Bronson Arroyo, Danny Graves deliver Reds Hall of Fame speeches
On Saturday afternoon, former Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo remembered when six-time All-Star Curt Schilling told him that he was too thin to throw 200-plus innings in a season.
Former Cincinnati Reds closer Danny Graves reflected on the feeling he’d get running out of the bullpen in the ninth inning, telling himself that he would beat the best hitters in the game even though he wasn’t the hardest thrower.
This weekend, Arroyo and Graves will both be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame, along with former Reds executive Gabe Paul. Arroyo and Graves delivered speeches before Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers as a part of the induction ceremony.
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“When I got traded here in 2006 from the Boston Red Sox, I was a little irritated,” Arroyo said. “I was really enjoying playing in Fenway Park, and I didn’t know what this city had in store for me. Over the last nine seasons that I got to play here, I didn’t know that I’d meet my wife here in Covington, Kentucky. I didn’t have any idea that I’d last long enough to amass enough numbers to get into a Hall of Fame.”
Arroyo pitched 200 or more innings in seven of his eight full seasons with the Reds, made an All-Star team and was a crucial piece of a Reds team that made the playoffs in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Only six pitchers in Reds history have started more games for the club than Arroyo’s 279 starts, and he ranks sixth in franchise history in career strikeouts.
“Baseball goes by so quick and life goes by so fast that you forget what kind of a stamp you have left and others have left on you,” Arroyo said. “It’s a big deal.”
Graves, a two-time All-Star, holds the Reds’ all-time saves record with 182. He was one of the faces of the Reds between 1997 and 2005, posting a 3.94 ERA with the franchise. He recorded 27 saves for a 1999 Reds team that missed the playoffs by just one game.
“I’m so thankful for everyone who made things great for me as a player,” Graves said. “And (to the other Reds Hall of Famers sitting behind me), I’m afraid to even turn around. This is royalty back here. It’s weird to think that I’m going to be a part of that soon.”
Paul was the Reds’ general manager between 1951 and 1960, was credited for signing a long list of standout Reds players and founded the Reds’ Hall of Fame.
The Reds had over a dozen of the team’s Hall of Famers on the field for the ceremony, including Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Eric Davis.
“It’s such an honor to be in the same category as these guys,” Graves said. “I will never be them, but I get to share the same jacket.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bronson Arroyo, Danny Graves deliver Reds Hall of Fame speeches
