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2010 Tampa Bay Rays Season
The Tampa Bay Rays' 2010 season was their 13th season in Major League Baseball. They improved on their 84–78 record from 2009 by finishing the regular season 96–66, and qualifying for the postseason for the second time in history by winning their second AL East division championship in three years. Offseason Outfielder Gabe Kapler, who had been signed before the 2009 season to just a one-year contract, was re-signed to another one-year deal for $1.05 million on October 27, 2009. Second baseman Akinori Iwamura was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for relief pitcher Jesse Chavez on November 3, 2009. Iwamura had a $4.85 million option for 2010, but with several other players in the organization who could fill the position, the Rays decided to part ways with Iwamura by trading him. Andrew Friedman, the Rays' Vice President of Baseball Operations, stated that it was "tough to put into words" what "Aki" meant to the Rays, who had been with the team since the 2006 season ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before the start of the season along with the American League West division. Before that time, each league consisted of 10 teams without any divisions. Four of the division's five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in Eastern Canada. It is currently the only division that contains a non-American team. At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the AL's six Major League Baseball postseason, playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the New York Yankees in . History Baseball writers have long posited that the American League East is the toughest division in MLB; during its 50-year existence, an AL East team has gone on to pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NL and AL were formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively. Beginning in 1903, the two leagues signed the National Agreement and cooperated but remained legally separate entities until 2000, when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball. MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. It is also included as one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Baseball's first all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded in 1869. Before that, some teams had secretly paid certain players. The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kelly Shoppach
Kelly Brian Shoppach (pronounced SHOP-ick; born April 29, 1980) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates. High school career Shoppach attended Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas, and was a student and a letterman in baseball and football. In football, he played quarterback, running back and linebacker, was a three-time all-district selection and as a senior, he was named the district's most valuable player. College career Shoppach attended Baylor University, where he played three seasons of college baseball for the Baylor Bears baseball team. For the Bears, he hit .333 (168-for-505) with 26 home runs and 121 RBIs. He recorded a .993 career fielding percentage, with seven errors in 953 total chances. In 2000, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gregg Zaun
Gregory Owen Zaun (; born April 14, 1971) is an American baseball analyst, public speaker and a former professional baseball catcher. He played for nine teams over 16 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1995 until 2010, winning a World Series Championship in 1997. From 2006 to 2017, he served as an on-air personality with Sportsnet in Canada. Biography Early life Zaun, the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey, was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta. Zaun and Loretta attended Saint Francis High School in La Cañada, California and graduated in 1989. Zaun was recruited to play college baseball at USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount and Oklahoma, but signed a letter of intent to play for Texas. However, he chose not to play for Texas upon learning that they had signed a junior college All-American catcher. Zaun also played for the United States national baseball team at the 1989 World Junior Baseball Championship in Canada. Professional career Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Shouse
Brian Douglas Shouse (born September 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher and Minor League pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays. Starting in 2001, Shouse pitched with a distinctive sidearm delivery, which replaced his earlier, more traditional, overhand delivery. Career He grew up in Effingham, Illinois. Shouse played college baseball at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois from 1987 until 1990, when he signed with the Pirates after being drafted in the 13th round of the 1990 MLB draft. He is in the Bradley Braves Hall of Fame. Shouse made his MLB debut in 1993, appearing in 6 games that season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would then spend several years in the minor leagues of the Pirates and Baltimore Orioles organizations and would not appear in the major leagues again until 1998, with the Boston Red Sox. Ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Crawford
Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted and threw left-handed. Crawford is best known for his nine years with the Rays, during which he was considered one of the best baserunners in baseball. He led the American League in stolen bases and triples four times each while with Tampa Bay. Early life Crawford is a native of the Fifth Ward area of Houston. He participated in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program, and attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. As a child, he was on the same little league team as Michael Bourn, who also played in MLB. In high school baseball, he began working with former #1 pick Willie Ansley after his sophomore year. He batted .638 as a senior. In the summer of his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. Prior to the AL and NL being split into divisions in 1969, the team with the best regular-season win–loss record in each league automatically clinched its league's pennant and advanced to the World Series, barring the rare tie necessitating a pennant playoff. Since then each league has conducted a League Championship Series ( ALCS and NLCS) preceding the World Series to determine which teams will advance, while those series have been preceded in turn by Division Series ( ALDS and NLDS) since 1995, and Wild Card games or series in each league since 2012. Until 2002, home-field advantage in the World Series ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2008 American League Championship Series
The 2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2008 American League playoffs, was a best-of-seven series matching the two winners of the American League Division Series. The AL East Division champion Tampa Bay Rays, who had defeated the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS, were paired with the wild-card and defending world champion Boston Red Sox, who had defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in the ALDS. Tampa Bay held the home field advantage. The Rays won the series four games to three, becoming the first team since the 1992 Atlanta Braves to win a seventh game after blowing a 3–1 lead. The series began at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Friday, October 10, 2008, and was broadcast on TBS. Game 7 was played on Sunday, October 19. This was the Rays' first appearance in the ALCS while the Red Sox were making their fourth appearance in the last six seasons and ninth overall. The two teams hit a combined 26 home runs—a reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Season
The 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their ninth since the franchise was created. They finished last in the AL East division, posting a league-worst record of 61–101. Their manager was Joe Maddon, who entered his first season with the Devil Rays. The Devil Rays' offense had the fewest runs (689), hits (1,395) and RBI (650) in Major League Baseball, as well as the joint-lowest batting average (.255) and lowest on-base percentage (.314). Offseason *December 2, 2005: Pete LaForest was selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. *December 7, 2005: Dewon Brazelton was traded by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the San Diego Padres for Sean Burroughs. *January 18, 2006: Luis Rivas was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. *January 31, 2006: Russell Branyan was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day starters *Carl Crawford *Jonny Gomes *Nick Green *Tob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesse Chavez
Jesse David Chavez (born August 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. He played college baseball at Riverside Community College, and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 42nd round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs. Amateur career Chavez was born in San Gabriel, California. A graduate of Fontana A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, California, Chavez later attended Riverside Community College, where he spent two seasons. During his freshman season at Riverside, Chavez went 13–2 with a 1.96 ERA and 11–5 with a 1.93 ERA for his sophomore season. Professional career Chavez was originally drafted in the 39th round out of high school by the Chicago Cubs, but opted to attend college instead. Chave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Association in 1881 under the name Pittsburgh Allegheny, the club joined the National League in 1887 and was a member of the National League East from 1969 through 1993. The Pirates have won five World Series championships, nine National League pennants, nine National League East division titles and made three appearances in the Wild Card Game. Despite struggling in the 1880s and 1890s, the Pirates were among the best teams in baseball shortly after the turn of the 20th century. They won three consecutive NL titles from 1901 to 1903, played in the inaugural World Series in 1903 and won their first World Series in 1909 behind Honus Wagner. The Pirates took part in arguably the most famous World Series ending, winning the 1960 World Series agains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akinori Iwamura
is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007. He earned the nickname Aki while in MLB. His nickname is Gan-chan in NPB. Early and personal life Iwamura was born on February 9, 1979, in Uwajima, Japan, in Ehime Prefecture. He attended Uwajima Higashi High School. He played in the Philippines on the Japan National high school baseball team. His older brother, Takashi Iwamura, was also a professional baseball player who spent two seasons in the Kintetsu Buffaloes' farm system. Both were drafted in 1997. On July 10, 2007, Iwamura's wife Misaki gave birth to their first son, Taiki. Career Tokyo Yakult Swallows Iwamura was a third baseman for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japanese Central League. He played in the Central League from 1998 to 2006 and won six Golden Glove awards at third base. He also hit 106 home runs i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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