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2003 Oakland Athletics Season
The Oakland Athletics' 2003 season ended with the A's finishing 1st in the American League West with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses. Offseason *December 15, 2002: Felipe López was traded as part of a 4-team trade by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cincinnati Reds. The Oakland Athletics sent a player to be named later to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Arizona Diamondbacks sent Erubiel Durazo to the Oakland Athletics. The Cincinnati Reds sent Elmer Dessens and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Oakland Athletics sent Jason Arnold (minors) (December 16, 2002) to the Toronto Blue Jays to complete the trade. *December 16, 2002: Neal Cotts was sent by the Oakland Athletics to the Chicago White Sox to complete an earlier deal made on December 3, 2002. The Oakland Athletics sent players to be named later and Billy Koch to the Chicago White Sox for Keith Foulke, Mark L. Johnson, Joe Valentine, and cash. The Oakland Athletics sent Neal Cotts (December 16, 2002) and Daylon Holt (minors) (De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the West Coast of the United States, west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago. From 1998 (when the NL West expanded to five teams) to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams. The current champion of this division is the Houston Astros. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams each. Division membership Current members * Houston Astros - Joined in 2013; formerly from the National League West, NL West (1969–1993) and National League Central, NL Central (1994–2012) * Los Angeles AngelsThe Angels were formerly known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John-Ford Griffin
John-Ford David Griffin (born November 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays. Early life An All-State athlete at Sarasota High School, was part of a state championship team in 1996 for the Sailors. Griffin played college baseball under head coach Mike Martin for the Florida State University Seminoles from 1999 to 2001. Griffin's career batting average was .427, a Florida State record at the time. Professional career Griffin was drafted out of Florida State by the New York Yankees with the 23rd overall pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. On July 5, 2002, Griffin and future Blue Jay teammates Ted Lilly and Jason Arnold were traded to the Oakland Athletics as part of a three-team deal also involving the Detroit Tigers. On January 7, 2003, Griffin was traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for minor leaguer Jason Perry. Griffin posted decent numbers in his 2004 campaign with the Doubl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder (born August 5, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. A left-handed starting pitcher, Mulder pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He is a two-time All-Star. Baseball career College career Mulder attended Michigan State University, where he played college baseball for the Michigan State Spartans. In 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves, and was named a league all-star. Oakland Athletics Mulder was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the second overall pick in the 1998 MLB draft. He was placed on the fast track to the MLB and made his MLB debut on April 18, ; he was still only 22 years old and had less than two seasons of minor-league experience. He had a rocky start to his MLB career, going 9–10 with a 5.44 ERA. In , Mulder played his first full major-league season and quickly became a dominant pitcher. Leading the American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Mecir
James Jason Mecir (born May 16, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for five teams over an 11-year career between and . Mecir is notable for having overcome a birth defect (namely club feet) to become an effective Major League pitcher as well as for regularly throwing a screwball. He spent years as a member of the Oakland Athletics and is prominently mentioned in Michael Lewis's bestselling book '' Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game''. Career Mecir attended Eckerd College, and in 1990 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 1991 amateur draft. He played for Seattle in , the New York Yankees in and , the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from to , the Oakland Athletics from to , before spending the last year of his career with the Marlins. He announced his retirement on October 2, 2005, following the Marlins' last game ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ted Lilly
Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III (born January 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lilly attended Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, California, and Fresno City College. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. Professional career Minor leagues Lilly was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 23rd round of the 1996 MLB draft. After two seasons in the Dodgers farm system, he was traded (along with Peter Bergeron, Wilton Guerrero and Jonathan Tucker) to the Montreal Expos for Hiram Bocachica, Mark Grudzielanek and Carlos Pérez. Montreal Expos Lilly made his MLB debut for the Expos on May 14, 1999, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching one inning in relief. He made his first MLB start on September 19 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched in nine games for the Expos, with three starts. New York Yankees Lilly was traded to the New Yor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hudson played in the major leagues for the Oakland Athletics (1999–2004), the Atlanta Braves (2005–13), and the San Francisco Giants (2014–15). With the Giants, he won the 2014 World Series over the Kansas City Royals. He is now the varsity head coach for the Lee-Scott Academy baseball team. During his 17-season career, Hudson established himself as one of baseball's most consistent pitchers and until 2014 had never had a season where he suffered more losses than wins. Hudson was also named an All-Star four times: twice with Oakland, once with Atlanta, and once with San Francisco. Before retiring in 2015, Hudson was the winningest active Major League pitcher, as well as one of four active pitchers with at least 200 career wins. Wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chad Harville
Chad Ashley Harville (born September 16, 1976) is an American former professional relief pitcher. Harville bats and throws right-handed. He is known for throwing in the high 90's with an outstanding sinker. Career A second-round pick of the Oakland Athletics in , Harville posted a 4-6 record with a 4.94 ERA and one save in 135 career relief appearances with Oakland and Houston. In 133 innings, he had 114 strikeouts and 78 walks. On August 23, 2005, Harville was claimed by the Boston Red Sox off waivers from the Astros. He was 0-2 with a 4.46 ERA in 37 games for Houston, having allowed just two runs in 15 1-3 innings over his last 13 appearances. With the Red Sox unable to find the right combination of relievers due to injury and ineffectiveness (using a total of 18 pitchers out of the bullpen), they decided to take a chance on Harville, designating Mike Remlinger for assignment. Unfortunately, Harville was 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in 8 appearances for Boston. On November 22, 2005, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rich Harden
James Richard Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Early years Harden attended Claremont Secondary School in Victoria, British Columbia. He was a childhood friend and neighbor of Olympic diver Riley McCormick. Harden was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft, but instead attended Central Arizona College, which he graduated in 2001. While there he played baseball alongside future MLB All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler. He led all NJCAA Division I pitchers with 127 strikeouts in 2001, and his ERA of 2.14 was the 5th lowest in the nation. In his first professional season as a 19-year-old with the Vancouver Canadians in Single-A, Harden had a 2–4 record in 18 games (14 starts), a 3.39 ERA, allowed only 47 hits and struck out 100 batters in 74 innings. Professional career Draft and mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aaron Harang
Aaron Michael Harang (born May 9, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves. Amateur career Harang graduated from Patrick Henry High School, then went on to San Diego State University. He was first drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 22nd round of the 1996 amateur draft, but did not sign with the team. In 1998, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Professional career Texas Rangers After college, Harang was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 6th round of the 1999 draft and signed with them. He played for the rookie-class Pulaski Rangers in 1999, finishing with a 9–2 record and 2.30 ERA in 16 appearances (10 starts), including one complete game shutout. He was selected as the Appalachi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Halama
John Thadeuz Halama (born February 22, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his major league career, Halama played with the Houston Astros (), Seattle Mariners (–), Oakland Athletics (), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (), Boston Red Sox (), Washington Nationals (2005), and Baltimore Orioles (). He bats and throws left-handed. Career Houston Astros Halama made his debut with the Houston Astros in 1998. Prior to that he had attended St. Francis College and Pitched for the Terriers from 1991 to 1994. Halama also attended and graduated from Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1990. Seattle Mariners In midseason 1998, Halama was sent to Seattle along with Freddy García and Carlos Guillén in the same trade that brought Randy Johnson to Houston. Halama won 41 games for the Mariners in a four-year span, with a career high 14 victories in . In , Halama threw the first nine-inning perfect game in the history of the Pacific Coast League. Oakland A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keith Foulke
Keith Charles Foulke ( ; born October 19, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A graduate of Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, Foulke attended Galveston College and Lewis–Clark State College. Between 1997 and 2008, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. Foulke was an All-Star in 2003 and he earned the final out of the 2004 World Series. Career After graduating from Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, in 1991, he attended Galveston College and Lewis–Clark State College in Idaho. He began his career in the minor-league system of the San Francisco Giants. During the season, Foulke was one of six prospects (along with Bob Howry, Lorenzo Barceló, Mike Caruso, Ken Vining, and Brian Manning) traded to the White Sox in exchange for Wilson Álvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernández in what became known as the White Flag Trade. In 1998, Foulke found a home in the White So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeremy Fikac
Jeremy Joseph Fikac (born April 8, 1975) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the San Diego Padres (–), Oakland Athletics (), and Montreal Expos (). Early life Fikac was born in Shiner, Texas, and attended Texas State University. Career Fikac was selected in the 19th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres. After seven years in MLB, he returned to his alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach and was promoted to full-time assistant in 2008; working as the hitting instructor. In 2012, after the departure of assistant coach Derek Matlock (hired at West Virginia University), Fikac was promoted to pitching coach. He played his final season for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National Lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
