Tony Pérez Statue

This statue commemorates Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Tony Pérez (1942-). Born in Cuba, he spent twenty-three years in the major leagues, sixteen of which with the Reds. In his first stint with the club from 1964 to 1976, during which time he played both first and third base, Pérez earned a reputation as one of the game’s greatest run producers and clutch hitters. In 1967, he began a streak of eleven consecutive seasons with ninety or more RBIs, raking in 100 or more in seven of them. An integral component of Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s, Pérez blasted a two-run homer in Game Seven of the 1975 World Series to help the Reds defeat the Boston Red Sox and capture the first of what would be back-to-back titles. Following the 1976 season, the club traded him to Montréal, where he remained for three seasons before spending time with the Red Sox and Phillies. Pérez then returned to Cincinnati for the 1984 season. After the 1986 season, the seven-time All-Star retired as a player, finishing with 2,732 hits, 1,652 RBIs, and a .279 career batting average. In 2000, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his ninth year of eligibility. On August 22, 2015, the Reds unveiled a statue of Pérez along Joe Nuxhall Way just outside Great American Ball Park. Designed by Cincinnati-based artist and University of Cincinnati alumnus Tom Tsuchiya, the bronze sculpture depicts the Reds infielder at the plate, hitting the two-run home run that helped the club win Game Seven of the 1975 World Series.

Atanacio “Tony” Pérez Rigal was born on May 14, 1942 in the city of Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. The son of a sugar mill worker, he grew up with his siblings in company housing. When he was a teenager, Pérez went to work with his father at the mill to help support the family. Between school and work, he had precious little free time. Pérez filled that which he had with his passion, baseball. While working at the mill, he played shortstop for its baseball team. 

After catching the eye of scouts from Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, Pérez signed a contract with the organization in 1960 and left for the United States. He played nearly a handful of years in the club’s minor league system before receiving a call-up to the majors late in the 1964 season. Pérez ultimately spent twenty-three years in the major leagues, sixteen of which with the Reds. In his first stint with the club from 1964 to 1976, during which time he played both first and third base, he earned a reputation as one of the game’s greatest run producers and clutch hitters. In 1967, Pérez began a streak of eleven consecutive seasons with ninety or more RBIs, raking in 100 or more in seven of them. That same year, he hit a game-winning home run in the fifteenth inning of the All-Star Game, collecting the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player Award as a result. An integral component of Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s, Pérez blasted a two-run homer in Game Seven of the 1975 World Series to help the Reds defeat the Boston Red Sox and capture the first of what would be back-to-back titles. Following the 1976 season, the club traded him to Montréal, where he remained for three seasons before spending time with the Red Sox and Phillies. Pérez then returned to Cincinnati for the 1984 season. After the 1986 season, the seven-time All-Star retired as a player, finishing with 2,732 hits, 1,652 RBIs, and a .279 career batting average. In 2000, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his ninth year of eligibility.

Following his retirement as a player, Pérez remained with the Reds as a coach. The Reds front office named him the team’s manager prior to the 1993 season, but fired him after only forty-four games. Pérez then joined the coaching staff of the Florida Marlins. In 2001, after the organization fired skipper John Boles, he served as the team’s manager for the remainder of the season. 

On August 22, 2015, the Reds unveiled a statue of Pérez along Joe Nuxhall Way just outside Great American Ball Park. Designed by Cincinnati-based artist and University of Cincinnati alumnus Tom Tsuchiya, the bronze sculpture depicts the Reds infielder at the plate, hitting the two-run home run that helped the club win Game Seven of the 1975 World Series. In addition to Pérez’s bronze likeness, Tsuchiya also sculpted the statues of Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Pete Rose, as well as those of Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Klususki, and Frank Robinson, a group of pieces collectively known as Reds Legends of Crosley Field, all of which reside just outside Great American Ball Park. 

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"Tony Pérez." baseballhall.org. National Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 13 July 2021 <https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/perez-tony>.