Hillsboro Hops To Honor Ben Petrick

Hillsboro, OR. (March 28, 2022) - The Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) will retire the jersey of Hillsboro native, former Colorado Rockies star and former Hillsboro Hops coach Ben Petrick, during a pre-game ceremony on Opening Night on April 8 at Ron Tonkin Field. A plaque inscribed with “Petrick 6” will forever be displayed underneath the press box.

Ben Petrick was a coach with the Hops during the 2013 to 2019 seasons. He was an active participant on the Hops coaching staff for three Northwest League titles during that span.

Petrick graduated from Glencoe High School in Hillsboro. As a three-sport athlete, Petrick won the attention of several colleges. He signed a letter of intent to play baseball and football at Arizona State University, but he instead chose to sign with the Colorado Rockies after being selected in the second round of the 1995 MLB Draft.

Petrick made his major league debut on September 1, 1999. In his first full major league season, he had a .322 batting average. Petrick played 6 seasons for the Rockies and Detroit Tigers before he was forced to retire after a young-onset Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis.

Petrick now helps others living with Parkinson’s through his “Strength Through Weakness” organization (https://strength-through-weakness.myshopify.com). He also wrote a book that was published in 2012, “Forty Thousand to One” (https://www.amazon.com/40-000-One-Ben-Petrick/dp/0615583458).

"Ben has always exemplified what it means to be a Hop, through and through,” said KL Wombacher, President & General Manager of the Hillsboro Hops. “His representation of the Hops brand has been nothing short of incredible. We can't think of a better way to honor Ben, than by having him be the first member of the Hops to have their jersey retired. No member of the Hops will ever wear #6 again."

Tickets for the April 8 game are available at www.hillsborohops.com or at the Ron Tonkin Field ticket office.