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Tom Mastny
Thomas Raymond Mastny (born February 4, 1981) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He stands 6 feet, 6 inches in height and weighs 220 pounds. Mastny is the only Indonesian-born player in Major League history. He was raised in Zionsville, Indiana, where he played for Zionsville Community High School. He made his major league debut with the Indians on July 25, . Career Mastny, nicknamed "Mr. Nasty", was born in Bontang, Indonesia, and played collegiate baseball at Furman University, where he was primarily used as a starting pitcher. In , he was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, but was not widely regarded as a top-tier prospect. He was selected in the 11th round of the 2003 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, and began his professional career with the Auburn Doubledays of the Single-A New York–Penn League. In , he played a full season with the Single-A Charleston Alley Cats, before being sent to the Cleveland Indians in the offsea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making it the second most populated city in Polk County. It is a principal city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Pre-history The Timucua and the Calusa were the earliest known inhabitants of the land that would become Winter Haven. Both of these groups were deeply affected by war and disease from the Spanish conquest of Florida in the early 1500s. The Timucua were particularly affected by the expedition of Hernando de Soto. By the 19th century, both these groups no longer existed. During these expeditions the Spanish explorers claimed the entire peninsula of Florida for the Spanish monarchy In the 19th century the Creek and the Seminole were known to live and hunt in this area."The Naming of Lakes in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games primarily at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. The name "Blue Jays" originates from the bird of the same name, and blue is also the traditional colour of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football). In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the "Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red, and white. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at SkyDome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venue has been Tropicana Field. Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995. The team began play as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1998 Major League Baseball season. The team's first decade of play was marked by futility; they finished in last place in the AL East in all but the 2004 season, when they finished second to last. Following the 2007 season, Stuart Sternberg, who had purchased controlling interest in the team from Vince Naimoli two years earlier, changed the team's name from "Devil Rays" to "Rays", now meaning both a manta ray and a ray of sunshine; a mant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Save (baseball)
In baseball, a save (abbreviated SV or S) is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. Most commonly a pitcher earns a save by entering in the ninth inning of a game in which his team is winning by three or fewer runs and finishing the game by pitching one inning without losing the lead. The number of saves or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted are oft-cited statistics of relief pitchers, particularly those in the closer role. The save statistic was created by journalist Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to "measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers" and was adopted as an official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic in 1969. The save has been retroactively tabulated for pitchers before that date. Mariano Rivera is MLB's all-time leader in regular-season saves with 652, while Francisco Rodríguez earned the most saves in a single season with 62 in 2008. History The term ''save'' was being used as far b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Wickman
Robert Joe Wickman (born February 6, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Wickman played for the New York Yankees (–), Milwaukee Brewers (1996–), Cleveland Indians (2000–), Atlanta Braves (2006–), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2007). He batted and threw right-handed. Amateur career Wickman is from Abrams, Wisconsin. At Oconto Falls High School, Wickman played football, baseball, horseback riding, table tennis and basketball, being named an All-State pick in basketball. After high school, he attended University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, and was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 1990 Major League Baseball draft (2nd round) and signed by area scout Mike Rizzo. In 1992, he was sent by Chicago to the New York Yankees in the same trade that brought Steve Sax to the White Sox. Major league career New York Yankees Wickman's career with the Yankees began with a superb record of 20–5 in his first two seasons (1992–1993), including a 14–4 mark in 199 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer (abbreviated CL), is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman, short reliever, and stopper. A small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Eight closers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm. Usage A closer is generally a team's best reliever and designated to pitch the last few outs of games when his team is leading by a margin of three runs or fewer. Rarely does a closer enter with his team losing or in a tie game. A closer's effectiveness has traditionally been measured by the save, an official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1969. Over time, closers have become on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. The current Bisons organization was founded in 1979 and assumed the history of previous franchises that also used the Buffalo Bisons name, most notably the 1886–1970 Buffalo Bisons minor league franchise, and the 1879–1885 Buffalo Bisons major league franchise. The team established the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 to honor former players, managers and contributors to baseball in Buffalo. The team holds the all-time record for single-season attendance in Minor League Baseball, selling 1,240,951 tickets in 1991 while being considered for 1993 Major League Baseball expansion. ''Forbes'' valued the Buffalo Bisons at $34 million in 2016, making it the 15th-most va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akron Aeros
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 fans. The nickname "RubberDucks" refers to Akron's history in the rubber industry, in particular as the birthplace of tire and rubber companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich and General Tire. History The franchise began as the Binghamton Triplets, a charter member of the New York–Penn League in 1923. They played in Binghamton, New York at Johnson Field, winning 10 titles over their 46 seasons. After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the franchise and moved it to Gill Stadium, in Manchester, Massachusetts, to become the Manchester Yankees. After 3 seasons in Manchester, the franchise then relocated to West Haven, Connecticut, under new ownership, and became the West Haven Yankees playing at Qu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinston Indians
The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Kinston Eagles, borrowing their name from the city's first team of the same name dating back to 1925. They became an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979 and rebranded as the Kinston Blue Jays in 1982. Kinston reverted to the Eagles moniker in 1986 after the Toronto affiliation ended and became the Kinston Indians upon partnering with the Cleveland Indians in 1987. After the 2011 season, the Carolina League franchise was relocated to Zebulon, North Carolina, for the 2012 campaign to become the Carolina Mudcats. The K-Tribe won the Carolina League championship in 1988, 1991, 1995, 2004, and 2006. History Early years Kinston was represented by many amateur clubs since the late nineteenth century, but it was unable to sustain a vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John McDonald (infielder)
John Joseph McDonald (born September 24, 1974) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim between 1999 and 2014. Primarily a shortstop, he was also a utility infielder, with the ability to also play second base, third base and left field. He also appeared in one extra inning game in 2013 as an emergency pitcher. Known for his defensive ability, he posted a career fielding percentage of .974 in over 6,450 innings. High school and college McDonald graduated from East Lyme High School in East Lyme, Connecticut. When he was not drafted by any major league baseball team in his initial draft year, he attended University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, where he was NJCAA Division II All-American in 1994 as shortstop. He went on to play at Providence College ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. Although there are many rules to baseball, in general the team playing offense tries to score runs by batting balls into the field that enable runners to make a complete circuit of the four bases. The team playing in the field tries to prevent runs by catching the ball before it hits the ground, by tagging runners with the ball while they are not touching a base, or by throwing the ball to first base before the batter who hit the ball can run from home plate to first base. There are nine defensive positions on a baseball field. The part of the baseball field closest to the batter (shown in the diagram as light brown) is known as the "infield" (as opposed to the "outfield", the part of the field furthest from the batter, shown in the diagr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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