By: RiverDogs Media
The Charleston RiverDogs are playing 12 straight games on the road, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to enjoy a ballgame at The Joe. The Legends in the South game makes a return to the Holy City next week after a one-year hiatus. The exhibition softball game featuring former MLB players will be held at The Joe on Friday, June 16th at 7 pm.
This year's game will feature former RiverDogs players Seth McClung, Elliot Johnson and Tony Saunders, who each suited up for the RiverDogs in their first stint as a Tampa Bay Rays affiliate from 1997-2004. In addition, several former New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves players are scheduled to attend along with newcomer Asher Wojciechowski, a former standout at The Citadel.
In this year's event, the players will be split up regardless of their Major League affiliation and play for either Team Charleston or Team RiverDogs. Gates will open at 5 pm for a pre-game fan fest featuring player autographs. There will be an auction in the ballpark on the night of the event for unique in-game experiences, including the opportunity to serve as a bat boy. An accompanying auction, benefitting the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, will launch next week and continue through the game, with opportunities to bid on in-game Legends experiences, signed memorabilia, and concert tickets from our partners at Charleston Radio Group.
The Legends experience will once again be capped off with post-game fireworks, presented by First National Bank. All tickets are $10 and seating is general admission. A portion of the night's proceeds will benefit MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
“I am thrilled that we will be hosting this unique event in our ballpark again in 2023,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “The entire day is filled with fun for the whole family. We hope fans will come out early, interact with the players and enjoy watching these athletes play in a relaxed environment.”
Wojciechowski headlines the list of new players taking part in the exhibition. Following his collegiate days with The Citadel at The Joe, the right-handed pitcher was drafted 41st overall in 2010 by the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched five seasons in the big leagues with Houston, Cincinnatti, Balitmore and the New York Yankees. Wojciechowski made 58 total appearances, 35 of those starts, and struck out 195 hitters.
Mark Wohlers, pitched in the big leagues for 12 seasons including nine with the Braves. The native of Holyoke, Massachusetts served as the Braves closer during the 1995 run to a World Series title, collecting 25 saves that season. He came back in 1996 and earned a selection to the All-Star Game by posting a 3.03 ERA with a career-high 39 saves and 100 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. In his rookie season, Wohlers pitched 2.0 innings in a combined no-hitter tossed by three Braves pitchers on September 11, 1991 against the San Diego Padres.
A native of Westminster, California, Ryan Klesko's Major League career spanned 16 seasons with the Padres and Giants along with Atlanta. The lefty slugger finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1994 and was named an All-Star in 2001 with the Padres. Klesko made history with the Braves in 1995 when he became the first player in history to hit a home run in three consecutive World Series games. Over his career, he hit .279 with 278 home runs and 1,564 total hits. His .525 career slugging percentage with Atlanta still ranks fifth all-time in Braves history.
Ron Blomberg, the first designated hitter in baseball history and pitcher Ramiro Mendoza will help represent the Yankees. Blomberg made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 1969 and was a career .293 hitter in eight seasons at the sport's highest level with 52 home runs. Mendoza, nicknamed “El Brujo”, was part of five World Series winning teams in a ten-year career. The right-hander from Panama collected 59 wins and tossed nearly 800.0 innings over the course of his time in MLB with the Yankees and Red Sox.
Tickets are now available online and can be purchased here.
