The legacy of Howard Ehmke, a former Major League pitcher and Silver Creek native, will be celebrated Sunday at Russell E. Diethrick Park and the Robert H. Jackson Center.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., a presentation on Ehmke will be held at the Cappa Theatre in the Jackson Center, 305 E. Fourth St. The program features Greg Peterson and Randy Anderson as the masters of ceremonies. Highlights include a presentation by Bob Rosania, CEO and owner of Ehmke Manufacturing in Philadelphia, Pa., as well as a reading of the theatrical play centered on Howard Ehmke’s story, conducted by Marc Isaacs, the play’s scriptwriter.

Additional elements of the event include the distribution of commemorative patches and a tent set up in the right field area at Dietrick Park during Sunday’s Jamestown Tarp Skunks game that will showcase memorabilia from Ehmke’s life. This display will feature items from his family, contributions from Vince Martonis, Hanover town historian, exhibits from the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame and various artifacts from Ehmke Manufacturing. Furthermore, items from the Peterson Collection of Silver Creek and Hanover will also be on display.

A pamphlet prepared by Randy Anderson of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame will be available, alongside a presentation by a historian on Howard Ehmke’s legacy.

Introductions will take place at Diethrick Park at 3 p.m. Additionally, 500 free tickets have been provided by the Whiffy Fund and Ehmke Manufacturing/Ehmke Well Drillers. The Tarp Skunks game begins at 4 p.m.

Ehmke pitched professionally for 16 years from 1914 to 1930. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for several teams, including the Buffalo Blues in 1915, the Detroit Tigers from 1916 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1922, the Boston Red Sox from 1923 to 1926 and the the Philadelphia Athletics from 1926 to 1930. After retiring from professional baseball, Ehmke went on to establish a manufacturing business that produced baseball field tarps, thereby connecting him to the Jamestown Tarp Skunks.

“Ehmke, aside from being an exceptional ballplayer, also created the tarps that protected the baseball fields,” Peterson said. “As you may know, there are skunks that seek refuge under these tarps and sometimes chase the field crews at Dietrick Park–thus the nickname, the Tarp Skunks.”

Ehmke finished his career with a win-loss record of 166-166 and an earned run average of 3.75. His most significant achievements came during his time with the Red Sox, where he recorded a no-hitter and celebrated his only 20-win season in 1923. Ehmke holds the American League record for the fewest hits allowed–just one–in two consecutive starts. He ranks sixteenth all-time in terms of hitting batters, having hit a total of 137 during his career, and led the American League in this statistic seven times, including a career-high 23 in 1922. Ehmke is perhaps best remembered as the unexpected starter who won Game 1 of the 1929 World Series for the Athletics at the age of 35, despite widespread belief that he had retired prior to that surprise appearance.