LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Dodgers announced Wednesday that the team will honor Andre Ethier next month with a pre-game retirement ceremony on Friday, August 3. Ethier’s 12-year Dodger career will be honored prior to the 7:10 p.m. game against the Houston Astros, the team said. Actor Jason Bateman will emcee the event. There will be tributes from teammates past and present. Fans are encouraged to arrive early. “I look forward to coming back to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium, places I’m so lucky to have called home for the last 12 years,” said Ethier. “There’s nothing like stepping out on the field at Dodger Stadium and looking up and seeing the faithful Dodger Blue supporting you, and I’m grateful for the reception and support I received in all my years playing there. I’m humbled by this evening and look forward to sharing it all with you.” Ethier, 36, played all 12 of his Major League seasons with Los Angeles and helped lead the Dodgers to seven division titles and eight postseason appearances from 2006-17. He batted .285 with 303 doubles, 162 home runs and 687 RBI in 1,455 games, earning two All-Star selections (2010, ’11), a 2009 Silver Slugger Award and a 2011 Gold Glove. During the course of his career, Ethier earned a reputation for coming through in the clutch and finished his career with 14 walk-off RBI, the second most in Los Angeles history (Dusty Baker, 16), while posting career marks of .282 with runners in scoring position and .315 with the bases loaded. Fittingly, his last Major League at-bat resulted in a clutch hit – a pinch-hit RBI single in Game 7 of the World Series against the Astros. (credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) Ethier is among the LA club’s career leaders in games (1,455, 7th), hits (1,367, 7th), extra-base hits (499, 4th), doubles (303, 3rd), homers (162, T-8th) and RBI (687, 6th). He holds the Los Angeles record for hit by pitches (58) and also consecutive hits, stringing together a hit in 10 consecutive at-bats from Aug. 22-25 which tied Edward Konetchy’s franchise record set in 1919. His 30-game hitting streak from April 2-May 6, 2011 remains the second longest in franchise history behind only Willie Davis’ 31-game run in 1969. The ever-popular Dodger was originally selected by the Athletics in the 2nd round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Arizona State University and acquired by the Dodgers in a December 2005 trade in exchange for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez. In addition to his contributions on the field, Ethier was passionate about his impact off the field and provided support to under served communities, including donations of $375,000 to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation during his time with the club. These funds were used to revitalize and rename the Union Rescue Mission Learning Center, now The Maggie and Andre Ethier Learning Center, which provides classes to homeless men and women in Los Angeles. Rob Tringali/Getty Images The clubs said Ethier also supports four-year scholarships for three current Jackie Robinson Foundation/Ethier Family Scholars attending college at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. In addition to the generous monetary support, Ethier partnered with LADF on Dre Dayz, a program that afforded over 700 youth from 24 different organizations supported by LADF, a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch batting practice from the field and enjoy the game in a premium suite. For more about Ethier’s career and stats, click here.
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Dodgers To Honor Andre Ethier At Retirement Ceremony Next Month
