FARGO — Baseball Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage will join former major league pitcher Tommy John at the 36th Annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament that will be held June 23 and 24.
Bench was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 on the first ballot. A rookie of the year in 1968, Bench was a two-time most valuable player in the National League for the Cincinnati Reds. He hit a league best 48 home runs with 125 RBI in 1970 and became the youngest player to win the NL award.
Bench collected 2,048 base hits with 389 home runs and 1,376 RBI during his 17-season career with Cincinnati. He appeared in 14 All-Star games and helped the Reds win World Championships in 1975 and 1976.
A premier closer with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, Fingers became the second relief pitcher named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and won American League most valuable player and Cy Young awards in 1981. A three-time World Series Champion, Fingers was named to the All-Star game seven times and was credited with 114 career victories and a lifetime earned run average of 2.90.
An elite major league reliever, Gossage was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.He spent 21 seasons with nine different teams, including the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
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Gossage appeared in 1,002 major league game and finished 681 with 320 lifetime saves. Gossage made nine All-Star appearances and played in three World Series.
A four-time All-Star, John played for six different clubs from1963 to 1989 and retired with 288 career victories, seventh highest total among left-handers in major league history. He also set a Major League Baseball record for 188 career non decisions.
Known for the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgical procedure nicknamed “Tommy John surgery,” John won 164 games following his surgery. He posted three 20-win seasons with New York and Los Angeles and posted a lifetime record of 288-231 with 46 shutouts and a 3.34 earned run average. John played in all three Yankee-Dodger World Series of his era as a member of both organizations.
The upcoming Maris Tournament will be played at Rose Creek Golf Coursewith flights scheduled for June 23, Sunday morning and June 24, Monday morning and Monday afternoon. Last year more than 500 golfers joined the tourney field. The tournament has raised more than $2 million dollars in its 36-year history for beneficiaries Fargo Shanley High School, Hospice of the Red River Valley and the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center.
