The Shadow
As the second half of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season continues, there are noteworthy
MLB events that merit the attention of the Ninth District.
First, Billy Wagner was recently inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Wagner, a Southwest Virginia native who pitched at Tazewell County High School and then
Ferrum College (both of which are in the Ninth District), put together an incredible career after
being drafted 12th overall in 1993.
Wagner’s accolades include seven all-star selections, 422 saves (second all-time among lefties)
and the highest strikeouts per nine inning rate in MLB history.
Wagner is the first Division III baseball player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame!
Wagner is not the only player to be a part of the 2025 class, but the class he is a part of highlights
just how special and impressive Wagner’s professional career was.
Those in Wagner’s class are MLB behemoths.
Ichiro Suzuki, the hitting legend with 10 consecutive all-star selections and golden glove awards,
and CC Sabathia, the pitching workhorse who put together more than 250 wins, are two of the
other inductees.
Wagner does not forget his Southwest Virginia roots either: during his induction ceremony,
Wagner thanked his coaches from Tazewell and Ferrum for their positive impact on his career
and life.
Wagner also wore a Ferrum College pin and Tazewell County pin on his suit lapel.
Southwest Virginia is incredibly proud of Wagner. His journey to the Hall of Fame inspires
scores of young athletes and athletic programs in our region.
The weekend following Wagner’s induction into the Hall of Fame, the Bristol Motor Speedway
will host the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds for the first-ever MLB game to be played in a
NASCAR stadium.
In 2016, the Speedway successfully hosted the college football game between the University of
Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The “Battle at Bristol” drew in nearly 157,000 people!
That game holds the record for the highest single-game attendance in NCAA football history.
According to AP News, the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game was a 2008 exhibition
game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. That game drew 115,300 people.
The Reds-Braves Speedway Classic may topple that record.
While it is the first MLB game to be played in Bristol, Southwest Virginia is no stranger to the
influences of MLB.
Minor League Baseball has been a staple in our region for decades.
In the 20 th century, Wytheville was the home of multiple MLB affiliates, including the Reds and
the Braves! One of those players, Roger Williams, would later play for Atlanta and is currently a
member of Congress.
Whenever he sees me, his greeting is: “How are things in Wytheville?”
The last game in Wytheville took place in 1989, in a game between Wytheville and the Pulaski
Braves.
Pulaski is home to multiple Appalachian League championships, most recently in 2013 when it
was an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
In 2019, the Pulaski Yankees were awarded Minor League Baseball’s top honor, the John H.
Johnson President’s Award.
The very first MLB affiliate in Pulaski were the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-1949.
In 1935, Pulaski’s Calfee Park was built as a result of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s
New Deal public works policies.
Pulaski is the current-day home of the Pulaski River Turtles, an Appalachian League team that
plays in the summers but has no MLB affiliates.
Other teams in the Appalachian League include the Bluefield Ridge Runners and Bristol State
Liners.
Some of these teams will feature local players from Southwest Virginia. At a 2022 Pulaski game
that I attended, the starting pitcher for the Turtles was a Gate City native.
The Appalachian League has hosted future MLB talent, including Hall of Fame-level talent.
Look no further than Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who holds the MLB record for career
strikeouts and no-hitters.
Ryan pitched for the Marion Mets before his rise to “The Show.”
This year, Marion welcomed back baseball and is now host of the Hungry Mothers, a team that
plays as part of an independent wood bat league for collegiate players.
Despite periods of instability in the baseball apparatus over the years, Southwest Virginia’s love
for baseball has not wavered.
The spirit of the game will continue to live on, likely inspired by homegrown success stories like
Billy Wagner and record-setting events like the Speedway Classic.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my
Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my
office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website
is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor
of the House of Representatives.
