Sinkerball
In baseball, a sinker or sinking fastball is a type of fastball which has significant downward and horizontal movement and is known for inducing ground balls. Pitchers capable of utilizing the sinker are able to throw the pitch almost exclusively, as it forces weak contact and ground balls, allowing them to rely less on secondary pitches in order to change speeds. While coaches agree that this pitch is very similar to the two-seam fastball, a two-seamer tends to have more lateral movement than a sinker. History Before the 1950s, pitchers did not know what caused their pitches to sink or "hop". They regarded either ability as a "gift from heaven". Bill James cites Curt Simmons as the first pitcher to be able to throw both sinkers and rising fastballs, apparently indicating that it was not known how to make a pitch sink and how to make one hop. Throwing mechanics One method of throwing the sinker is to simply grip the baseball along the two seams and throw it similar to a fastb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Matt Albers
Matthew James Albers (born January 20, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, and Milwaukee Brewers. High school career In 2001, Albers graduated from William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. That year, the Houston Astros selected him in the 23rd round (686th overall) of the 2001 MLB Draft. Professional career Minor leagues Albers made his professional debut in 2002 with the Rookie-level Martinsville Astros, going 2–3 with a 5.13 earned run average (ERA) in 13 starts. He then spent the next three seasons climbing up the Single-A ranks, spending a season each with the Tri-City ValleyCats, Lexington Legends and Salem Avalanche. Albers started the 2006 season with the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League, posting a 10–2 win–loss record with a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jon Garland
Jon Steven Garland (born September 27, 1979) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. After being drafted by the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1997, Garland played for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Colorado Rockies. Early life Garland and his two sisters Kim and Kerrie Garland were raised in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, by their mother, Vikki, after she divorced their father when Garland was young. Garland played baseball at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. As a senior, he was named a preseason All-American by ''Baseball America''. He was also named to the 1997 All-America First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings. Garland committed to play college baseball for the USC Trojans. Professional career Minor League Garland was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the tenth pick of the 1997 Major League Baseball Dr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aaron Cook (baseball)
Aaron Lane Cook (born February 8, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox. High school In high school, while playing for Hamilton High School (Hamilton, OH), Cook allowed only one home run, to fellow Major Leaguer Kevin Youkilis, who was playing for Sycamore High School in suburban Cincinnati. Colorado Rockies Cook was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round of the 1997 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut in 2002. 2002 season Cook made his debut, against the Chicago Cubs, pitching two innings and allowing a home run. He would make his first start, against the San Francisco Giants, pitching six innings while allowing four walks in a no decision. Cook would finish the season appearing in nine games (five starts) with a 4.54 ERA in 35 innings. 2003 season Cook made the opening day roster after pitching a solid spring training and was named the Rockie ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brad Bergesen
Bradley Steven Bergesen (born September 25, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons. He has been a pitching coach in the Philadelphia Phillies organization since 2018, currently with the Reading Fightin Phils since 2020. Playing career Baltimore Orioles Bergesen was called up to the Baltimore Orioles from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides to make his first major-league start on April 21, 2009. He pitched 5 innings for the win against the Chicago White Sox, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out four. Bergesen's starts for the next month would be much rockier, as his ERA quickly increased and sat at 5.49 after a start on May 24. Bergesen's year turned around dramatically at this point. From May 29 through July 30 (a span of 12 starts), he pitched at least six innings each st ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a broadcast color analyst for the Dodgers. He is also a professional poker player. After playing baseball in high school at Cherry Hill High School East and at Bowling Green State University, Hershiser was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1979. After several years in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1983. During his tenure with the team, Hershiser was a three-time All-Star, finishing in the top five in Cy Young voting four times in his first six full seasons. Hershiser's most successful season came in 1988, when he set a major league record by pitching 59 consecutive innings without allowing a run. He helped lead the Dodgers to a championship in the 1988 World Series, and was named the National Le ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roberto Hernández (baseball, Born 1980)
Roberto Hernández may refer to: Sports * Roberto Hernandez Jr. (1938–2017), Mexican sportscaster * Roberto Hernández (sprinter) (1967–2021), Cuban athlete *Roberto Hernández (relief pitcher) (born 1964), Puerto Rican baseball player *Roberto Hernández (starting pitcher) (born 1980), Dominican baseball player, formerly known as Fausto Carmona * Roberto Hernández (footballer) (born 1967), Mexican footballer * Roberto Hernández (manager) (born 1964), Chilean football manager * Roberto Hernández (archer) (born 1989), El Salvadoran archer Others *Roberto Hernández Ramírez (born 1942), Mexican businessman *Roberto Hernández Vélez Roberto Hernández Vélez is a Puerto Rican politician and former mayor of Corozal. Hernández is affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP) and served as mayor from 2001 to 2013. References Living people Mayors of places in Puert ..., Puerto Rican politician and former mayor of Corozal * Roberto Hernández (filmmaker), Mexican f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, "Doc", was coined by Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek, and was a reference to Wild West gunslinger Doc Holliday. An eight-time All-Star, Halladay was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. Known for his outstanding durability, he led the league in complete games seven times, the most of any pitcher whose career began after 1945. He also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio five times and innings pitched four times. Raised in Arvada, Colorado, Halladay pitched at Arvada West High School, before being drafted 17th overall by the Blue Jays in the 1995 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in 1998, nearly pitching a no-hitter in his second career start. After struggling in 2000, he was demoted to the minor leagues, w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Scott Feldman
Scott Wynne Feldman (born February 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds. After going 25–2 in his first two years of college baseball, he was drafted in the 30th round by the Texas Rangers in 2003. Feldman had Tommy John surgery later that year. He followed it up with a minor league career in which he had a 2.70 ERA, and held batters to only 6.6 hits per 9 innings, pitching almost exclusively in relief. After pitching out of the bullpen while bouncing back and forth between Texas and its Triple-A affiliate in 2005–07, Feldman converted to a starter in 2008. He established himself in 2009 with a breakout season for the Rangers. He was 17–8, tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and tied the major league record with 12 victories on the road. As the Reds' Opening Day starter in 2017, he b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jeurys Familia
Jeurys Familia Mojica (; born October 10, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. Familia was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. He made his MLB debut in 2012, and became the team's closer in 2015. He was named an MLB All-Star in 2016. The Mets traded him to the Athletics in July 2018, then re-signed him in late 2018 to a three-year deal that spanned the 2019–2021 seasons. He then spent parts of the 2022 season with the Phillies and Red Sox. Early life Familia's father worked for the Dominican military and part-time at a gas station despite being hindered by a leg injury suffered in a childhood accident. Familia's mother worked in a small boutique. On their combined wages, the parents raised five children. Growing up in the Boca Chica section of Santo Domingo, Familia's favorite sp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Camilo Doval
Camilo Doval (born July 4, 1997) is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2015, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021. His fastball has reached . Early life Doval was born in Yamasá, in the Dominican Republic. His parents are Rosa, an elementary school teacher, and Sergio, a farmer, who have separated. He is the third of Rosa's four children, and has a combined 23 siblings and half-siblings, with whom he communicates often in a group chat on Whatsapp. He has a son who was one year old in October 2021, Lian. Professional career Minor leagues Doval signed with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent at 18 years of age in October 2015, for a signing bonus of $100,000, as a shortstop. In 2016 as a pitcher he had a 2–0 win–loss record with one save and a 1.66 earned run average (ERA) for the Rookie-level DSL Giants in the Dominican Summer Leag ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kevin Correia
Kevin John Correia (born August 24, 1980), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Early life He attended Grossmont High School in El Cajon, California. He attended Grossmont Junior College and then transferred to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2000. Correia is of Portuguese descent. Professional career San Francisco Giants Correia was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round (127th overall) of the 2002 MLB Draft. In 2003, Correia became the first player taken in the 2002 MLB Draft to reach the major leagues, when he appeared as a relief pitcher on July 10 against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed one run in 1 innings. In 2004, ''Baseball America'' named him the organization's sixth-rated prospect. Correia split the 2004 and 2005 seasons between the Giants and the minor leagues ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Trevor Cahill
Trevor John Cahill (born March 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Athletics drafted Cahill in the second round of the 2006 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut with the A's in 2009. Cahill was an All-Star in 2010, finishing 9th in that year's AL Cy Young Award voting, and won a World Series title with the 2016 Cubs as well as a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He ranks among the top 20 active pitchers in career victories and has earned over 48 million dollars in his professional baseball career. Baseball career Oakland Athletics Cahill attended Vista High School in Vista, California. The Oakland Athletics drafted Cahill in the second round (66th overall) of the 2006 MLB draft. In hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |