Davis, Rijo enter Reds Hall of Fame
CINCINNATI -- As teammates, they won together.
As friends, they bonded together.
And as Reds Hall of Famers, they were inducted together.
As far as Eric Davis and Jose Rijo were concerned, the fact that their respective inductions into the Reds Hall of Fame both came Saturday at Great American Ball Park couldn't have been more appropriate.
"You couldn't have picked a better person to go in with," Davis said of Rijo. "If I could pick anybody to go in with, it would be him."
When the hard-throwing, 22-year-old Rijo joined the Reds via a trade with the Oakland A's in 1988, Davis was the established member of the club who took him under his wing.
"I'm very fortunate to have had great teammates in the 12 years I was in Cincinnati," Rijo said. "But the only guy that empowered me and motivated me was Eric Davis. I'm very fortunate to have him next to me."
Rijo and Davis, who were inducted alongside 19th-century stars George and Harry Wright, have so much in common beyond their entry into the Reds Hall of Fame.
Both had the credentials early in their careers to be headed to that other Hall of Fame -- the one in Cooperstown, N.Y. -- but injuries sidetracked those goals.
And, of course, both were key members of the 1990 Reds team that swept Oakland in the World Series.
It was Davis who hit the two-run home run off Dave Stewart in the first inning of Game 1 to set the tone for the four-game sweep. And it was Rijo who earned victories in Games 1 and 4, earning the MVP award in the process.
"I don't think I had ever been on a team where the players actually rooted for the other teammates and weren't jealous when somebody had success," Davis said. "There were times Jose would be pitching and I'd ask him, 'How many runs do you need today?' He'd say, 'Give me two.' Then he'd give up a three-run home run in the first inning and say, 'I need one more.' And then we'd win 4-3. That's the confidence and the camaraderie we had."
Rijo described that camaraderie best when recounting his memories of Game 4, in which he gave up an early run then retired 20 consecutive A's batters.
"Every time I threw a pitch, I didn't throw it to look good myself to the other guys," Rijo said. "Because I knew I had 24 other guys throwing the same pitch with me."
The 43-year-old Davis, who now runs a clothing company, a music company and a realty company, and the 40-year-old Rijo, who now works as a special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, said joining the Reds Hall is a special honor.
Davis recalled fondly the first time he donned a Reds jersey.
"It was the whitest white you've ever seen and the reddest red you've ever seen," he said. "My motivation was to keep that Reds jersey on."
Keeping any jersey on proved difficult for the two later in their careers.
Davis retired after the 1994 season because of a herniated disc in his neck, but returned in 1996 to bat .287 with 26 homers and 83 RBIs for the Reds. And he overcame adversity again in 1998, when he came back from colon cancer to post a .327 average with 28 homers and 89 RBIs for the Orioles.
Rijo endured five surgeries on his right elbow before making a dramatic return to the Reds in 2001. He put up a 2.12 ERA in 13 relief appearances.
That they went through similar health struggles made the two appreciate each other all the more.
"Knowing what he's endured, and watching him come from Oakland and grow from throwing straight 97 or 98 [mph] to pitching -- it was probably one of the most gratifying things to see," Davis said of Rijo. "And to have him not quit, you have to admire that."
Davis and Rijo had a similar appreciation for the fans who voted them into the Hall earlier this year.
"Numbers don't matter as much [to the fans] as what you do for the city," Rijo said. "Having them be a part of [the voting] -- that's the way it should be."
Rijo said he'll take this Hall induction over any other -- especially with Davis at his side.
"I might not get elected into the [National Baseball] Hall of Fame," he said. "But I really don't care. To be elected into this Hall of Fame is all I need. This is everything I want to be."
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
As friends, they bonded together.
And as Reds Hall of Famers, they were inducted together.
As far as Eric Davis and Jose Rijo were concerned, the fact that their respective inductions into the Reds Hall of Fame both came Saturday at Great American Ball Park couldn't have been more appropriate.
"You couldn't have picked a better person to go in with," Davis said of Rijo. "If I could pick anybody to go in with, it would be him."
When the hard-throwing, 22-year-old Rijo joined the Reds via a trade with the Oakland A's in 1988, Davis was the established member of the club who took him under his wing.
"I'm very fortunate to have had great teammates in the 12 years I was in Cincinnati," Rijo said. "But the only guy that empowered me and motivated me was Eric Davis. I'm very fortunate to have him next to me."
Rijo and Davis, who were inducted alongside 19th-century stars George and Harry Wright, have so much in common beyond their entry into the Reds Hall of Fame.
Both had the credentials early in their careers to be headed to that other Hall of Fame -- the one in Cooperstown, N.Y. -- but injuries sidetracked those goals.
And, of course, both were key members of the 1990 Reds team that swept Oakland in the World Series.
It was Davis who hit the two-run home run off Dave Stewart in the first inning of Game 1 to set the tone for the four-game sweep. And it was Rijo who earned victories in Games 1 and 4, earning the MVP award in the process.
"I don't think I had ever been on a team where the players actually rooted for the other teammates and weren't jealous when somebody had success," Davis said. "There were times Jose would be pitching and I'd ask him, 'How many runs do you need today?' He'd say, 'Give me two.' Then he'd give up a three-run home run in the first inning and say, 'I need one more.' And then we'd win 4-3. That's the confidence and the camaraderie we had."
Rijo described that camaraderie best when recounting his memories of Game 4, in which he gave up an early run then retired 20 consecutive A's batters.
"Every time I threw a pitch, I didn't throw it to look good myself to the other guys," Rijo said. "Because I knew I had 24 other guys throwing the same pitch with me."
The 43-year-old Davis, who now runs a clothing company, a music company and a realty company, and the 40-year-old Rijo, who now works as a special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, said joining the Reds Hall is a special honor.
Davis recalled fondly the first time he donned a Reds jersey.
"It was the whitest white you've ever seen and the reddest red you've ever seen," he said. "My motivation was to keep that Reds jersey on."
Keeping any jersey on proved difficult for the two later in their careers.
Davis retired after the 1994 season because of a herniated disc in his neck, but returned in 1996 to bat .287 with 26 homers and 83 RBIs for the Reds. And he overcame adversity again in 1998, when he came back from colon cancer to post a .327 average with 28 homers and 89 RBIs for the Orioles.
Rijo endured five surgeries on his right elbow before making a dramatic return to the Reds in 2001. He put up a 2.12 ERA in 13 relief appearances.
That they went through similar health struggles made the two appreciate each other all the more.
"Knowing what he's endured, and watching him come from Oakland and grow from throwing straight 97 or 98 [mph] to pitching -- it was probably one of the most gratifying things to see," Davis said of Rijo. "And to have him not quit, you have to admire that."
Davis and Rijo had a similar appreciation for the fans who voted them into the Hall earlier this year.
"Numbers don't matter as much [to the fans] as what you do for the city," Rijo said. "Having them be a part of [the voting] -- that's the way it should be."
Rijo said he'll take this Hall induction over any other -- especially with Davis at his side.
"I might not get elected into the [National Baseball] Hall of Fame," he said. "But I really don't care. To be elected into this Hall of Fame is all I need. This is everything I want to be."
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
<< Home