LINCOLN, NE – MLB legend Rafael Palmeiro will be at Haymarket Park this weekend to suit up as a member of the Cleburne Railroaders as his team faces the Lincoln Saltdogs. The series begins Friday night with first pitch at 7:05 PM.
Palmeiro played 20 seasons in the MLB and is one of only six members of the 500-homer and 3000-hit club, joining the likes of Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez and Willie Mays. He had a career .288 batting average, hit 569 home runs and tallied 1,835 RBIs. The infielder won three consecutive Gold Gloves and drove in 100+ runs in nine straight seasons from 1995-2003.
The 53-year-old played for the Cubs, Rangers and Orioles and retired following the 2005 season. He revived his career when he signed with the Railroaders on May 10, 2018.
Palmeiro has played in seven games this season and is hitting .250 with one home run and two RBIs. He comes to Lincoln with a five-game hit streak but hasn’t played since May 30th.
Palmeiro’s son, Patrick, also plays for the Railroaders. The 28-year-old is in his seventh season of professional baseball. He is hitting .258 with three homers and 11 RBIs.
If Rafael plays tonight, he will have to face Saltdogs starter Derek Gordon. The Saltdogs (12-8) have won three consecutive series and will try to complete their six-game homestand with a series win over their South Division foes. Cleburne is 8-11 and in fifth place in the South Division.
Friday and Saturday’s games each start at 7:05 PM while Sunday has a 1:05 PM start time. Coverage of each game starts 30 minutes before first pitch on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and saltdogs.com/stream.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.