SAN ANTONIO, TX - Officials from Ryan Sanders Baseball announced today a one-of-a-kind event that will bring together Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout leader and all-time hits leader for the first time in almost 30 years.
The "Kings of the Diamond" dinner, featuring Nolan Ryan and Pete Rose, takes place on Thursday, March 19 (7PM), at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio. The event, presented by Thomas J. Henry, will benefit ChildSafe.
The dinner follows last year's highly regarded "Hall of Fame" luncheon that included Ryan, Lou Brock and Gaylord Perry. "We received some really good feedback on the format of last year's event," Ryan Sanders CEO Reese Ryan said. "It's a truly unique event where people will get the opportunity to listen in on a personal conversation between two baseball legends."
Former San Antonio Express-News columnist and senior writer Richard Oliver will once again serve as moderator.
The event kicks off the H-E-B Big League Weekend 2015, a two-game Major League Baseball exhibition hosted at the iconic Alamodome in Downtown San Antonio. This year features the Texas Rangers and the 2014 National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The games will be played on Friday, March 20 (7PM) and Saturday, March 21 (1PM).
"This will be an enjoyable event and should get everyone excited for the weekend," Nolan Ryan said. "Pete was one of the toughest hitters I ever had to face. It was never easy when he came to the plate."
Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, Nolan Ryan was inducted on July 25, 1999, on 98.79% of the eligible ballots, a figure which remains the second highest in history. He is the only player to ever have his uniform number retired by three different teams with the Angels (#30), Astros (#34) and Rangers (#34).
The all-time leader in strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (7), Nolan has owned or shared 53 Major League records. He is fifth in lifetime innings (5,387), tied for seventh in shutouts (61), and tied for 13th in victories (324) while his 773 starts are second only to Cy Young (815). An eight-time All-Star, Ryan also threw 12 one-hitters, tying Bob Feller for the most ever, and owns two of the top four single-season strikeout totals in Major League history, including an all-time best 383 K's with the Angels in 1973. He fanned 10 or more batters a major-league record 215 times.
Pete Rose holds more records than any other player in the history of Major League Baseball. He is the all-time leader in career hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,315), total bases for a switch hitter (5,752), season with 200 or more hits (10), season with 600 or more at-bats (17), season with 150 or more games played (17), winning games (1,972), five hits or more in games (10), only Major League player in history to play 500 games at five positions, 20 games or more hitting streak (7) and total times on base (5,929).
Pre-dinner activities on March 19 include media opportunities as well as a VIP reception.
To purchase a table for the Kings of the Diamond dinner or for more information on H-E-B Big League Weekend, go to
www.bigleagueweekend.com. *Individual ticket sales to the Kings of the Diamond Dinner are not available at this time.