2008 San Francisco Giants Season
The 2008 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 126th year in Major League Baseball, and their ninth at AT&T Park. The team finished in fourth place in the National League West with a 72–90 record, 12 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn .... 2008 marks their 50th Anniversary in the Bay Area since moving from New York in 1958. It is also their first since 1992 San Francisco Giants season, 1992 without all-time home run champion Barry Bonds, who was not re-signed following the 2007 San Francisco Giants season, 2007 season. At the end of the season, Tim Lincecum was voted the 2008 National League Cy Young Award winner. Pre-season On September 21, 2007, Giants' ownership announced that Bonds would not return after the 2007 season. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a regular-season of 162 games, half of the teams were put into the new National League East, East Division and half into the new West Division. Within each division, the teams played 18 games each against their five division mates (90 games), and also 12 games against the teams in the opposite division (72 games), totaling 162 games. Geography Despite the geography, the owners of the Chicago Cubs insisted that their team be placed into the East Division along with the teams in New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Also, the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals wanted that team to be in the same division with their natural rivals of the Cubs. The league could have insisted on a purely geographical alignment like the American League did. But ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as '' The Daily''. Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, it was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The ''Times'' has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national " newspaper of record". For print it is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S. The paper is owned by the New York Times Company, which is publicly traded. It has been governed by the Sulzberger family since 1896, through a dual-class share structure after its shares became publicly traded. A. G. Sulzberger, the paper's publisher and the company's chairman, is the fifth generation of the family to head the pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Noah Lowry
Noah Ryan Lowry (born October 10, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2007. College and the MLB Draft Lowry was first drafted out of Nordhoff High School, in Ojai, California, by the Texas Rangers in the nineteenth round of the 1999 MLB Draft, but instead opted to attend Pepperdine University. At Pepperdine, Lowry went 14-2 with a 1.71 ERA as a junior. In 2001, the San Francisco Giants drafted Lowry with the 30th and last pick of the first round in the 2001 MLB Draft. Major league career Following a September call-up in 2003, Lowry enjoyed a very successful partial rookie year for the Giants in , going 6-0, and finishing with a 3.82 ERA in fourteen starts. He was named the National League's Player of the Week for the week of August 9. With an early victory to start off the 2005 season, Lowry began his career with a 7-0 record, the longest winning streak for any pitcher i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Erick Threets
Erick Morgan Threets (born November 4, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Erick has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox. He attended Mendenhall Middle School and Granada High School in Livermore, California. Career Amateur Threets attended Modesto Junior College, and in 2000 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 7th round of the 2000 MLB draft. San Francisco Giants He was prospect number 20 in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook for the Giants, and his changeup was rated the best in the Giants' minor league system. Threets made his Major League Baseball debut with the San Francisco Giants in . He appeared in 3 games in 2007 and 7 in 2008 for the Giants. Los Angeles Dodgers He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2008 season and was assigned to the AAA Albuque ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Merkin Valdez
Merkin R. Valdéz Mola (born November 10, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Valdez graduated from Escuela Rural Palenque High School in his native Dominican Republic. Career Atlanta Braves Valdez was signed by the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent in 1999. He played with the Braves Dominican League team in 2000 and 2001 and the Gulf Coast Braves in 2002. San Francisco Giants He was traded by the Braves with Damian Moss to the San Francisco Giants for Russ Ortiz on December 17, 2002. He was named San Francisco's Minor League Player of the Year and selected as a Low A All-Star in 2003 when he went 9–5 with a 2.25 ERA for the Hagerstown Suns in the South Atlantic League. In 2004, Valdez pitched for Single-A San Jose Giants, Double-A Norwich Navigators, Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, and made his Major League debut on August 1, 2004, against the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared in 2 games for the Giants, working 1.2 innings for a 27.00 ERA. Valdez ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Guillermo Rodríguez (baseball)
Guillermo Segundo Rodríguez Pérez (born May 15, 1978) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and current coach in the San Francisco Giants organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and the Baltimore Orioles. Career Rodríguez was a 12-year minor league veteran who made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants on June 13, . He was called up as a replacement for injured catcher and fellow countryman Eliézer Alfonzo. On August 26, 2007, Rodriguez hit his first major league home run off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dave Bush. On September 1, , the Giants released him, and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles in December. In 762 minor league games, Rodríguez posted a .253 batting average with 65 home runs and 349 RBI. See also * List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela From 1939 to 2019, 397 Venezuelan baseball players born in Venezuela have played in Major League Baseball. This list shows players w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eliezer Alfonzo
Eliezer (, "Help/Court of El") was the name of at least three different individuals in the Bible. Eliezer of Damascus Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to the Targums, the son of Nimrod. Eliezer was head of the patriarch Abraham's household, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis (15:2). Medieval biblical exegetes have explained the noun ''ben mešeq'' as meaning "butler; steward; overseer", while the name ''Damméseq Eliʿézer'' is explained by Targum Onkelos as meaning "Eliezer the Damascene." Others say that he was given the name "Damascus" by Abraham who purchased Eliezer from Nimrod, and had passed through the city of Damascus while returning with his servant from Babylonia. Other translations of Genesis describe Eliezer as Abraham's heir. There is an interpretation in Bereshit Rabbah (43:2), cited by Rashi, that Eliezer went alone with Abraham to rescue Lot, with the reference to "his initiates" stated to be 318 in number () being the numerical value of Eliezer's ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Steve Holm
Stephen Robert Holm (born October 21, 1979) is an American baseball coach and former catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins between 2008 and 2011, and is currently the head baseball coach of the Illinois State Redbirds. Amateur career Holm attended Sacramento's McClatchy High School, where he played shortstop. He played college baseball at Oral Roberts for coach Sunny Golloway from 1998 to 2001, and earned 3rd Team All-American honors as a shortstop for ORU in 2000. In 2000, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Professional career San Francisco Giants Holm was drafted by the Giants in the 17th round in . He beat Eliezer Alfonzo and Guillermo Rodríguez to earn a position on the major-league roster in spring training, but got sent down for Eliezer Alfonzo on July 1, 2008. He got re-called on July 23, 2008. After playing for a short period of time on t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Barry Zito
Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball (his strikeout pitch), a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a circle changeup, and a cutter–slider. Zito attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles Pierce College, and the University of Southern California. Drafted three times while in college, Zito signed with the Athletics when they chose him in the first round of the 1999 MLB draft. A year later, he was in the major leagues, finishing fifth in American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award. He struggled to begin the 2001 season but improved greatly down the stretch, finishing the year with an 11–1 win–loss record over his final two months. He won 23 games (while only losing five) in 2002 and won the Cy Young Award. His record was only 14–12 in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in downtown Fresno. They previously played at Fresno State's Pete Beiden Field from 1998 to 2001. The Grizzlies were established in 1998 as members of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL). They won the PCL championship in 2015, making it the only league title in franchise history. Fresno was transferred to the Low-A West league in 2021, but this was renamed the California League and reclassified as Single-A in 2022. History Prior professional baseball in Fresno Professional baseball first came to Fresno in 1898 when it had a team in the original California League. The team dropped out of the league after that year but returned in 1905. In 1906, the Tacoma Tigers of the Pacific Coast League moved to Fresno, playing as the Fresno Raisin E ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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AAA (baseball)
Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There are 30 teams, one per each Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, with 20 in the IL and 10 in the PCL. Triple-A teams are generally located in smaller cities as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams, such as Austin, Jacksonville, Columbus, and Indianapolis. Four Triple-A teams play in the same metro areas as their parent clubs, those being the Gwinnett Stripers, St. Paul Saints, Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Tacoma Rainiers. All current Triple-A teams are located in the United States; before 2008, some Triple-A leagues also fielded teams in Canada, and from 1967 to 2020 the Mexican League was classified as Triple-A. Other than the current two Triple-A leagues, only three other leagues have ever held the classification ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The paper is owned by the Hearst Corporation, which bought it from the de Young family in 2000. It is the only major daily paper covering the city and county of San Francisco. The paper benefited from the growth of San Francisco and had the largest newspaper circulation on the West Coast of the United States by 1880. Like other newspapers, it experienced a rapid fall in circulation in the early 21st century and was ranked 18th nationally by circulation in the first quarter of 2021. In 1994, the newspaper launched the SFGATE website, with a soft launch in March and official launch November 3, 1994, including both content from the newspaper and other sources. "The Gate" as it was known at launch was the first large market newspaper website in the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |