Great American Ball Park

Great American Ball Park Cincinnati, 2004-2013

Tom Tsuchiya’s “Great American Ballpark” captures the hearts of Reds fans. The series of sculptures features life size bronze monuments of Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, and Joe Morgan engaged in a friendly game of baseball. As Rick Walls, the executive director of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum, said, “It can be an inspiration to people who come to the ballpark.” The artwork tells the story of the team and honors historic players. Tsuchiya even made the decision to exclude a baseball from the sculptures so that visitors could imagine the ball flying between the players.

Artist Tom Tsuchiya is a Cincinnati star. He is a University of Cincinnati alumnus where he pursued a degree in Classical Civilization. His interest in classical sculpture led him to take an apprenticeship with the master sculptor, Richard J. Miller, where he learned all about the process of sculpting. Tsuchiya has also more recently been commissioned by the Women’s Club of Greater Cincinnati to create a monument to local civil rights activist, Marian Spencer.