1.
Shortstop
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Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. The position is filled by defensive specialists, so shortstops are generally relatively poor batters who bat later in the batting order. In the numbering used by scorers to record defensive plays. More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters. Like a second baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example performing a 4-6-3 double play. Also, like a third baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the side of the infield. Doc Adams of the Knickerbockers created the concept of the position, according to Thorn. In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players, the only infielders were the players covering each of the bases, if there were more than eight players, extra outfielders were sometimes used. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield, because of the light weight. Adams shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders, with the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased. Adams had a playing career with the Knickerbockers, he remained a player with the team until 1860. The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side, a shortstop must also be extremely agile, because balls hit to or near the shortstop position are usually hit harder than to other infield positions. Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman or first baseman and they also cover second when a runner is attempting a stolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting. This is because the infield will respond to a batter by shifting toward first base. They often become the man on balls to any part of the outfield that are being directed towards third base and all balls to left. Depending on the system the shortstop may cut balls from left field heading home, however, the emphasis on defense makes the position unusually difficult to fill. Historically, a strong shortstop did not have to be a good hitter.200, since the 1960s, however, such mediocre hitting has become rarer as teams increasingly demand players with ability to both field and hit. Alex Rodríguez, Michael Young, or Miguel Tejada, the year in which the player was inducted is given in brackets after his name
2.
Willemstad
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Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, Willemstad is home to the Curaçao synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. The city centre, with its architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Punda was established in 1634, when the Dutch captured the island from Spain, the original name of Punda was de punt in Dutch. Otrobanda, which was founded in 1707, is the section of the city and is considered to be the cultural centre of Willemstad. Its name originated from the Papiamentu otro banda, which means the other side, the Curaçao synagogue was built by Sephardic Portuguese Jews from Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. Insel Air, the airline of Curaçao, has its corporate head office in Maduro Plaza. Tourism is an industry and the city has several casinos. The city centre of Willemstad has an array of architecture that is influenced by Dutch styles. Archaeological research has also been developed there, owing to its location near the Venezuelan oilfields, its political stability and its natural deep water harbour, Willemstad became the site of an important seaport and refinery. Willemstads harbour is one of the largest oil handling ports in the Caribbean, the refinery, at one point the largest in the world, was originally built and owned by Royal Dutch Shell in 1915. It was sold to the Curaçao government for the sum of one guilder in 1985 and is now leased to PDVSA. Schlumberger, the worlds largest oil field services company is incorporated in Willemstad, numerous financial institutions are incorporated in Willemstad due to Curaçaos favourable tax policies. Avalon University School of Medicine is located in Willemstad, Caribbean Medical University is located in Willemstad - close to downtown. Major League Baseball players Jair Jurrjens, Wladimir Balentien, Jurickson Profar, Andruw Jones, Kenley Jansen, pabao Little League has appeared in five Little League World Series, winning in 2004. S. Willemstad is served by Hato International Airport, Punda and Otrobanda are connected by Queen Emma Bridge, a long pontoon bridge. Although it is still in use, these days most road traffic now uses the Queen Juliana Bridge built in 1967 which arches high over the bay further inland, nearby is also the now non-functioning Queen Wilhelmina Bridge drawbridge. Willemstad has a tropical savannah climate, Baseball player Andruw Jones was born in Willemstad
3.
Netherlands Antilles
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The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea, the islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies. All the island territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today, as a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean, regardless of their legal status. The islands of the Netherlands Antilles are all part of the Lesser Antilles island chain, within this group, the country was spread over two smaller island groups, a northern group and a western group. No part of the country was in the southern Windward Islands and this island sub-group was located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, to the east of Puerto Rico. There were three islands, collectively known as the SSS islands, Sint Maarten Saba Sint Eustatius and they lie approximately 800–900 kilometers north-east of the ABC Islands. This island sub-group was located in the southern Caribbean Sea off the north coast of Venezuela, the Leeward islands are subject to hurricanes in the summer months, while those islands located in the Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier. Spanish-sponsored explorers discovered both the leeward and windward island groups, however, the Spanish Crown only founded settlements in the leeward islands. In the 17th century the islands were conquered by the Dutch West India Company, from the last quarter of the 17th century, the group consisted of six undisputedly Dutch islands, Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten. In the past, Anguilla, the present-day British Virgin Islands, St. Croix, the various islands were united as a single country — the Netherlands Antilles — in 1954. The country was dissolved on 10 October 2010, in the second half of the 18th century Sint Eustatius became the commercial hub of the north-eastern Caribbean, earning the nickname the Golden Rock. From 1815 onwards Curaçao and Dependencies formed a colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, slavery was abolished in 1863, and in 1865 a government regulation for Curaçao was enacted that allowed for some very limited autonomy for the colony. Although this regulation was replaced by a constitution in 1936, the changes to the government structure remained superficial, the island of Curaçao was hit hard by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields, colonial rule ended after the conclusion of the Second World War. In May 1948 a new constitution for the territory entered into force, among other things, universal suffrage was introduced. The territory was also renamed Netherlands Antilles, after the Dutch constitution was revised in 1948, a new interim Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was enacted in February 1951. A consolidated version of this remained in force until the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010
4.
Kingdom of the Netherlands
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The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known as the Netherlands, is a country and constitutional monarchy with territory in western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the kingdom—the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, in practice, however, most of the Kingdom affairs are administered by the Netherlands—which comprises roughly 98% of the Kingdoms land area and population—on behalf of the entire Kingdom. The constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are located in the Caribbean as well, the Kingdom of the Netherlands originated in the aftermath of Napoleon’s defeat in 1815. In that year, the Netherlands regained its independence from France, in March 1815, amidst the turmoil of the Hundred Days, the Sovereign Prince adopted the style of King of the Netherlands. Following Napoleons second defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the Vienna Congress supplied international recognition of Williams unilateral move. The new King of the Netherlands was also made Grand Duke of Luxembourg, a part of the Kingdom that was, at the same time, in 1830, Belgium seceded from the Kingdom, a step that was recognised by the Netherlands only in 1839. At that point, Luxembourg became an independent country in a personal union with the Netherlands. Luxembourg also lost more than half of its territory to Belgium and that status was reversed when the German Confederation ceased to exist in 1867, and, at that point, Limburg reverted to its status as an ordinary Dutch province. The origin of the reform of 1954 was the 1931 Westminster Statute and the 1941 Atlantic Charter. Changes were proposed in the 7 December 1942 radio speech by Queen Wilhelmina, in this speech, the Queen, on behalf of the Dutch government in exile in London, expressed a desire to review the relations between the Netherlands and its colonies after the end of the war. After liberation, the government would call a conference to agree on a settlement in which the territories could participate in the administration of the Kingdom on the basis of equality. After Indonesia became independent, a construction was considered too heavy, as the economies of Suriname. Delegates of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles could participate in sessions of the First, an overseas member could be added to the Council of State when appropriate. According to the Charter, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles were also allowed to alter their Basic Laws, the right of the two autonomous countries to leave the Kingdom, unilaterally, was not recognised, yet it also stipulated that the Charter could be dissolved by mutual consultation. Suriname was a constituent country within the Kingdom from 1954 to 1975, Netherlands New Guinea was a dependent territory of the Kingdom until 1962, but was not an autonomous country, and was not mentioned in the Charter. In 1955, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard visited Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the visit was a great success. The royal couple were welcomed enthusiastically by the population. Several other royal visits were to follow, in 1969, an unorganised strike on the Antillean island of Curaçao resulted in serious disturbances and looting, during which a part of the historic city centre of Willemstad was destroyed by fire
5.
Batting average
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Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batsmen in cricket and batters in baseball. The development of the statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. In cricket, a batting average is the total number of runs they have scored divided by the number of times they have been out. The number is also simple to interpret intuitively, if all the batsmans innings were completed, this is the average number of runs they score per innings. If they did not complete all their innings, this number is an estimate of the average number of runs they score per innings. Batting average has been used to gauge cricket players relative skills since the 18th century, most players have career batting averages in the range of 20 to 40. This is also the range for wicket-keepers, though some fall short. All-rounders who are more prominent bowlers than batsmen typically average something between 20 and 30,15 and under is typical for specialist bowlers. Under this qualification, the highest Test batting average belongs to Australias Sir Donald Bradman, given that a career batting average over 50 is exceptional, and that only four other players have averages over 60, this is an outstanding statistic. The fact that Bradmans average is so far above that of any other cricketer has led several statisticians to argue that, statistically at least, he was the greatest sportsman in any sport. As at 21 October 2016, Adam Voges of Australia has recorded an average of 72.75 from 27 innings played and it should also be remembered, especially in relation to the ODI histogram above, that there were no ODI competitions when Bradman played. If their scores have a geometric distribution then total number of runs scored divided by the number of times out is the maximum likelihood estimate of their true unknown average, Batting averages can be strongly affected by the number of not outs. A different, and more developed, statistic which is also used to gauge the effectiveness of batsmen is the strike rate. It measures a different concept however – how quickly the batsman scores – so it does not supplant the role of batting average and it is used particularly in limited overs matches, where the speed at which a batsman scores is more important than it is in first-class cricket. Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed, in baseball, the batting average is defined by the number of hits divided by at bats. It is usually reported to three places and read without the decimal, A player with a batting average of.300 is batting three-hundred. A point is understood, in only, to be.001. If necessary to break ties, batting averages could be taken beyond the.001 measurement, henry Chadwick, an English statistician raised on cricket, was an influential figure in the early history of baseball
6.
Home run
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In modern baseball, the feat is typically achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles without first touching the ground, resulting in an automatic home run. There is also the home run, increasingly rare in modern baseball. When a home run is scored, the batter is credited with a hit and a run scored. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit, a batted ball is also a home run if it touches either foul pole or its attached screen before touching the ground, as the foul poles are by definition in fair territory. A batted ball that goes over the wall after touching the ground is not a home run. A fielder is allowed to reach over the wall to attempt to catch the ball as long as his feet are on or over the field during the attempt. If the fielder successfully catches the ball while it is in flight the batter is out, however, since the fielder is not part of the field, a ball that bounces off a fielder and over the wall without touching the ground is still a home run. A home run accomplished in any of the above manners is a home run. This stipulation is in Approved Ruling of Rule 7.10, an inside-the-park home run occurs when a batter hits the ball into play and is able to circle the bases before the fielders can put him out. Unlike with a home run, the batter-runner and all preceding runners are liable to be put out by the defensive team at any time while running the bases. This can only happen if the ball does not leave the ballfield, with outfields much less spacious and more uniformly designed than in the games early days, inside-the-park home runs are now a rarity. They are usually the result of a ball being hit by a very fast runner, either way, this sends the ball into open space in the outfield and thereby allows the batter-runner to circle the bases before the defensive team can put him out. The speed of the runner is crucial as even triples are relatively rare in most modern ballparks, all runs scored on such a play, however, still count. An example of an unexpected bounce occurred during the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco on July 10,2007, by the time the ball was relayed, Ichiro had already crossed the plate standing up. This was the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history, Home runs are often characterized by the number of runners on base at the time. A home run hit with the bases empty is seldom called a one-run homer, with one runner on base, two runs are scored and thus the home run is often called a two-run homer or two-run shot. Similarly, a home runs with two runners on base is a three-run homer or three-run shot, the term four-run homer is seldom used, instead, it is nearly always called a grand slam. Hitting a grand slam is the best possible result for the turn at bat
7.
Run batted in
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A run batted in, plural runs batted in, is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored. For example, if the batter bats a base hit, then another player on a base can go home. Prior to the 1920 Major League Baseball season, runs batted in were not a baseball statistic. Nevertheless, the RBI statistic was tabulated—unofficially—from 1907 through 1919 by baseball writer Ernie Lanigan, common nicknames for an RBI include ribby, rib, and ribeye. The plural of RBI is generally RBIs, although some commentators use RBI as both singular and plural, as it can stand for runs batted in. The official scorers judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. The perceived significance of the RBI is displayed by the fact that it is one of the three categories that comprise the triple crown, in addition, career RBIs are often cited in debates over who should be elected to the Hall of Fame. This implies that better offensive teams—and therefore, the teams in which the most players get on base—tend to produce hitters with higher RBI totals than equivalent hitters on lesser-hitting teams, totals are current through October 8,2015
8.
Atlanta Braves
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The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball franchise based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The franchise competes in Major League Baseball as a member of the National League East division, the Braves played home games at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium from 1966 to 1996, and Turner Field from 1997 to 2016. Since 2017, their stadium has been SunTrust Park, a new stadium 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta in Cumberland/Galleria, Georgia. The Braves play spring training games in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in January 2017, the Braves announced a formal agreement to move their spring training home to North Port, Florida. The Braves name, which was first used in 1912, originates from a term for a Native American warrior, from 1991 to 2005, the Braves were one of the most successful franchises in baseball, winning division titles an unprecedented 14 consecutive times in that period. The Braves won the NL West 1991–93 and the NL East 1995–2005, the Braves advanced to the World Series five times in the 1990s, winning the title in 1995. The Braves are the only Major League Baseball franchise to have won the World Series in three different home cities, the Braves and the Chicago Cubs are the National Leagues two remaining charter franchises. The Braves were founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, the team states it is the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in America. After various name changes, the team began operating as the Boston Braves. Then, in 1953, the moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The teams tenure in Atlanta is noted for Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruths career home run record in 1974, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, established in 1869 as the first openly all-professional baseball team, voted to dissolve after the 1870 season. The original Boston Red Stockings team and its successors can lay claim to being the oldest continuously playing team in American professional sports. Two young players hired away from the Forest City club of Rockford, Illinois, turned out to be the biggest stars during the NAPBBP years, pitcher Al Spalding and second baseman Ross Barnes. Led by the Wright brothers, Barnes, and Spalding, the Red Stockings dominated the National Association, the team became one of the National Leagues charter franchises in 1876, sometimes called the Red Caps. The Boston Red Caps played in the first game in the history of the National League, on Saturday, April 22,1876, defeating the Athletics, although somewhat stripped of talent in the National Leagues inaugural year, Boston bounced back to win the 1877 and 1878 pennants. The Red Caps/Beaneaters were one of the dominant teams during the 19th century. For most of time, their manager was Frank Selee. Boston came to be called the Beaneaters in 1883, while retaining red as the team color, the 1898 team finished 102–47, a club record for wins that would stand for almost a century
9.
2012 Major League Baseball season
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The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on March 28 with the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The new format was finalized for the 2012 season on March 2,2012, the regular season ended on Wednesday, October 3. The entire master schedule was released on September 14,2011, the Major League Baseball postseason was expanded to include a second wild card team in each league beginning in the 2012 season. The season marked the last for the Houston Astros as a member of the National League, the Civil Rights Game was held on August 18 at Turner Field, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the host Atlanta Braves, 6–2. At the end of the 2011 season, the teams made replacements to their managers. ** Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants was ineligible to win the title, at his request. He finished the season with a.346 average, adam Dunn, Tied the Major League record for most opening-day home runs by hitting his eighth against the Texas Rangers on April 6. He tied the record held by Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey, Set the Major League record to strikeout at least once in each of his teams first 15 games of a season, by striking out in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners on April 22. He broke the record that was held by Howie Goss, who struck out in each of Houstons first 14 games in 1963, Dunn continued to 32 games before not striking out May 11 against the Kansas City Royals. Recorded his 1000th career RBI in the inning on August 13 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He became the 273rd player to reach this mark, Hit his 400th career home run against the Kansas City Royals on August 18. He became the 50th player to reach this mark, José Reyes, Recorded his 100th career triple in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on April 8. He became the 162nd player to reach this mark, alex Rodriguez, Tied Ken Griffey, Jr. for fifth place on the career home run list with his 630th home run on April 13. Then one week later on April 20, Rodriguez hit his 631st home run to pass Griffey for fifth place on the home run list. Tied Lou Gehrig for most career grand slams with his 23rd against the Atlanta Braves on June 12, adrián Beltré, Scored his 1000th career run in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on April 14. He became the 314th player to reach this mark, todd Helton, Recorded his 350th career home run in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 21. He became the 85th player to reach this mark, rafael Furcal, Scored his 1000th career run in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs on April 24. He became the 315th player to reach this mark, paul Konerko, Hit his 400th career home run against the Oakland Athletics on April 25
10.
Los Angeles Angels
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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League West division. The Angels have played games at Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966. Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs at the time, in 2009, the Angels won the AL West division championship for the third straight season. The team name started in 1892, in 1903, the name continued in L. A. through the PCL. After the Angels joined the Major Leagues, some players from the Angels PCL team joined the Major League Angels in 1961. The Angels were one of two teams established as a result of the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion, along with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators. The team then moved in 1962 to newly built Dodger Stadium, which the Angels referred to as Chavez Ravine, the teams founder, entertainer Gene Autry, owned the franchise for its first 36 years. During Autrys ownership, the made the playoffs three times, but never won the pennant. When The Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997, it extensively renovated Anaheim Stadium, the City of Anaheim contributed $30 million to the $118 million renovation with a renegotiated lease providing that the names of both the stadium and team contain the word Anaheim. The team was renamed the Anaheim Angels and became a subsidiary of Disney Sports, under Disneys ownership and the leadership of manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels won their first pennant and World Series championship in 2002. In 2005, new owner Arturo Moreno added Los Angeles to the name in order to better tap into the teams history. He also stated that as Los Angeles is the second largest market in the U. S. its addition would benefit the team greatly. In compliance with the terms of its lease with the city of Anaheim, which required Anaheim be a part of the teams name, local media in Southern California tend to omit a geographic identifier and refer to the team as the Angels or as the Halos. The Associated Press, the most prominent news service in the U. S. refers to the team as the Los Angeles Angels, the mantra Win One for the Cowboy is a staple that is deeply rooted in Angels history for fans. The saying refers to the Angels founder and previous owner, Gene Autry, years went by as the team experienced many losses just strikes away from American League pennants. Autrys #26 was retired as the 26th man on the field for the Angels, Angel Stadium of Anaheim is nicknamed The Big A. It has a section in center field nicknamed the California Spectacular, each game begins with the song Calling All Angels by Train being played on the P. A. with Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky being played during the teams starting lineup announcement
11.
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
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Managers are not permitted to vote for their own players. Additionally, a sabermetric component provided by Society for American Baseball Research accounts for approximately 25 percent of the vote, eighteen Gold Gloves are awarded each year, one at each of the nine positions in each league. In 1957, the glove manufacturer Rawlings created the Gold Glove Award to commemorate the best fielding performance at each position. The award was created from a made from gold lamé-tanned leather. For the first four seasons of the award, individual awards were presented to left fielders, center fielders, from 1961 through 2010, the phrase at each position was no longer strictly accurate, since the prize was presented to three outfielders irrespective of their specific position. Any combination of outfielders, often three center fielders, could win the award in the same year, critics called for awarding a single Gold Glove for each individual outfield position, arguing that the three outfield positions are not equivalent defensively. Starting in 2011, separate awards for each position were once again presented. In the 1985 American League voting, a tie for third-place resulted in the presentation of Gold Glove Awards to four outfielders, the Gold Gloves are selected by managers and coaches that may have seen a player as few as six times during the season. Bill Chuck of Comcast SportsNet New England wrote that Gold Glove voters frequently counted only errors to determine winners, geoff Baker of The Seattle Times said the votes for the Gold Gloves rely largely on a players past reputation. The Associated Press wrote that fans have viewed the Gold Gloves as mostly a popularity contest. Derek Jeter, winner of five Gold Gloves, believes that many defensive factors cannot be quantified, in 2013, Rawlings collaborated on the Gold Glove Award with SABR, who provided the SABR Defensive Index to add a sabermetric component to the selection process. The index accounted for 25 percent of the vote, while managers, afterwards, Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Gold Gloves appear to have significantly closed the gap on their more statistically-driven counterparts. The most Gold Gloves ever won by one player is 18 by pitcher Greg Maddux and he won 13 consecutive awards from 1990 to 2002, all in the National League. Brooks Robinson has the most wins as a third baseman, with 16 Gold Gloves, and is tied for the second-highest total overall with pitcher Jim Kaat, Iván Rodríguez has won the most Gold Gloves as a catcher, with 13 career awards in the American League. Ozzie Smith has 13 wins at shortstop, he and Rodríguez are tied for the fourth-highest total among all winners, among outfielders, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, who played primarily right field and center field, respectively, are tied for the lead with 12 Gold Gloves. Keith Hernandez, the leader at first base, has won 11 times, other players with 10 or more wins include shortstop Omar Vizquel, catcher Johnny Bench, third baseman Mike Schmidt, and outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Al Kaline. The only player to win Gold Gloves as an infielder and outfielder is Darin Erstad, the only other player to win Gold Gloves at multiple positions is Plácido Polanco, who won at second base and third base. In 2016, Rawlings announced it would begin awarding a gold glove annually to a female fastpitch softball player in the National Pro Fastpitch league, NPF coaches and managers vote for a winner
12.
Netherlands national baseball team
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The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, representing the country in international mens baseball. They are currently ranked as the best team in the Confederation of European Baseball, the Netherlands participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1996,2000,2004 and 2008. In 2011, the won the World Cup after beating 25-time champion Cuba in the finals. The team is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond, some foreigners of Dutch descent have also been members of the team. While baseball only maintains a following throughout Europe, the Netherlands. The team is playing in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands has competed in all three of the World Baseball Classic tournaments held. All sixteen teams played in the 2006 edition were invited to compete in the second in 2009. The team was a qualifier for the 2013 tournament. The Netherlands has progressed to the round of competition in 2009. Generally players in the Major Leagues are unavailable due to their contracts with the respective clubs, prior to the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played four exhibition games. They lost two games, against a team from the University of Tampa and an Atlanta Braves squad at Cracker Jack Stadium in Kissimmee. The Netherlands competed in Pool C—along with world champion Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico—in the first round at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Having failed to win against Cuba and Puerto Rico in their pool games, they finished third in their pool. Prior to the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played seven exhibition games, the Netherlands team lost all three games against these MLB opponents. The Netherlands competed in Pool D, along with 2006 WBC semi-finalist Dominican Republic, Panama, the team impressed many, winning both games against the strong Dominican Republic team. As result, the team made it through the first double-elimination round along with Puerto Rico, in the second round the Dutch lost both their games against Venezuela and the United States. Therefore, the team was eliminated and finished 7th in the final standings, the Netherlands competed in Pool B against Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Australia at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan. The Dutch team won their first game against South Korea 5-0, however, the Netherlands win against Australia 4-1, thus securing their position for Round 1 in Tokyo Dome to face off Japan and Cuba
13.
2013 World Baseball Classic
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The 2013 World Baseball Classic was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19,2013. This was the iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the two previous WBCs, which consisted of the sixteen countries, only the twelve countries that won at least one game in the 2009 WBC were guaranteed a berth in the main tournament. The automatic qualifiers were Australia, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United States, and Venezuela. Four qualification brackets were held in late 2012 and respectively won by Canada, Taiwan, Spain, and Brazil, as in the 2006 tournament, the first round had a round-robin format, which led to South Korea being eliminated on a run difference tiebreaker. Venezuela also failed to advance out of a tough group, the fourth-place teams in each group – Brazil, Australia, Spain, and Mexico – will have to participate in the qualifying round in order to return for the 2017 tournament. The Netherlands improved on its surprising 2009 run by advancing to the semifinal game, however, the two-time defending champions Japan were eliminated in the semi-finals game against stunning Puerto Rico. In the final game, the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico to become the first WBC champion from the Western Hemisphere, robinson Canó was named the Most Valuable Player of the Classic. JPBPA demanded a share of advertising and merchandise sponsorship revenue for the tournament. In July 2012 the JPBPA voted unanimously to boycott the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the move was interpreted by some news outlets as a non-final decision, aimed at raising the pressure on MLB. In September 2012, Japanese players agreed to part after reaching a compromise with tournament organizers on sharing sponsorship. The automatic qualifiers were Australia, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United States, and Venezuela. The other four teams from the 2009 tournament contested a round in late 2012. The qualifying round was organized as four independent modified double-elimination tournaments, the modification was that the final game was winner-take-all, even if won by the team emerging from the losers bracket. Although this modified format was used in some rounds of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, in that tournament the final game was only for seeding. As practiced in the 2013 qualifiers, the team emerging from the winners bracket might be eliminated from the tournament despite losing one game. The composition of the pools was determined based on geographical location, competitive balance. In Qualifier 1, South Africa took on France, Israel, in Qualifier 2, Canada took on the Czech Republic, Germany, and Great Britain, with the games taking place in Regensburg, Germany
14.
Major League Baseball
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Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams now play in the National League and American League, the NL and AL operated as separate legal entities from 1876 and 1901 respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities since 1903, the merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs, with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament. Baseballs first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869,30 years after Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the game of baseball, the first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another. The period before 1920 in baseball was known as the dead-ball era, Baseball survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression, shortly after the war, baseballs color barrier was broken by Jackie Robinson. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums, Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among Major League players in the mid-2000s. In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, today, MLB is composed of thirty teams, twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada. Baseball broadcasts are aired on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America, MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 73 million spectators in 2015. MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution and this document has undergone several incarnations since 1875, with the most recent revisions being made in 2012. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sports umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years, the weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLBs primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916, the last attempt at a new league was the aborted Continental League in 1960. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, Rob Manfred, the chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives, president, chief officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer. The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in Manhattan, is MLB Advanced Media and this branch oversees MLB. com and each of the 30 teams websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media
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National League
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Both leagues currently have 15 teams. The two league champions of 1903 arranged to compete against each other in the inaugural World Series, after the 1904 champions failed to reach a similar agreement, the two leagues formalized the World Series as an arrangement between the leagues. National League teams have won 48 of the 112 World Series contested from 1903 to 2016, the 2016 National League champions are the Chicago Cubs. By 1875, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was dangerously weak, additionally, Hulbert had a problem—five of his star players were threatened with expulsion from the NAPBBP because Hulbert had signed them to his club using what were considered questionable means. Hulbert had a vested interest in creating his own league. After recruiting St. Louis privately, four western clubs met in Louisville, Kentucky, Boston Red Stockings, the dominant team in the N. A. Hartford Dark Blues from the N. A. Mutual of New York from the N. A. St. Louis Brown Stockings from the N. A, the only strong club from 1875 excluded in 1876 was a second one in Philadelphia, often called the White Stockings or Phillies. The first game in National League history was played on April 22,1876, at Philadelphias Jefferson Street Grounds, 25th & Jefferson, the new leagues authority was tested after the first season. The National League operated with six clubs during 1877 and 1878, over the next several years, various teams joined and left the struggling league. By 1880, six of the eight members had folded. The two remaining original NL franchises, Boston and Chicago, remain in operation today as the Atlanta Braves, in 1883 the New York Gothams and Philadelphia Phillies began National League play. Both teams remain in the NL today, the Phillies in their original city, the NL encountered its first strong rival organization when the American Association began play in 1882. The A. A. played in cities where the NL did not have teams, offered Sunday games and alcoholic beverages in locales where permitted, the National League and the American Association participated in a version of the World Series seven times during their ten-year coexistence. These contests were less organized than the modern Series, lasting as few as three games and as many as fifteen, with two Series ending in disputed ties, the NL won four times and the A. A. only once, in 1886. Starting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1887, the National League began to raid the American Association for franchises to replace NL teams that folded and this undercut the stability of the A. A. Other new leagues that rose to compete with the National League were the Union Association, the Union Association was established in 1884 and folded after playing only one season, its league champion St. Louis Maroons joining the NL. The NL suffered many defections of star players to the Players League, the Brooklyn, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York franchises of the NL absorbed their Players League counterparts. The labor strife of 1890 hastened the downfall of the American Association, after the 1891 season, the A. A. disbanded and merged with the NL, which became known legally for the next decade as the National League and American Association
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Fielding Bible Award
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A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the selection process. The awards have historically been announced before the Gold Glove Awards, Dewan wrote that this award cannot equal the prestige of the Gold Glove, which started 50 years earlier, but it provides an alternative. Dewan felt that statistics in addition to observation and subjective judgment are integral in determining the best defensive players. The Fielding Bible Award attempts to address the deficiencies Dewan saw with the Gold Glove Award, the voters select the best defensive player at each position with the best player given 10 points, the second best nine points and so forth. From the awards inception, the outfield positions have been picked individually instead of choosing three generic outfielders, a practice employed by the Gold Glove Awards from 1961 to 2010. Each voter selects 10 players for each position, the candidates for each position are defined beforehand to eliminate the possibility of a vote going to player who was not really playing the position. The voting for awards is summarized and published for each position and this aims to instill accountability among the voters and provide insight into the process to the public. Voters use sabermetrics to account for a defenders range, the traditional standard of a high fielding percentage could be impacted by a player who does not make many errors but also does not get to many balls. There have been major differences between the player selections made for the Fielding Bible Awards and the Gold Glove Awards. The Boston Globe writer Peter Abraham said the Fielding Bible Awards are far more accurate than the Gold Glove awards since statistics are used along with the opinions of the expert panel. The Gold Gloves are selected by managers and coaches that may have seen a player as few as six times all season, geoff Baker of The Seattle Times said the votes for the Gold Gloves rely largely on a players past reputation. Jeff Wilson of The Southern Illinoisan believes that Gold Glove results are influenced by a players offensive prowess. Derek Jeter, winner of multiple Gold Gloves, believes that many defensive factors cannot be quantified, rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star noted that people point out the primitive nature of defensive stats — even if thats more perception now than reality. In 2013, the Gold Glove award partnered with Society for American Baseball Research to add a component to its vote. Afterwards, Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Gold Gloves appear to have closed the gap on their more statistically-driven counterparts. Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award This Year in Baseball Awards – includes the Defensive Player of the Year MLB awards by other organizations James, Fielding Bible website Baseball Info Solutions website
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Kenley Jansen
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Kenley Geronimo Jansen is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Dodgers since his MLB debut in 2010 and he appeared in the MLB All-Star Game in 2016. Jansen was born in Willemstad, Curaçao, the youngest of three sons of Isidor and Bernadette Jansen and his father worked in construction until suffering a stroke when Kenley was 12, his mother is a travel agent. He had two hits in 11 at-bats in three games for Ogden and he was back with the Gulf Coast team the following season, hitting.245 in 35 games. After the season he played for the North Shore Honu in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League, Jansen split 2007 between the Raptors and the Class-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, hitting.207 in 73 games. After the season, he played in Hawaii Winter Baseball. He was selected to the mid-season Midwest League All-Star game, in 2009, he was the starting catcher for the Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic. In the Netherlands upset of the favored Dominican Republic team, Jansen threw out Willy Taveras on a steal of third base in the ninth inning. He began 2009 with the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino, despite that, he appeared in eight games for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, but had just five hits in 27 at-bats. The Dodgers convinced Jansen that he had no future at catcher because of his offensive numbers. Under the tutelage of former major league Charlie Hough, he made the conversion in the half of the 2009 season at Inland Empire. He pitched 11 2⁄3 innings for the 66ers, allowing six earned runs and he continued the conversion in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas. Jansen was added to the Dodgers 40 man roster on November 19,2009 and he started with Inland Empire again and allowed only five runs in 18 innings while striking out 28 batters. On May 15,2010, he was promoted to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and he pitched 27 innings in 22 games for the Lookouts, with a 1.67 ERA. On July 23,2010, Jansen was promoted to the Dodgers and he made his Major League debut in relief on July 24 against the New York Mets, where he pitched a scoreless inning, retiring all three batters he faced and striking out two. The very next day on July 25, he recorded his first Major League save, the hit was a single up the middle against Kyle Kendrick of the Philadelphia Phillies. Jansen recorded his first win against the Houston Astros on September 11 in Minute Maid Park and he appeared in 25 games with the Dodgers in 2010, working 27 innings with a 1–0 record and a 0.67 ERA. He also saved four games in 2010, in 2011 Jansen became a key member of the Dodgers bullpen
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Didi Gregorius
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Mariekson Julius Didi Gregorius, OON, is a Dutch professional baseball shortstop for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, Gregorius was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands on February 18,1990, the son to Johannes Gregorius, Sr. and Sheritsa Stroop. At the time, Johannes pitched for the Amsterdam Pirates in Honkbal Hoofdklasse, Stroop played for the Dutch national softball team. His older brother, Johannes, Jr. pitched professionally in Honkbal Hoofdklasse and his paternal grandfather, Antonio, was one of the greatest Curaçaoan pitchers of the mid-20th century. Gregorius began playing tee-ball in the Netherlands before moving to Curaçao at the age of five years where he was raised and he also played soccer and basketball in his youth. Gregorius, his father and his brother all go by the nickname Didi and he began using the name in the United States when teammates could not pronounce Mariekson. He speaks four languages, Dutch, Papiamentu, English and Spanish, Gregorius was first discovered by a Cincinnati Reds scout assigned to the Netherlands while he was playing at an under-18 tournament in The Hague in 2006. Gregorius signed with the Reds as a free agent in 2007. He made his debut with the Gulf Coast Reds of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2008, playing in 31 games. The next year, the Reds assigned Gregorius to the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, the Reds promoted Gregorius to the Sarasota Reds of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, where he had a.254 average in 74 plate appearances. Gregorius played for the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League in 2010, in 2011, Gregorius missed the first two months of the season after he was diagnosed with a kidney disorder. He was assigned to the Bakersfield Blaze of the Class A-Advanced California League, combined, he batted.289 with seven home runs and 44 runs batted in in 89 games played. After the season, the Reds added Gregorius to their 40 man roster to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, Gregorius played for the Canberra Cavalry in the 2010–11 Australian Baseball League season. He was awarded Golden Glove for the 2010–11 Australian Baseball League season, Gregorius began the 2012 season with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Reds new affiliate in the Southern League, where he had a.278 batting average in 81 games. The Reds promoted him to the Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League, on September 1,2012, the Reds promoted Gregorius to the major leagues as a September call-up. Gregorius made his league debut on September 5. He played in eight games for the Reds, and recorded six hits in 20 at-bats, after the season, the Reds assigned Gregorius to play in the Arizona Fall League. The Reds sent Gregorius to Cleveland along with Drew Stubbs in exchange for Shin-Soo Choo, the Indians then traded Gregorius to Arizona with reliever Tony Sipp and infielder Lars Anderson for pitchers Trevor Bauer, Bryan Shaw and Matt Albers
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Western Oklahoma State College
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Western Oklahoma State College, formerly known as Altus Junior College, is a community college located in Altus, Oklahoma. In 2004 it graduated 272 with associate degrees, of its 1500 undergraduates,58 percent are female and 42 percent are male as of 2003. The ethnic composition of the students is 2003 was 74 percent white,11 percent Hispanic,10 percent black,4 percent American Indian/Alaskan, Western Oklahoma State College was founded in 1926 under the name Altus Junior College. In 1974 state legislature changed its name to the present Western Oklahoma State College, Western Oklahoma president Phil Birdine defended the program, saying the school was not a course mill. The college ceased offering the courses in early 2013 after the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recommended the courses be immediately discontinued, WOSC is involved in intercollegiate sports such as mens basketball, womens basketball, softball, baseball, rodeo, cheerleading, and golf. Under its coach, Kurt Russell, WOSC has recently built a successful baseball program. The school is noted for its success in recruiting Latino players from northeastern cities such as New York City and Philadelphia
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Altus, Oklahoma
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Altus is a city and county seat in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census, a loss of 7.7 percent compared to 21,454 at the 2000 census, Altus is home to Altus Air Force Base, the United States Air Force training base for C-17, KC-46 and KC-135 aircrews. It is also home to Western Oklahoma State College and Southwest Technology Center, the town that would later be named Altus was founded in 1886. The community was originally called Frazer, a settlement of about 50 people on Bitter Creek that served as a trading post on the Great Western Trail, cowboys driving herds northward often stopped to buy buttermilk from John McClearan. Thus, the town was known locally as Buttermilk Station, the Frazer post office opened February 18,1886. A flash flood nearly destroyed Frazer on June 4,1891, the residents moved to higher ground 2.5 miles east of the original site. W. R. Baucum suggested renaming the town Altus, a Latin word meaning high and this name stuck, although the town was also known as Leger from July 10,1901, to May 14,1904, The city has seen relatively steady growth since the beginning. The population doubled between the time of Oklahoma statehood and the 1910 census and even increased during the Great Depression, although Altus had been designated as the Jackson county seat at the time of statehood, an election was held in 1908 to determine the permanent seat. The two towns contending were Altus and Olustee, Altus won by a vote of 2,077 to 1,365. The county courthouse was there in 1910. An irrigation project in the 1940s and World War II led to growth in the town as the nearby air field was used to train military pilots. It was later purchased by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and since 1991 is operated by the Wichita, Tillman, in 1908, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway built a line through Altus. Around the same time, the Altus, Wichita Falls and Hollis Railway constructed a line from Altus to the Oklahoma-Texas border, the railroads stimulated economic growth in the area and made Altus a regional agricultural center. By 1930, Altus had eight cotton gins, two cotton compresses, and eighteen wholesale businesses, Altus is located at 34°38′38″N 99°19′36″W. Altus is situated in what used to be Old Greer County, the city lies between the main channel and north fork of the Red River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 17.0 square miles. Altus has a subtropical climate bordering upon a semi-arid climate. Summers are very hot to sweltering, though heavy rainfall does occur due to remains of Gulf of Mexico hurricanes moving inland
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