Mike Schmidt - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 54.300 W 075° 10.088
18S E 485628 N 4417226
The most prolific baseball player who ever played the game in Philadelphia. If you followed baseball in the 70s and 80s in the Philadelphia area, than your summer hopes rested squarely on the shoulders of this man.
Waymark Code: WM7ZJ7
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2009
Views: 8
This 10-foot high, beautiful bronze statue is out front of the new Citizen's Bank Park, at the third base gate, in Philadelphia along Broad Street. It was erected i honor of former Phillies third baseman and Hall of Famer, Michael Jack Schmidt. Known for his intense and hard-nosed style of baseball, he finally brought a World Series home to Philadelphia in 1980. Mike Schmidt eclipsed the 500 career lifetime home run barrier, a feat which ensured his enshrinement in the hall. Today, it seems everyone and their little sister can hit 500 career homeruns.
The statue features Schmidty (as we affectionately call him) trade mark follow through after presumably hitting a home run. His bat is up across his body and his head is held up, looking at a majestic game-winning homerun (no doubt this is what the artist had in mind!). Besides this waymark, there are three other statues of great Phillies. There is the Richie Ashburn statue in Ashburn Alley, Robin Roberts at the first base gate and Steve Carlton at the left field gate). All these statues form a ring the outside of the facility. Each of the ten-foot high statues were made by local sculptor Zenos Frudakis. Other art found throughout the park includes tile mosaics, murals and terazzo floors with outlined images of famous players in Phillies history. Truly our new stadium is a work of art!
The way most fans remember Mike Schmidt is through the voice of our beloved and recently departed announcer, Harry Kalas. A typical home run call would go something like this: Swing and a high towering drive hit deep to left field, going a way back...OUTTA HERRRREEEEEE..HOMERUN Michael Jack Schmidt!!!!". Truthfully, any real Phillies Fan can recite this for you. It is our trademark in this town, the gold standard for sports announcing and homerun hitting. This statue captures that.
There is a comprehensive website the artist hosts. Go HERE to see the artist with his statue.