Former NL Manager of the Year set to visit SLC on February 7
SALT LAKE CITYÂ - The Utah baseball program will host the team's annual "Evening With" banquet on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, featuring longtime MLB manager Clint Hurdle. Hurdle's visit will mark the 20th anniversary of the event, an annual staple in the Salt Lake baseball community. It continues to serve as an unofficial kickoff to the Utes' season as well as a fundraiser for the baseball program.
The Sheraton Salt Lake City (150 W 500 S) is set to host the banquet, beginning with a 6 p.m. reception. Dinner and the speaking program will follow at 7 p.m. with live and silent auctions also set to take place.
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Tickets to the event will be available for $125 per person or $1,000 per table (each table seats 10 guests). Guests can reserve their individual spot or a full table by clicking here.
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Hurdle has had two MLB managerial stints, most recently at the helm of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011-19. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 2013, after leading the Pirates to a 94-68 finish and their first postseason appearance since 1992. His club also reached the NL Wild Card Round in 2014 and '15, including a 2015 season that saw Pittsburgh win 98 games—the second-most of any MLB team that year and most for the Pirates since 1909.
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Before taking the reins of the Bucs, Hurdle led the Colorado Rockies from 2002-09. His 2007 Rockies squad went 90-73, before going on an improbable postseason run that saw the franchise win its first NL pennant and reach its first World Series. Hurdle's time as manager came after he spent several years as hitting coach. He first joined the Rockies organization in 1994 as minor league hitting instructor.
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In addition to his stops as skipper, Hurdle was the hitting coach with the Texas Rangers in 2010, and returned to Colorado in 2022 as special assistant to the general manager. He also had a brief stint as an analyst on MLB Network.
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Selected ninth overall by Kansas City in the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft, Hurdle made his MLB debut two years later and was lauded as "This Year's Phenom" on a 1978 Sports Illustrated cover. He was part of the Royals squad that played in the 1980 World Series. All told, he spent 10 years playing in the big leagues, appearing in 515 games.
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After concluding his playing career in 1987, Hurdle entered the coaching world at the minor league level, before beginning his climb through the Rockies organization in 1994.
For details on the history of "An Evening With" over the years, click here.
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Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
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Clint Hurdle, then manager of the Colorado Rockies, exits the dugout before Game 3 of the World Series vs. the Boston Red Sox on Oct. 27, 2007. (Photo courtesy Colorado Rockies)
