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2004 Atlanta Braves Season
The 2004 Atlanta Braves season marked the franchise's 39th season in Atlanta and 134th overall. The Braves won their 10th consecutive division title, finishing 10 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. On September 29, 2004, Bobby Cox won his 2,000th game as a manager. He became the ninth manager to achieve the feat, doing so with a 6-3 win over the New York Mets at Turner Field in the final home game of the year He was named Manager of the Year after the season ended. J. D. Drew replaced Gary Sheffield (lost to the Yankees in free agency) in the outfield, free agent John Thomson joined the rotation, and rookies Adam LaRoche and Charles Thomas saw significant playing time on a younger 2004 Braves team. The Braves would face the Houston Astros in the Division Series (the fourth time that these two teams met in seven years, all of which were won by Atlanta), but the Braves lost three games to two. Offseason * October 25, 2003: DeWayne Wise was signed as a free ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National League East
The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National League (along with the American League) added two expansion teams and divided into two divisions, East and West effective for the 1969 season. The National League's geographical alignment was rather peculiar as its partitioning was really more north and south instead of east and west. Two teams in the Eastern Time Zone, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, were in the same division as teams on the Pacific coast. This was due to the demands of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, who refused to support expansion unless they were promised they would be kept together in the newly created East division. During the two-division era, from 1969 to 1993, the Phillies–Pirates rivalry, Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates toget ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the American League's (AL) New York Yankees. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The team's colors evoke the blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants. For the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Mets played home games at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan before moving to Queens. From 1964 to 2008, the Mets played their home games at Shea Stadium, named after William Shea, the founder of the Continental League, a proposed third major league, the announcement of which prompted their admission as an NL expansion team. Since 2009, the Mets have played their home games at Citi Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chipper Jones
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft. He was also a member of their 1995 World Series championship team that beat the Cleveland Indians. An eight-time All-Star, Jones won the 1999 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award and the 1999 and 2000 NL Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He was the MLB batting champion in 2008 after hitting .364. Jones ended his career in 2012 with a .303 career batting average, 468 home runs, and 1,623 runs batted in (RBIs). He has the most career RBIs for a third baseman and holds the Braves team record for career on-base percentage (.402); Jones ranks third on the Braves career home run list. Among switch hitters, Jones ranks second behind Eddie Murray for career RBIs, and he is the only switch hitter i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rafael Furcal
Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, he won the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers. Early life Furcal grew up in Loma de Cabrera, a small village in the Dominican Republic near the Dajabón River and the border with Haiti. His father, Silvino, drove a taxi, and his mother, Aura, was a schoolteacher. Furcal had three older brothers, José, Manuel, and Lorenzo, and a sister. Silvino Furcal was a standout outfielder during an era when Dominican ballplayers did not get much recognition from Major League scouts. Silvino introduced his sons to baseball and Rafael credited his father with teaching him how to enjoy the game. Until his death in 2010, Silvino would often call Rafael to give him advice after games. Manuel Furcal pitched in the Seattle Mariners organization and Lor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark DeRosa
Mark Thomas DeRosa (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013. He played for the Atlanta Braves (1998–2004), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cubs (2007–2008), Cleveland Indians (2009), St. Louis Cardinals (2009), San Francisco Giants (2010–2011), Washington Nationals (2012), and Toronto Blue Jays (2013). DeRosa primarily played third base and second base, but he started at every position other than center field, pitcher, and catcher. He currently works for MLB Network as a studio analyst. A Carlstadt, New Jersey, native, DeRosa attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he led the football team to consecutive Ivy League championships as their quarterback in 1994 and 1995. He also played baseball for the Quakers, and he chose to sign when the Braves selected him in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 1996 MLB draft. Originally a shortstop, DeRosa debuted with the Brave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marcus Giles
Marcus William Giles (born May 18, 1978) is a former Major League Baseball player. He was a second baseman and batted right-handed. His older brother, Brian Giles, was an outfielder who also played in the Major Leagues. Career Giles was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 53rd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut in . He hit a grand slam for his first career home run off Mike Hampton of the Colorado Rockies. He became the first Braves player in 24 years to have his first MLB home run be a grand slam. Despite usually having success during his opportunities in majors, he spent the next two years shuttling between Atlanta and their Triple-A affiliate in Richmond. In , his year was marred by a severe ankle sprain in May, and the death of his premature daughter, Lundyn Mae. Giles lost his second base starting job to the injury and, shortly after returning, was demoted to Richmond. He did not play in Atlanta again until August. In , Giles was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Estrada
Johnny Pulado Estrada III (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Washington Nationals. Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. His major league career started in with the Phillies after an injury to the regular starting catcher, Mike Lieberthal. In , he became a part-time player. Estrada was acquired by the Atlanta Braves from the Phillies on December 20, 2002, for Kevin Millwood in a move that was said to be financially motivated, since the Braves could not pay Millwood's salary. During the season, Estrada spent most of the year on Atlanta's Triple-A team, the Richmond Braves. After Javy López left due to free agency, Estrada became Atlanta's starting catcher in . He hit .314 with 9 home runs and 76 RBI. Estrada also made the All-Star team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russ Ortiz
Russell Reid Ortiz (born June 5, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Ortiz during his career played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He is tall, and weighs 220 pounds. College and high school Ortiz attended Montclair College Preparatory in Van Nuys, California before he continued on to the University of Oklahoma. In , he pitched for a Sooners squad that would win the College World Series. In 38 innings, he had three saves and 30 strikeouts. In 1994, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Professional career San Francisco Giants (1998–2002) The right-hander was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 4th round of the June 1995 Major League Baseball draft. He was drafted as a closer, but converted to the starting rotation while in the Giants' farm system. On April 2, , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Atlanta Braves Opening Day Starting Pitchers
The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Atlanta. They play in the National League East division. They were based in Milwaukee and Boston before moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. The Atlanta Braves have used 22 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 57 seasons in Atlanta. The 22 starters have a combined Opening Day record of 15 wins, 23 losses and 19 no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game. Hall of Famer Phil Niekro holds the Atlanta Braves' record for most Opening Day starts, with eight. Greg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julio Franco
Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach, who is a hitting coach for the farm team of the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in and last appearing in , at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch, Franco also spent two seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and one season playing in the KBO. While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in MLB history. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antonio Alfonseca
Antonio Alfonseca (; ; born April 16, 1972) is a Dominican former relief pitcher. He last pitched in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in . Alfonseca also played for the Florida Marlins (–, ), the Chicago Cubs (–), the Atlanta Braves (), and the Texas Rangers (). He is known for having an extra digit on each hand and foot. Biography Alfonseca was originally signed by the Montreal Expos as a non-drafted free agent in July . On December 13, 1993, he was taken by the Florida Marlins from the Montreal Expos in the 1993 expansion draft. He made his debut during the 1997 season, and his rookie campaign saw him win a World Series ring with the Marlins. His best year was in with the Marlins, when he led the National League in saves with 45, and won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year. At the end of the season, Alfonseca had surgery to repair a herniated disc. Subsequently, the Marlins asked Alfonseca to lose 15 pounds to help to relieve stres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eli Marrero
Elieser Marrero (born November 17, 1973), is a former Major League Baseball player. Marrero started his career as a catcher, but spent time at first base, third base and in the outfield. Playing career Marrero was selected in the third round of the June 1993 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He missed much of the 2000 season due to thyroid cancer. During that time, he lost his job as the starting catcher for the Cardinals, so when he returned he started logging time in the outfield and at first, in addition to occasional duty behind the plate. While with the Cardinals, Marrero caught Bud Smith's no-hitter on September 3, 2001. The Cardinals traded Marrero to the Atlanta Braves in December 2003 as part of a package for pitchers Jason Marquis and rookie prospect Adam Wainwright, where he hit .415 against left-handed pitchers as a platoon outfielder. Following the 2004 season, the Braves dealt him to the Kansas City Royals, who were in need of a power-hitting corner outfiel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
