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Rick VandenHurk
Henricus "Rick" Nicolas van den Hurk (Eindhoven, May 22, 1985) is a Dutch professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has also pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates, in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Tokyo Yakult Swallows. In international play, he is a member of the Netherlands national baseball team. Early years At the age of 16, van den Hurk was scouted by Chicho Jesurun when playing for the Oosterhout baseball team Twins, where his father was coach. He went to Fort Lauderdale Preparatory School where he graduated in 2003. Professional career Florida Marlins van den Hurk was signed by the Florida Marlins as an international free agent in 2002. van den Hurk made his professional debut with the GCL Marlins in 2003, pitching to a 2-6 record and 5.35 ERA in 11 games. In 2004, Van den Hurk logged a 2-3 record an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015 Japan Series
The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks were the defending Japan Series champions, having beaten the Hanshin Tigers in 2014. The series was sponsored by the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and was officially known as the SMBC Nippon Series 2015. The Hawks defeated the Swallows in five games. Lee Dae-ho won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award. Kenji Akashi, Shota Takeda, and Rick van den Hurk (all of the Hawks) won outstanding player awards, while Tetsuto Yamada of the Swallows won the Fighting Spirit Award. Climax Series Summary Series notes This was the fourth time in Japan Series history that two rookie managers met, with Mitsuru Manaka managing Yakult and Kimiyasu Kudoh managing SoftBank. The other occurrences were in 1986 (Masaaki Mori for the Sei ... [...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] |
Gulf Coast League
The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lowest rung on the North American minor-league ladder. FCL teams play at the minor league spring training complexes of their parent Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs and are owned by those parent clubs. Admission is not charged, and no concessions are operated at the teams' games. Every Grapefruit League team fields at least one team in the league. Night games are commonly played in the spring training stadium, although games may also be played at the team's practice fields. As of the 2021 season, there is no league limit to how many players can be on an active roster, but no team can have more than three players with four or more years of minor-league experience. Major-league players on rehabilitation assignments may also appear in the lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greensboro Grasshoppers
The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National Bank Field, which opened in 2005 and seats 7,499 fans. The team's logo was changed to a Grasshopper prior to the inaugural season at the new ballpark. Fans selected the name "Guilford" (Greensboro's county's name) for the team's mascot, a giant grasshopper. Prior to that, all home games for the Hornets and Bats were held at World War Memorial Stadium, just northeast of downtown Greensboro. History Greensboro has fielded professional teams since the early 1900s, in several different leagues. Early on, the nickname Greensboro Patriots was applied to those teams, in reference to the Battle of Guilford Court House. There were a few false starts. In 1902 local cotton broker Leon J. Brandt fielded a Greensboro team in the North Carolina Lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jupiter Hammerheads
The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean Stadium, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Opened in 1998, the park seats 6,871 people. They share the facility with the Palm Beach Cardinals, also of the Florida State League. On May 23, 2011, the Hammerheads gained national attention after playing in a 23-inning game against the Clearwater Threshers. In 2012, the Hammerheads won the 2nd Half Division Title and went on to defeat the St. Lucie Mets in a decisive Game 3 of the Division Championship Series to capture their first ever Division title. Jupiter lost in the FSL Championship in the fifth and final game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers, despite holding a 2–1 lead after Game 3. Season-by-season results Roster Notable alumni National Baseball Hall of F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GCL Marlins
The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays its home games in Jupiter, Florida, at Roger Dean Stadium, which is also the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. The team is mainly composed of players who are in their first year of professional baseball either as draftees or non-drafted free agents. History The team first entered the Gulf Coast League (GCL) in 1984, and has competed continuously since then. The team was based in Kissimmee, Florida, during 1992–1993 and Melbourne, Florida, during 1994–2001. The team has won multiple division titles, but has yet to capture a league championship. The GCL Marlins threw a combined perfect game against the GCL Astros on July 19, 2012. Justin Jackson pitched the first six innings, Patrick Merkling pitched ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicho Jesurun
Arthur Benjamin "Chicho" Jesurun (10 July 1947 – 16 December 2006) was a Netherlands-Antillian baseball player, coach, manager, and scout. Biography During his playing career, Jesurun played for several teams. He started in Curaçao with the Korporaal Cardinals, later, in the 1960s he was one of the founders and players of the Caribe from Groningen in the Netherlands. In that period he also started his coaching career as a coach at the Rayon Het Noorden team. In the 1970s and 1980s, Jesurun was working as a baseball coach in his native Curaçao with the Wildcats Felipe II and the Curaçao national baseball team. With this team he reached the second spot in the national league, before winning the league in three consecutive years. Later he also became an umpire in the sport. Jesurun also worked as a scout for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins. During his time with the Braves, he brought fellow Antillean Andruw Jones ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Netherlands National Baseball Team
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, representing the country in international men's baseball. They are currently ranked as the best team in the WBSC Europe, and the team is also ranked ninth in the WBSC World Rankings. The Netherlands participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 1996, Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2000, Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004, and Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008. The team has also participated in both of the other major international baseball tournaments recognised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF): the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the Baseball World Cup. In 2011 Baseball World Cup, 2011, the team won the World Cup after beating 25-time champion Cuba national baseball team, Cuba in the finals. The team is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation, which is represented in the WB ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the in Tokyo, founded in 1934, and the original circuit for the sport in the Empire two years later – Japanese Baseball League (1936–1949), and continued to play even through the final years of World War II. The league that is today's NPB for Japan was formed when that sports organization reorganized in 1950, creating two leagues with six teams each in the Central League and the Pacific League with an annual season-ending Japan Series championship play-off series of games starting that year. The NPB also oversees the Western League (Japanese baseball), Western League and the Eastern League (Japanese baseball), Eastern League, NPB's minor league, minor leagues. Since the first Japan Series in , the Yomiuri Giants have the most cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most successful team, having won 11 of the 40 championships. In comparison with American Major League Baseball, ESPN reports that the KBO level of play "appears to be somewhere between Double-A and Triple-A, on average, though the best players are more likely to be MLB-quality than your typical Double-A league." Historically, the KBO is known for its vocal and exuberant fan base,Roscher, Liz"A KBO primer: Here's what you need to know to enjoy the return of baseball in South Korea,"''Yahoo! Sports'' (May 1, 2020). as well as the widespread practice of bat flips (''ppa-dun'' ( ko, 빠던), a portmanteau of the "first syllables of the words for 'bat' and 'throw'") by hitters after stroking what they think will be a home run. In the K ... [...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] |
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] |
