Sherman Omar Obando Gainor (born January 23, 1970) is a former major league baseball player who played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. His main position was

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

, but often played as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. He is currently the first base coach for the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

Major League career

Obando was signed by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in 1987, and was picked up by the

in 1992. He made his major league debut with the Orioles on April 10, 1993, and ended the season with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs. He was promoted again to the majors in 1995, but played in only 16 games. An outfielder with power-hitting potential but suspect on defense, he was traded from the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

to the

Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for

Tony Tarasco Anthony Giacinto Tarasco (born December 9, 1970) is an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. He played in the major leagues for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees between 199 ...

during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

on March 13, 1996.Maske, Mark. "O's Get Tarasco from Expos for Obando," ''The Washington Post'', Thursday, March 14, 1996.
Retrieved February 2, 2023. He played in 89 games in 1996, hitting 8 home runs and 22 RBIs. His playing time decreased from then on, and he played his last major league game on July 21, 1997.

Japanese Professional League career

Obando was signed by the

Nippon Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a s ...

in the middle of the 1999 season. He played poorly in his first few games, but gradually increased his output, and ended up with 20 home runs, 62 RBIs and a .306 batting average playing in 94 games. Obando truly made his mark in his second year, hitting 30 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a .332 batting average despite missing over 30 games due to injuries. His batting average was the second highest in the

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

, after

Ichiro Suzuki , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began his ...

, and his slugging percentage was the highest in the league. He played in the all star game, and won the

Best Nine Award The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists. History While the Best Nine Award was first presen ...

this year. In a game against the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

, he hit a home run that broke apart the lens of a television camera placed next to the backscreen of the

Seibu Dome (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. It is home to the Saitama Seibu Lions, a professional baseball team. The stadium has a roof over the field and the stands, like other indoor ballparks. However, it la ...

. With

gone away to the major leagues, Obando had a good chance at winning the triple crown, but sustained a knee injury that forced him out of over half of the 2001 season. Incredibly, he still contributed with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs in only 52 games (meaning that he had an RBI in almost every game he played). In 2002, he played in 118 games, hitting 26 home runs and 68 RBIs, contributing greatly as a cleanup hitter. However, his knee worsened during the off-season, and the drop in his batting average (.263) compelled the Fighters to release him during the off-season. He was offered a contract from the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

, but declined in favor of returning to the United States. In 2004, the

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a s ...

had lent two of their regular players to the Athens Olympics Japanese baseball team, and Obando traveled to Japan with his own money to offer his services to his former team. He was signed cheaply in the middle of the season, and immediately began to display his solid batting abilities, hitting 8 home runs and 25 RBIs with a .338 batting average in 42 games. His clutch hitting contributed greatly to the team, and the Fighters made it to the playoffs that year. Obando began the 2005 season with the Fighters, but fell into a slump and was dropped after only 24 games. He had played 6 seasons (4 full seasons) in the Japanese

World Baseball Classic

Obando was chosen as a member of the

Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For mo ...

team, and played as a designated hitter, batting 5th. His team lost in the preliminary rounds of the tournament.

Career statistics

Major Leagues * 177 Games * 85 Hits * 13 Home runs * 49 RBIs * .239 Batting average Japanese Professional Leagues * 437 Games * 458 Hits * 102 Home runs * 314 RBIs * .294 Batting average

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obando, Sherman 1970 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Albany-Colonie Yankees players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Diablos Rojos del México players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Yankees players Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players Major League Baseball players from Panama Mexican League baseball first basemen Montreal Expos players Nippon Ham Fighters players Nippon Professional Baseball designated hitters Oneonta Yankees players Ottawa Lynx players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in Canada Panamanian expatriate baseball players in Japan Panamanian expatriate baseball players in Mexico Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the United States People from Bocas del Toro Province Prince William Yankees players Rochester Red Wings players 2006 World Baseball Classic players