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Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki (佐々木 主浩 ''Sasaki Kazuhiro'', born February 22, 1968) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars (1990–1999; 2004–2005). Sasaki played his entire MLB career with the Seattle Mariners (2000–2003). Professional career After playing college baseball for Tohoku Fukushi University, Sasaki was drafted in the first round of the 1989 draft by the Yokohama Taiyō Whales (now named Yokohama DeNA BayStars) in Japan's Central League. He played for them from 1990–1999, before joining the Seattle Mariners in 2000. He joined a bullpen that had been one of the worst in the Major Leagues, and during his rookie year won the closer job from a floundering José Mesa. Sasaki's out pitch, a devastating split-fingered fastball that drops when arriving at home plate, was nicknamed "The Thang" by Mariners radio announcers. He ... [...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] |
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] |
Japanese Idol
An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements by talent agencies, while maintaining a parasocial relationship with a financially loyal consumer fan base. Japan's idol industry first emerged in the 1960s and became prominent in the 1970s and 1980s due to television. During the 1980s, regarded as the "Golden Age of Idols", idols drew in commercial interest and began appearing in commercials and television dramas. As more niche markets began to appear in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it led to a significant growth in the industry known as the "Idol Warring Period." Today, over 10,000 teenage girls in Japan are idols, with over 3,000 groups active. Japan's idol industry has been used as a model for other pop idol industries, such as K-pop. Sub-categories of idols include gravure idols ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neftalí Feliz
Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Feliz won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2010. Professional career Atlanta Braves Minor leagues Feliz was signed by the Atlanta Braves as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic on June 6, 2005. He made his professional debut with the GCL Braves in 2006, posting a 4.03 ERA in 11 appearances. He began the 2007 season with the rookie-level Danville Braves, and logged a 1.98 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 27 innings of work. Texas Rangers On July 31, 2007, Feliz was traded from the Braves to the Texas Rangers along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, Beau Jones, and Elvis Andrus in exchange for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mah ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fullcast Stadium Miyagi
, officially Miyagi Baseball Stadium, is a baseball stadium located in Miyaginohara Sports Park in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The 30,508-seat ballpark is owned by the prefecture and operated by Rakuten, which has used it as the home field for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) since 2005. Its symmetrical playing surface is the only natural turf field in the Pacific League (PL). An amusement park named Smile Glico Park is integrated into the stadium's left field seating and features a Ferris wheel. Miyagi Stadium is the third-oldest NPB stadium and the oldest in the PL, built in 1950 to host countryside NPB games and amateur baseball. Lights were added in 1973 to accommodate night games and attract more professional games. The Lotte Orions began using the stadium as a semi-home that same year and played five seasons in Sendai until 1977. In 1974, the Orions brought Miyagi Stadium its first postseason games, however Japan Series games were n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a Japanese television personality, YouTuber and former professional baseball player. He played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season. Born in Kishiwada, Osaka in 1967, his family were baseball fans. He began his career when he joined his high school baseball team in the 1980s that subsequently won two Japanese High School Baseball Championships. He became a widely respected high school player and was selected by Seibu Lions in 1985. During his time in Lions, the team won six Japan Series titles and he tied the rookie HR record for Japanese professional baseball. In 1996, he joined the Yomiuri Giants, and was an integral part of their 2000 and 2002 Japan Series championship squads. He later joined the Orix Buffaloes, before retiring in 2008. He has been dubbed "The Uncrowned King" as he never won a major batting title, despite being widely regarded as one of NPB's greatest hitters. In 2014, Kiyohara was hospitalized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They have played their home games in the Tokyo Dome since its opening in 1988. The team's owner is Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, Japan's largest media conglomerate which also owns two newspapers (including the eponymous ''Yomiuri Shimbun'') and the Nippon Television Network (which includes flagship Nippon TV). The Giants are the oldest team among the current Japanese professional teams. They are also by far the most successful, having won 22 Japan Series titles and an additional nine in the era of NPB's forerunner, the Japanese Baseball League. Their main rivalry is with the Hanshin Tigers, a team especially popular in the Kansai region. The Yomiuri Giants are regarded as "The New York Yankees of Japan" due to their widespread popularity, past do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1863 as the weekly ''Seattle Gazette'', and was later published daily in broadsheet format. It was long one of the city's two daily newspapers, along with ''The Seattle Times'', until it became an online-only publication on March 18, 2009. History J.R. Watson founded the ''Seattle Gazette'', Seattle's first newspaper, on December 10, 1863. The paper failed after a few years and was renamed the ''Weekly Intelligencer'' in 1867 by new owner Sam Maxwell. In 1878, after publishing the ''Intelligencer'' as a morning daily, printer Thaddeus Hanford bought the ''Daily Intelligencer'' for $8,000. Hanford also acquired Beriah Brown's daily ''Puget Sound Dispatch'' and the weekly ''Pacific Tribune'' and folded both papers into the ''Inte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Rhodes
Arthur Lee Rhodes, Jr. (born October 24, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is the current pitching coach for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Professional Baseball. Career Rhodes played high school baseball at La Vega High School in Waco, Texas. As a senior in 1988, he finished the season with a 17–0 record. Baltimore Orioles He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft. During his 1991 season with the class AA Hagerstown Suns, Rhodes was selected as Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. Rhodes made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 1991, and then spent 12 years in the Baltimore organization before being granted free agency after the 1999 season. Seattle Mariners Rhodes became a top setup man for the Seattle Mariners, becoming a key part of their bullpen for the wild-card team in 2000 and the 116-win team in 2001. Rhodes finished the season with an 8-0 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Nelson (pitcher)
Jeffrey Allan Nelson (born November 17, 1966) is an American former baseball relief pitcher and current broadcaster who played 15 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. Nelson retired on January 12, 2007, the same day he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. In his MLB career Nelson pitched in 798 games with a 48–45 record, and with runners in scoring position and two out he held batters to a .191 batting average. In 55 post-season games (third all-time), he compiled a 2–3 mark with 62 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings. Among hitters whom he dominated most were Troy Glaus, who in 14 at-bats was hitless with 11 strikeouts. Nelson had three stints with the Seattle Mariners (1992–1995, 2001–2003 and again in 2005). He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most games pitched (383), and has a 23–20 record with the Mariners. Nelson is currently a television color analyst for the Miami Marlins and New York Yanke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baseball Digest
''Baseball Digest'' is a baseball magazine resource, published in Orlando, Florida by Grandstand Publishing, LLC. It is the longest-running baseball magazine in the United States. History and profile It was created by Herbert F. Simons, a sportswriter for the ''Chicago Daily Times'', in 1942. Simons first published the magazine in August 1942, and served as its editor-in-chief until 1963. In 1981, Joan Whaley was published as its first female contributor. After publishing on a 9 or 12 issues per-year schedule, in 2009 it scaled back to six with National and American League schedules, directories, pre-season rosters, Major League Baseball history, and one-on-one player interviews, such as in the "Game I'll Never Forget" feature. In March 2012, ''Baseball Digest'' merged with professional scouting service ProScouts LLC. The relaunch included major changes to the magazine's format including being published in full-color for the first time, an increase in editorial content such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Split-fingered Fastball
A split-finger fastball or splitter is an off-speed pitch in baseball that looks to the batter like a fastball until it drops suddenly. Derived from the forkball, it is so named because the pitcher puts the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball. History The splitter grew out of a much older pitch, the forkball, which was used in the major leagues since the 1920s. The modern splitter is often credited to baseball coach Fred Martin (baseball), Fred Martin, who threw the pitch in the minor leagues as a changeup of sorts. When a young Bruce Sutter returned from surgery to find his fastball had lost velocity, Martin taught Sutter the pitch. Sutter's success as a closer (baseball), closer helped popularize the pitch. Another early proponent of the splitter was Roger Craig (baseball), Roger Craig, a pitcher-turned-manager, in the 1980s. He taught it to a number of pitchers on the teams he coached, the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants. Longtime player and manage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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