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Ray Lankford
Raymond Lewis Lankford (born June 5, 1967) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres. He was known for his combination of power, speed, and defensive prowess. Early years Lankford was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Modesto, California, where he attended Grace M. Davis High School and played baseball and football. He later played baseball and football at Modesto Junior College. Lankford's uncle, Carl Nichols, was a professional baseball player and spent parts of six seasons in the major leagues. Career Lankford made his major league debut with St. Louis in August 1990, and soon after took over the center field position previously occupied by former National League MVP Willie McGee. He started his career as primarily a leadoff man, where his speed and plate discipline made him a potent force. In his first full season in 1991, he led the league with 15 triples, sto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch Batted ball, fly balls and ground balls then to return them to the infield for the out or before the runner advances, if there are any runners on the Baseball, bases. Outfielders normally play behind the six Baseball positions, defensive players located in the infield: the pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop. The left fielder and right fielder are named based on their positions relative to the center fielder when looking out from home plate, with the left fielder positioned to the left of the center fielder and the right fielder positioned to the right. By convention, each of the nine defensive positions in baseball are numbered. The outfield positions are 7 (left fielder), 8 (center fielder) and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Nichols (baseball)
Carl Edward Nichols (born October 14, 1962) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played parts of six seasons in the major leagues, from 1986 until 1991, for the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, appearing in a total of 96 games while batting .204 with 18 RBIs. Nichols was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 1980 MLB draft. He played in the minor leagues from 1980 through 1991, both before and after his MLB appearances. Nichols later played in the independent Northern League (1993–1995) and Western Baseball League (1996–1997). Within MLB, Nichols appeared in a total of 36 games for the Orioles, during the 1986 through 1988 seasons, and a total of 60 games for the Houston Astros, during the 1989 through 1991 seasons. He appeared in 69 games as a catcher, four games as an outfielder, and three games as a first baseman. Following his playing career, Nichols has been active in coaching, including six years with the MLB Ur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awarded at each Baseball positions, fielding position in both the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The Gold Glove is widely considered one of the most prestigious defensive awards in baseball. Winners for position awards are determined from voting by the managers and coaches in each league, who are not permitted to vote for their own players. Additionally, a sabermetric component provided by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) accounts for about 25 percent of the vote. For the utility player awards, the sabermetric component and other defensive statistics are exclusively used to select the winners, without any voting by coaches. In 1957, the baseball glove manufacturer Rawlings (comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home Run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error (baseball), errors being committed by the Defense (sports), defensive team. A home run is usually achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or hitting either foul pole) without the ball touching the Baseball field, field. Inside-the-park home runs where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field are infrequent. In very rare cases, a fielder attempting to catch a ball in flight may misplay it and knock it over the outfield fence, resulting in a home run. An official scorer will credit the batter with a hit (baseball), hit, a Run (baseball), run scored, and a run batted in (RBI), as well as an RBI for each Base running, runner on base. The pitcher is recorded as having given u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batting Average (baseball)
In baseball, batting average (BA) is determined by dividing a player's hits by their total at-bats. It is usually rounded to three decimal places and read without the decimal: A player with a batting average of .300 is said to be "batting three hundred". If necessary to break ties, batting averages could be taken beyond the .001 measurement. In this context, .001 is considered a "point", such that a .235 batter is five points higher than a .230 batter. History Henry Chadwick, an English statistician raised on cricket, was an influential figure in the early history of baseball. He is credited with creating the modern box score, in 1859, and the practice of denoting a strikeout with a "K". Chadwick wrote in 1869: "In making up a score at the close of the match the record should be as follows:–Name of player, total number of times the first base was made by clean hits, total bases so made, left on bases after clean hits, and the number of times the first base has been made on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baseball Almanac
Baseball Almanac is an interactive baseball encyclopedia with over 500,000 pages of baseball facts, research, awards, records, feats, lists, notable quotations, baseball movie ratings, and statistics. Its goal is to preserve the history of baseball. It serves, in turn, as a source for a number of books and publications about baseball, and/or is mentioned by them as a reference, such a''Baseball Digest'' an ''Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records'' Dan Zacho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hitting For The Cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hit (baseball), hits a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Baseball (MLB), having occurred fewer than 400 times since 1882. The most recent cycle in MLB was accomplished by Carson Kelly of the Chicago Cubs on March 31, 2025. Rarity The cycle is about as uncommon as a no-hitter; it has been called "one of the rarest" and "most difficult feats" in baseball. Based on 2009 offensive levels, the probability of an average MLB player hitting for a cycle against an average team in a game is about 0.0059%; this corresponds to about 2 cycles in a 162-game season with 30 teams. The most cycles hit in a single major league season is eight, which occurred in both 1933 and 2009. In other baseball leagues, the cycle is achieved less frequen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major League Baseball Rookie Of The Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946. The award became national in 1947; Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers' second baseman, won the inaugural award. One award was presented for all of MLB in 1947 and 1948; since 1949, the honor has been given to one player each in the NL and AL. Originally, the award was known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, named after the Chicago White Sox owner of the 1930s. The award was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in July 1987, 40 years after Robinson broke the baseball color line. Nineteen players have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame—Robinson, seven AL players, and ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stolen Base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out at the next base, but the official scorer rules on the question of credit or blame for the advance under Rule 10 (Rules of Scoring) of the MLB's Official Rules. A stolen base most often occurs when a base runner advances to the next base while the pitcher is pitching the ball to home plate. Successful base stealers must be fast and have good timing. Background Ned Cuthbert, playing for the Philadelphia Keystones in either 1863 or 1865, was the first player to steal a base in a baseball game, although the term ''stolen base'' was not used until 1870. For a time in the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player. For example, if a runner on first base reached third ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a Batter (baseball), batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error (baseball statistics), error) nor another baserunner, runner being put out on a fielder's choice. A triple is sometimes called a "three-bagger" or "three-base hit". For baseball statistics, statistical and baseball scorekeeping, scorekeeping purposes it is denoted by 3B. Triples have become somewhat rare in Major League Baseball, less common than both the Double (baseball), double and the home run. This is because it requires a ball to be hit solidly to a distant part of the field (ordinarily a line drive or Fly ball (baseball), fly ball near the Foul line (baseball), foul line closest to Right fielder, right field), or the ball to take an irregular bounce in the outfield, usually against the wall, away from a outfielder, fielder. It also requires the batter's team to have a good strategic reason for wanting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batting Order (baseball)
In baseball, the batting order or batting lineup is the sequence in which the members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. In Major League Baseball, the batting order is set by the manager, who before the game begins must present the home plate umpire with two copies of his team's lineup card, a card on which a team's starting batting order is recorded. The home plate umpire keeps one copy of the lineup card of each team, and gives the second copy to the opposing manager. Once the home plate umpire gives the lineup cards to the opposing managers, the batting lineup is final and a manager can make changes only under the Official Baseball Rules governing substitutions.Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland Books, 2014. Sewww.baseballexplained.com If a team bats out of order, it is a violation of baseball's rules and subject to penalty. According to ''The Dickson Baseball ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie McGee
Willie Dean McGee (born November 2, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach (baseball), coach and former outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams, over 18 seasons, most prominently with the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two batting titles and was named Major League Baseball's National League (baseball), National League MLB Most Valuable Player Award, MVP. McGee primarily played center fielder, center and right fielder, right field, winning three Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence. McGee spent the majority of his 18-year career playing for the Cardinals, helping them win the 1982 World Series with his outstanding performance in Game 3. A four-time All-Star, McGee accumulated 2,254 hits during his career. Early life Willie Dean McGee, one of seven children, grew up in a devoutly religious household. His father Hurdice was both a machinist at the Oakland, California, Oakland Naval Yards and a deacon in the Pentecostalism, Pentecostal churc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
