representing the franchise on Tuesday evening in Miami.
Prior to the start of the 2017 All-Star Game, Major League Baseball honored some of the game’s most prolific players, and asked Latin-American Hall of Famers to throw out first pitches at Marlins Park.
A pair of San Francisco Giants’ legends, Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda, were among the group of Hall of Famers who participated in Tuesday’s ceremony.
We are proud & honored to welcome these Latin-born baseball icons at the 2017 #ASG. https://t.co/p8nMNd5qEh
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 12, 2017
Marichal spent the first 14 seasons of his 16-year Major League career with the Giants, and represented the National League as an All-Star on 10 different occasions. Marichal, a native of the Dominican Republic, began his career in San Francisco in 1960, two years after the Giants moved west from New York and made nine consecutive All-Star games between 1962 and 1970.
Cepeda, a native of Puerto Rico, spent nine of his 17 Major League seasons in San Francisco, and was one of the first stars for the franchise after it moved west. Cepeda’s rookie season came in 1958 immediately following the Giants’ move from New York, and he made six All-Star teams during his time with the organization.
The Giants have five statues outside of AT&T Park, and two of them were constructed in honor of Cepeda and Marichal, who created long-lasting legacies during their playing careers that baseball continues to honor today.