GARY, Ind. — Pinch-hitter extraordinaire and Gary native Wallace Johnson and four-time All-Star southpaw Tommy John will both be on hand for the Gary SouthShore RailCats second-annual Fan Fest, Saturday, February 20 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.

Discount Fan Fest presale tickets are on sale only through Friday at $20 for adults and $10 for 2010 season ticket holders and kids (age 12 and under).  Ticket prices will go up $5 at the door Saturday morning.  A ticket to Fan Fest not only includes hours of ballpark fun and the chance to meet and mingle with your favorite stars of past and present, it also comes with a ticket to Opening Day, Thursday, May 20 at U. S. Steel Yard and a free commemorative poster and program (first 1,000 fans only).  The first 500 adults will also pick up a Fan Fest t-shirt, and the first 500 kids can grab a free logo baseball.

Johnson and John join a star-studded lineup of 14 current and former RailCats coaches and players, including 2008 Northern League MVP Tanner Townsend, All-Stars Jay Pecci, Steve Haake, Willie Glen, Travis Kerber and Mike Rohde and major leaguers-turned RailCats Tony Cogan, Jermaine Allensworth and Zach McClellan.

A graduate of Gary’s Roosevelt High School, Johnson has been a prominent figure in Northwest Indiana baseball for more than 30 years.  After playing collegiately at Indiana State University, Johnson was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1979 and spent 10 seasons in the big leagues.  Johnson led the major leagues in pinch hits for four straight seasons (1987-90) and was the Chicago White Sox first base coach for five seasons following his playing career.

The switch-hitter authored two of the most memorable hits in Expos history, the first coming just weeks into his rookie season of 1981 when – as a pinch-hitter – Johnson’s two-run triple against the New York Mets clinched the Expos first and only playoff berth.  Seven years later, Johnson broke up Cincinnati Reds starter Ron Robinson’s perfect game with a two-out, pinch-hit single in the ninth inning.

John also appeared at the 2009 Fan Fest as a guest of honor, and brings an impressive big league resume to the Radisson.  Perhaps as famous now for the eponymous elbow surgery he underwent in 1974, John was one of the top pitchers of his era, winning 288 games in a 26-year big league career that saw the left-hander pitch in three World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.  The winningest pitcher not currently enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, John pitched over 4,700 innings as a big leaguer.

Johnson and John will both be signing autographs at the First Midwest Bank table inside Fan Fest’s main ballroom and will participate in a join Question & Answer forum with fans from 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.  A complete schedule for Fan Fest will be released Thursday afternoon.

For more information on the Fan Fest or to buy tickets now, visit www.railcatsbaseball.com or call 219.882.2255 and talk to one of the RailCats ticket specialists.