Swissvale man embodies loyalty, love of the Pirates by attending 68th straight home opener
When John Wray III was 6 years old his father took him to his first Pittsburgh Pirates baseball home opener at Forbes Field in Oakland.
The date was April 18, 1958.
The younger Wray, now 73, hasn’t missed a home opener since.
Sitting in front row box seats to 40-plus home games each season at Forbes Field from 1958-70 instilled a love of the game for Wray. He said he has met countless Pirates players and staff members throughout the nearly seven decades streak of games, creating many memorable moments.
One of the most memorable moments was the day he met Roberto Clemente.
He, his wife Vera, and their toddler son Roberto Jr. were at Wray’s childhood home in Swissvale when Wray was a teenager. Wray’s older sister Raven Rudnitsky be-friended Clemente after meeting him at Forbes Field in Oakland and invited him to the Wray family house.
“We were in the living room and Roberto was pitching to his son and the child was having trouble hitting the ball,” said Wray, a lifelong Pirates fan who attended his 68th home opener Friday at PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. “Clemente handed me the ball and asked me to pitch to him so he could show his son how to hit the ball. I thought he was going to hit it so hard he might break something in the house. I threw three fast pitches and Roberto missed. I said, ‘you’re out.’”
Wray can say he struck out Clemente — with a miniature souvenir bat and a ping pong ball.
It all began when his father, also named John Wray, got those tickets to the home opener so long ago.
“I don’t remember much about that game, but I looked it up and the Pirates lost 4-1 to the Reds on a grand slam by Vada Pinson,” Wray said. “I didn’t realize that this game was going to be the start of something that would last for decades.”
He did realize he was keeping a streak going by the time he was in college at Penn State. He made sure to be home for the home opener, he said.
Wray, who still lives in the home he grew up in, said his father, who worked for Jones and Laughlin Steel, got tickets from a connection he made with Pat Schoff, an executive at the Pitt and West Virginia coal company. Schoff knew the elder Wray loved baseball.
Wray said he attended 1960 World Series games and four of the five Major League Baseball all-star games played in Pittsburgh.
“I have lots of terrific memories,” Wray said.
He and his wife Holly, who has attended almost as many home openers as her husband, have sat through rain, snow, cold and some sunny days. In 2014, they only stayed one inning because there was an emergency at Holly Wray’s job.
“There is no way I could have done this without my wife,” Wray said. “She loves baseball, and the home opener is part of her birthday present.”
Holly Wray’s birthday is April 7. Eight home openers have been played on that day, her husband said, and the Pirates have a 3-5 record on her birthday.
The couple has passed their love of baseball down to their sons, Will, 38, and John “J Wray” IV, 43, They’ve brought them both to multiple home openers.
Members of his family were together for Wray’s 50th home opener where the Pirates honored him on the field. The Wrays received jerseys with their last name on them and 07 on the back because the year was 2007. His sister reached out to the Pirates through a connection to make this happen.
Will Wray, who was at the game with his parents Friday, joked that his father didn’t take him and his brother to a home opener until they were 7 because he didn’t want them to tie or break his streak.
Throughout his working career, every time John Wray had an interview, one of his most important questions was if he could have a day off in early April.
“They always said yes,” Wray said.
Home openers never get old, John Wray said.
“Just look at this crowd,” Wray said as he stood outside PNC Park. “There’s still hope on opening day. Hope springs eternal.”
Wray said he has wonderful memories of World Series games being played at the former Three Rivers Stadium on the North Shore and the view from the current ballpark, PNC Park, is beautiful.
Forbes Field is his favorite stadium, he said. Wray has two iron scoreboard numbers from Forbes Field as mementos. That is also the park where he watched Clemente play most of his games.
He recalled Clemente would run past Wray’s seats to and from his position in right field. Wray would call Clemente’s name and he would acknowledge Wray with a nod.
In addition to being in Wray’s home, Clemente invited Wray to the team clubhouse a few times.
When Clemente died in an airplane crash Dec. 31, 1972, Wray was watching Penn State play Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
“The headline said Clemente was missing,” Wray said of reading about it in The Times-Picayune.
When Wray returned home, he saw a sign on Mt. Washington.
“It said ‘adios amigo,’” Wray said. “I still get emotional thinking about Roberto. He was a hero and an icon.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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