Bell & Figueroa Highlight Shrine Inductions
BINGHAMTON, NY – Former Binghamton Mets Heath Bell and Nelson Figueroa will be in attendance for their induction into Binghamton’s Baseball Shrine in a pregame ceremony on Friday,
September 2. The two pitchers will join former B-Mets general manager
RC Reuteman to comprise the Class of 2016 for the prestigious Shrine.“We are thrilled Heath and Nelson will be with us in person for their induction,” said B-Mets General Manager Jim Weed. “They are great players in our team’s history, and we are very happy our fans will get the chance to interact with both one more time.”
The ceremony to induct all three Binghamton baseball greats will start on the field at 6:30 PM. Following the event, Bell and Figueroa will throw out the ceremonial first pitches and hold a session with the media in the B-Mets clubhouse.
Starting at 7:00 PM, Bell and Figueroa will be available for a one-hour autograph session on the concourse.
Bell pitched in parts of three seasons for the B-Mets in the early 2000’s. The right-handed reliever made his Major League debut with the Mets in 2004 before finding his greatest success with the San Diego Padres. In Southern California, he made the All-Star team three times, won the Rolaids Relief Man Award twice and led the National League in saves once. His 132 saves from 2009 through 2011 were the most collected by any reliever in the Majors during that span.
Figueroa pitched in Binghamton in 1997 and 1998. He racked up a team-best 12 victories and three complete games in just 21 starts in 1998 before being traded to the Diamondbacks. The Brooklyn native returned to his roots ten years later and pitched two seasons with the Mets in 2008 and 2009. In his final game as a Met, he tossed a complete-game shutout against the Astros. He currently serves as a studio analyst for the Mets pregame and postgame shows on SNY.
Reuteman served as the first general manager in Binghamton Mets history. The Wisconsin native helped welcome a franchise-record 284,529 fans to the ballpark in 1992. During his nine-year tenure, nearly two million people rolled through the turnstiles. He was recognized as the Eastern League Executive of the Year in 1992 and was a two-time winner of the Cashen Award, presented by the Mets to a member of the organization who best exemplifies total commitment in establishing a superior environment for the development of future Mets players. Reuteman passed away in August 2015.
Created in 1993, Binghamton’s Baseball Shrine honors all the individuals who contributed to America’s Pastime in the Southern Tier. The elite club boasts 63 members with additional worthy candidates inducted annually. See below for a full list of all the inductees.
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