Photo: provided by the Cincinnati Reds
Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo will bring his high kick and his guitar to his July 2023 induction into the Reds Hall of Fame.
The sun is hitting Cincinnati a lot more these days, and that means baseball is just around the corner.
Former Cincinnati Reds pitchers Bronson Arroyo and Danny Graves will lead the traditional opening day parade through downtown as grand marshals on March 30, officials from the Reds and the Findlay Market parade committee announced March 8. They'll be joined by a variety of former athletes, marching bands and other groups that will be part of the float contingent.
The parade and game
The opening day parade will step off at noon from Findlay Market. The group will make its way south on Race Street before turning east on 5th Street and ending at the Taft Theatre (see the full route). Downtown typically is very crowded on parade day; according to the committee, about 130,000 people attended the 2022 parade.In addition to Arroyo and Graves, former athletes participating will include Reds outfielder George Foster, Bengals kicker Jim Breech, Bengals tackle and offensive lineman Anthony Munoz, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson and Olympic track star Mary Danner Wineberg. There also will be a wide array of other veterans from the Reds, Bengals, FC Cincinnati, University of Cincinnati and MMA fighters.
Non-athletes also will be on hand. Otis Williams of the Charms and the King Records Legacy Foundation, Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry, the current Miss America representatives from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, the Cincinnati Beard Barons and all three of the Reds' mascots are scheduled to participate. According to the parade website, there will be nearly 160 entries taking part in the event (see the full participant list).
After the parade, fans can proceed south to Great American Ball Park, where the Reds will welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates at 4:10 p.m.
Bronson Arroyo
Bronson Arroyo spent eight consecutive seasons with the Reds between 2006 and 2013. He followed that up with a final season in Cincinnati in 2017 before retiring from the game.During his time in the big leagues, Arroyo was an innings eater and shutout machine, and he had at least four go-to pitches – slider, changeup, moving fastball and curveball – that served him well. As a Red, he pitched more than 200 innings in every season except for two, even nabbing 240 2/3 innings in 2006. Arroyo also was good for strikeouts, routinely throwing more than 120 per Reds season except for in 2017. Over his entire Reds career, Arroyo tossed 1,157 strikeouts – something just five other pitchers for the club have done.
The pitcher's big 2012 postseason moment endeared him to Queen City fans forever. As the Reds' starter for game two of the National League Division Series, Arroyo had a perfect game through five innings and the team beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0 (Cincinnati would end up losing the series in five games).
Arroyo won a World Series championship with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and was traded to Cincinnati in 2006. An avid music lover, Arroyo's group the Bronson Arroyo Band has regularly performed throughout Greater Cincinnati since his retirement.
Arroyo was announced as 2023's first inductee for the Reds Hall of Fame in October, having been selected by fans, Reds alumni and media. He was on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2023 but did not receive enough votes for future voting.
Danny Graves
Danny Graves was traded to the Reds in July 1997, where he would spend the most productive years of his career. The following season, Graves began making his mark, nabbing eight saves and a 3.32 ERA. That was a taste of what was to come, as Graves became the Reds' all-time career saves leader with 182. During his five full seasons as the team's closer, Graves led the squad in saves, one of only six Cincinnati pitchers to do so over four or more consecutive seasons. In 2004, he earned 41 saves, the third-most a Reds pitcher has seen over a single season.
Over his career, Graves was in MLB's top-10 for saves four times. In 2003, Graves became a starter for one season before returning as the dominant closer he'd become. He earned MLB All-Star honors in 2000 and 2004. In addition to his pitching prowess,
Graves also drew notoriety behind the plate. Coming up during an era in which National League pitchers batted for themselves, Graves knocked homers in 2000 and 2001. He played for the Reds until he was traded in 2005.
Graves was selected by the Reds Hall of Fame veterans committee for a 2023 induction.
Along with the late general manager Gabe Paul, Arroyo and Graves will be inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame this summer as the class of 2023, with activities scheduled for July 15 and 16.
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