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2004 Oakland Athletics Season
The Oakland Athletics' 2004 season involved the A's finishing 2nd in the American League West with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses. Offseason *October 9, 2003: Marco Scutaro was selected off waivers by the Oakland Athletics from the New York Mets. *November 18, 2003: Ted Lilly was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Toronto Blue Jays for Bobby Kielty. *November 26, 2003: Mark Kotsay was traded by the San Diego Padres to the Oakland Athletics for Terrence Long and Ramón Hernández. *December 3, 2003: Wayne Gomes was signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. *February 6, 2004: Eric Karros was signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. * March 15, 2004: Mike Oquist was signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Transactions *April 17, 2004: Kirk Saarloos was traded by the Houston Astros to the Oakland Athletics for Chad Harville. *August 3, 2004: Eric Karros was released by the Oakland Athleti ... [...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] |
Marco Scutaro
Marcos Scutaro, better known as Marco Scutaro, (; born October 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed. Scutaro made his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2002, and subsequently played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. Scutaro was named the most valuable player of the 2012 National League Championship Series while with the Giants; he and the team then won the 2012 World Series over the Detroit Tigers. Scutaro was one of the primary subjects of the 2005 documentary ''A Player to be Named Later''. Early life Scutaro was born in San Felipe, Venezuela. He is of Italian descent. He began playing baseball at age six. Professional career Cleveland Indians Scutaro originally signed with the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent on July 26, 1994. As a teenager, Scutaro considered Cleveland infielder and fellow Venezuelan Omar Vizquel his favo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Justin Lehr
Charles Larry "Justin" Lehr (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), as well as the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. Early life Lehr was born in Orange, California and graduated from West Covina High School in West Covina, California. He played college baseball at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Southern California. In 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox where he was named a league all-star. Professional career The Oakland Athletics selected Lehr in the 8th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. He was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers after the season from the Athletics along with minor league outfielder Nelson Cruz in exchange for infielder Keith Ginter. Lehr has a career Major League Earned run average, ERA of 5.37 in 77 games, ... [...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] |
Chris Hammond
Christopher Andrew Hammond (born January 21, 1966) is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success until his revival as a relief pitcher with the Atlanta Braves. Hammond's career went through two distinct phases, one as a struggling starting pitcher/ swingman and one as a reliever. Hammond used techniques common to "junkball" or finesse pitchers. His pitches included the changeup (Hammond's ranged from 58 - 71 mph), his mostly flat slider, and his low 80s four-seam fastball. Hammond was also a relatively good left-handed hitter as shown by his career .202 batting average, .285 on-base percentage, and four career home runs. Professional baseball career Cincinnati Reds Hammond first appeared in the Major Leagues in where he pitched three games for the Reds. The following season was his official rookie season and he started 18 gam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Justin Duchscherer
Justin Craig Duchscherer UKE-shur(born November 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. Playing career Early career Duchscherer (nickname: "The Duke of Hurl") was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round (241st overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft out of Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas. His high-80s fastball made him one of the hardest throwers in the area, but his velocity soon ranked as only average as he entered the minor leagues. In , he went 7-12 with a 4.79 ERA in 30 appearances (26 starts) for Single-A Michigan. As Duchscherer continued to struggle in the low levels of the minor leagues, he was beginning to look more like a roster filler than a big-league prospect. But in , he turned his career around. He went 6-3 with a 2.44 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A Trenton before being traded to the Texas Rangers for catcher Doug Mirabelli. He finishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octavio Dotel
Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz (born November 25, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Dotel played for 13 major league teams, the second most teams played for by any player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), setting the mark when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers on April 7, 2012, breaking a record previously held by Mike Morgan, Matt Stairs, and Ron Villone. Edwin Jackson broke this record in 2019. Dotel's longest tenure with any one team was the five seasons he spent with the Houston Astros. Dotel won the 2011 World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2013, as part of the World Baseball Classic champions along with fellow Dominicans Robinson Canó and Santiago Casilla, Dotel became one of the few players in history to win both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic. Career New York Mets Dotel graduated from Liceo Cansino Afuera in the Dominican Republic and was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1993. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santiago Casilla
Santiago Casilla (born July 25, 1980) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Casilla threw four pitches: a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Casilla originally signed with Oakland under the name of Jairo Garcia, listing his birthdate as 1983. He debuted with Oakland in 2004, pitching briefly for them that year and the next. In January 2006, he revealed his true name and age. 2007 marked the first time he pitched more than four games in a year for Oakland; he an initial boost to their bullpen but missed the latter part of the season with an injury. He appeared in 51 games in 2008, then was allowed to become a free agent after posting a 5.96 earned run average (ERA) in 2009. The Giants signed Casilla in 2010; after starting the season in the minor leagues, he was called up in May and remained with the team for the rest of the season. Casilla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chad Bradford
Chadwick Lee Bradford (born September 14, 1974) is an American former professional relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in Major League Baseball (MLB) despite his unconventional delivery and the slow speed at which he threw the ball (his fastball was only in the mid 80-mph range). This led to him figuring prominently in the Michael Lewis book '' Moneyball'', which in 2011 was made into the film of the same title. Bradford is played by actor Casey Bond in the film. Early life Bradford was born in Byram, Mississippi. His father had suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, so that he could only throw underhand when playing catch with his son. Author Michael Lewis speculates that memories of his father's throwing motion may have contributed to the development of Bradford's pitching style. Bradford went to Byram High School. Unlike most players who become major leaguers, he had not exhibited outstanding athletic ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Blanton
Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Washington Nationals. After playing college baseball for the University of Kentucky, the Athletics selected him in the 2002 MLB draft and later made his MLB debut in 2004. While pitching for the Phillies, he was a member of the 2008 World Series championship team. Blanton continued to pitch in MLB through 2013, when he retired in 2014. Blanton returned from retirement to pitch in MLB from 2015 through 2017. Amateur career Joe Blanton was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but grew up in Chalybeate, Kentucky. He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School in 1999. He attended the University of Kentucky and played college baseball for the Kentucky Wildcats, with a 13–12 record from 2000 to 2002, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
