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Bud Smith
Robert Allan "Bud" Smith (born October 23, 1979) is an American retired baseball pitcher. Smith was active at the major league level in 2001 and 2002, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Minor leagues In 2000, Smith led the minor league Cardinal organization with a 2.26 ERA (among starters) and 17 wins (5 with AAA Memphis and 12 with AA Arkansas) and threw two no-hitters of the seven-inning variety against Midland and San Antonio. His 2000-year performance earned him Baseball Weekly's Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. No-hitter and major league career Smith's major league career was short but notable, as he became the 18th rookie since 1900 to throw a no-hitter. Smith's Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres 4–0 on September 3, 2001, with the rookie hurler giving up four walks but no hits, while throwing 134 pitches in the game. Due to Smith's high pitch count entering the later innings, Cardinal pitching coach Dave Duncan was actually hoping someone would break u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closer. Traditionally, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with the American League(and later the National League) and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter, a cause of some controversy. The Japanese Central Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Complete Game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitchers who throw an entire official game that is shortened by rain will still be credited with a complete game, while starting pitchers who are relieved in extra innings after throwing nine or more innings will not be credited with a complete game. A starting pitcher who is replaced by a pinch hitter in the final half inning of a game will still be credited with a complete game. The frequency of complete games has evolved since the early days of baseball. The complete game was essentially an expectation in the early 20th century and pitchers completed almost all of the games they started. In modern baseball, the feat is much more rare and no pitcher has reached 30 complete games in a season since 1975; in the 21st century, a pitcher has throw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico. The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organized Minor League Baseball system, but has featured players with MLB experience (Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, Alex Arias, Bud Smith, Desi Wilson, José Lima, Hideki Irabu, Junior Spivey, Mark Prior). It was formed in 2004 and began play on May 26, 2005. The GBL's presenting partner was Safeway Inc. Other investors in the GBL included '' Wheel of Fortune'' host Pat Sajak, former National Football League players Mike Sherrard and Christian Okoye, and executives from Cisco Systems, Taleo and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Over 100 players were sold to MLB organizations after it began play, with seven players already making it to a major league uniform – Dane De La Rosa, Adam Pettyjohn, Scott Richmond, Chris Jakubauskas, Sergio Rom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Beach Armada
The Long Beach Armada were an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League (GBL), which was not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. The Armada played its home games at Blair Field. The Armada fielded a team for the Arizona Summer League in 2010 months after suspending GBL operations, and then a team in the Arizona Winter League in 2011. The franchise has been owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment, primary investors in the current North American League (NAL), since 2005. The team had 13 different players during its first five seasons that played at the major league level. In addition, 21 Long Beach Armada players have had their contracts purchased by major league organizations. Team history The team was one of the original eight GBL charter teams that began play in 2005. They began play in May 2005, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area which includes the two adjoining cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The franchise was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1901 as the Washington Senators. The team moved to Minnesota and was renamed the Minnesota Twins for the start of the 1961 season. The Twins played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2009. The team played its inaugural game at Target Field on April 12, 2010. The franchise won the World Series in 1924 as the Senators, and in 1987 and 1991 as the Twins. From 1901 to 2021, the Senators/Twins franchise's overall regular-season win–loss–tie record is 9,012–9,716–109 (); as the Twins (through 2021), it is 4,789–4,852–8 (). Team history Washington Nati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by league rules. Types Terms Unrestricted free agent Unrestricted free agents are players without a team. They have either been released from their club, had the term of their contract expire without a renewal, or were not chosen in a league's draft of amateur players. These people, generally speaking, are free to entertain offers from all other teams in the player's most recent league and elsewhere and to decide with whom to sign a contract. Players who have been bought out of league standard contracts may have restrictions within that league, such as not being able to sign with the buy-out club for a period of time in the NHL, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doug Nickle
Douglas Alan Nickle (born October 2, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was born in Sonoma, California. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies (–) and the San Diego Padres () of the National League during his Major League Baseball career. Nickle attended the University of California where he played college baseball. He batted and threw right-handed during his career. Career Doug Nickle was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 13th round of the 1997 amateur draft on June 3, 1997. He signed with the Angels on June 9, 1997, but quickly left that organization as a player on September 9, 1998 when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Gregg Jefferies to complete an earlier deal made on August 28. On September 18, 2000, Nickle made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. On that day, the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium with 11,470 people attending the game. Nick ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Rolen
Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. He was an eight-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time All-Star and the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year. In 2006, Rolen won a World Series Championship as a member of the Cardinals. On July 18, 2018, he was hired as Director of Player Development for Indiana University's baseball team. Early life Rolen was born in Evansville, Indiana, and attended Jasper High School in Jasper, Indiana. During his senior year at Jasper in 1993, he was named Indiana Mr. Baseball, played tennis, and was the runner-up for Indiana Mr. Basketball. Career Draft and minor leagues (1993–1996) After a flurry of scholarship offers from schools like Oklahoma State and the University of Alabama, Rolen ultimately committed to playing college basketball for the Georgia Bull ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Third Baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5. Third base is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman is often the infielder who stands closest to the batter—roughly 90–120 feet away, but even closer if a bunt is expected. Most right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. A third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions to catch batted balls whose speed can exceed . The third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base or quick ones to second base to start a double play. As with middle infielders, right-handed throwing players are standard at the position because they do not need to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Timlin
Michael August Timlin (; born March 10, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Timlin played on four World Series championship teams in an 18-year career; the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 2004 Boston Red Sox, and 2007 Boston Red Sox. Early life Timlin was born in Midland, Texas, to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School; he then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Baseball career Listed at and , Timlin threw and batted right-handed. Timlin was known for his fastball. His sliders and sinkers had a downward break, inducing a significant number of ground balls. Early career Timlin was drafted in the fifth round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, and signed with the team on June 6, 1987. From 1987 through 1990, Timlin played for several of Toronto's minor league teams; the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relief Pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather delays or pinch hitter substitutions. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as Closer (baseball), closers, setup men, middle relief pitchers, left-handed specialist, left/right-handed specialists, and long relievers. Whereas starting pitchers usually pitch count, throw so many pitches in a single game that they must rest several days before pitching in another, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch in more games with a shorter time period between pitching appearances but with fewer innings pitched per appearance. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to Metonymy, metonymically as a team's bullpen, which refers to the area where th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plácido Polanco
Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop. He was twice voted to start in Major League Baseball All-Star Games: in 2007, and again in 2011. Plácido Polanco retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for second basemen at 99.27% and the highest all-time career fielding percentage for third basemen at 98.34% which still appear to be records. On July 9, 2008, Polanco received his U.S. citizenship along with 99 other people in a ceremony at Comerica Park that preceded the Tigers– Indians game. He wore his Tigers uniform for the ceremony. Playing career St. Louis Cardinals Polanco was drafted on June 2, 1994, by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th round of the 1994 MLB draft. In 1996, he led the Florida State Leagu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
