1.
Spanish naming customs
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Spanish naming customs are historical traditions for naming children practised in Spain. According to these customs, a persons name consists of a name followed by two family names. The first surname is usually the fathers first surname, and the second the mothers first surname, in recent years, the order of the surnames can be reversed at birth if it is so decided by the parents. Currently in Spain, people bear a single or composite given name, a composite given name comprises two single names, for example Juan Pablo is considered not to be a first and a second forename, but a single composite forename. The two surnames refer to each of the parental families, traditionally, a persons first surname is the fathers first surname, and the second one is the mothers first surname. From 2013, if the parents of a child are unable to agree on order of surnames, the law also grants a person the option, upon reaching adulthood, of reversing the order of their surnames. Each surname can also be composite, the parts usually linked by the y or e. For example, a name might be Juan Pablo Fernández de Calderón García-Iglesias, consisting of a forename, a paternal surname. There are times when it is impossible, by inspection of a name, for example, the writer Sebastià Juan Arbó was alphabetised by the Library of Congress for many years under Arbó, assuming that Sebastiá and Juan were both given names. However, Juan was actually his first surname, to resolve questions like this, which typically involve very common names, one must consult the person involved, or legal documents. A man named José Antonio Gómez Iglesias would normally be addressed as either señor Gómez or señor Gómez Iglesias instead of señor Iglesias, because Gómez is his first surname. Furthermore, Mr. Gómez might be addressed as José Antonio, José, Pepe, Antonio, or Toño Jose, Joselito, Josito, Joselillo, Josico or Joselín, Antoñito, Tonín or Nono. Very formally, he could be addressed with an honorific as don José Antonio or don José, colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez is sometimes incorrectly referred to in English media as Mr. Márquez, when it should be Mr. García Márquez or, simply, Mr. García. It is not unusual, when the first surname is very common, for example, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is often called simply Zapatero, the name he inherited from his mothers family, since Rodríguez is a common surname and may be ambiguous. The same occurs with another former Spanish Socialist leader, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, with the poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca, as these peoples paternal names are very common, they are often called with their maternal names. It would nonetheless be a mistake to index José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under Z as Zapatero, a practical option to spare an explanation is using a single surname composed of two separate words. Parents choose their childs name, which must be recorded in the Registro Civil to establish his or her legal identity. With few restrictions, parents can now choose any name, common sources of names are the parents taste, honouring a relative, the General Roman Calendar nomina, legislation in Spain under Franco legally limited cultural naming customs to only Christian and typical Spanish names
2.
Second baseman
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In baseball and softball, second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, between third and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, in addition, second basemen are usually right-handed, only four left-handed throwing players have ever played second base since 1950. In the numbering system used to record plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4. Good second basemen need to have very good range, since they have to field balls closer to the first baseman who is often holding runners on, on a batted ball to right field, the second baseman goes out towards the ball for the relay. Due to these requirements, second base is sometimes a primarily defensive position in the modern game, the second baseman catches line drives or pop flies hit near him, and fields ground balls hit near him and then throws the ball to a base to force out a runner. In this case, if the runner is to be forced out at second base then that base is covered by the shortstop. With a runner on first base, on a ball to the shortstop or third baseman the second baseman will cover second base to force out the runner coming from first. com
3.
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
4.
La Vega, Dominican Republic
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La Vega, or Concepción de La Vega is the fourth largest city and municipality of the Dominican Republic. Christopher Columbus built a fort near present-day La Vega, in 1494. It was intended to guard the route to the gold deposits of the Cibao valley. A Spanish settlement known as Concepción de la Vega gradually grew up around the fort, after 1508, when gold was found in quantity there, Concepción became the first gold boomtown in the continent. By 1510 it was one of the largest and most important European cities in the hemisphere, the town was destroyed and buried by an earthquake on December 2,1562, and the survivors relocated to the present site on the banks of the Camú River. There is also a small but very famous brewery called Cervecería Vegana known for its beers, named Quisqueya. There is a known for making the famous sausage Induveca. La Vega is bounded on the north by the Camú River and this river flows about 100 kilometers before emptying into Yuna River. South of the city is the Cordillera Central, the largest mountain system of the Dominican Republic, El Ponton Field, a local airport, bounds the city on the east. To La Vegas west are the Camú River again and Montellano, there is an extension of the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña and there is the Universidad Católica Tecnológica del Cibao. Since 2005 the national and local governments are planning to build an extension of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, but there are some conflicts and the project is behind schedule. This city also has one of the most expensive schools in the country, the famous Colegio Agustiniano, laura vicuña Annually, the famous Feria del Libro de República Dominicana takes place in the city of La Vega. There are many bus companies which travel between La Vega other cities like, Santo Domingo, Santiago, Samana, Puerto Plata, there is also El Ponton Field, which serves domestics flights. One team is active, the other disappearing. El Parque Hostos is the most winning team with nine crowns, La Matica is the second most winning team with five crowns, six times as first runner up and qualified to the finals in 1996 but that years finale was eventually canceled. DOSA is the third most winning team with four crowns and four times as first runner up, La Villa is the fourth most winning team with two crowns and five times as runner up. Enriquillo is the fifth most winning team with two crowns, one time as first runner up and qualified to the finals in 1996 but that years finale was eventually canceled. In the tournament number 19 was the first time in the history of this tournament that none of the most winning teams Club La Matica & Club Parque Hostos didnt advance to the final
5.
Dominican Republic
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The Dominican Republic is a sovereign state occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western one-third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, christopher Columbus landed on the Western part of Hispaniola, in what is now Haiti, on December 6,1492. The island became the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World, the Dominican people declared independence in November 1821 but were forcefully annexed by their more powerful neighbor Haiti in February 1822. After the 1844 victory in the Dominican War of Independence against Haitian rule the country again under Spanish colonial rule until the Dominican War of Restoration of 1865. The Dominican Republic experienced mostly internal strife until 1916, a civil war in 1965, the countrys last, was ended by another U. S. military occupation and was followed by the authoritarian rule of Joaquín Balaguer, 1966–1978. Since then, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy and has been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time since 1996. Danilo Medina, the Dominican Republics current president, succeeded Fernandez in 2012, the Dominican Republic has the ninth-largest economy in Latin America and is the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. Though long known for agriculture and mining, the economy is now dominated by services. Over the last two decades, the Dominican Republic have been standing out as one of the economies in the Americas – with an average real GDP growth rate of 5. 4% between 1992 and 2014. GDP growth in 2014 and 2015 reached 7.3 and 7. 0%, respectively, in the first half of 2016 the Dominican economy grew 7. 4% continuing its trend of rapid economic growth. Recent growth has been driven by construction, manufacturing and tourism, private consumption has been strong, as a result of low inflation, job creation, as well as high level of remittances. The Dominican Republic has a market, Bolsa de Valores de la Republica Dominicana. and advanced telecommunication system. Nevertheless, unemployment, government corruption, and inconsistent electric service remain major Dominican problems, the country also has marked income inequality. International migration affects the Dominican Republic greatly, as it receives, mass illegal Haitian immigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues. A large Dominican diaspora exists, mostly in the United States, contributes to development, the Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean. The year-round golf courses are major attractions, the island has an average temperature of 26 °C and great climatic and biological diversity. The country is also the site of the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in all of the Americas, located in Santo Domingos Colonial Zone, a World Heritage Site. Music and sport are of importance in the Dominican culture, with Merengue and Bachata as the national dance and music
6.
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
7.
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
8.
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
9.
Stolen base
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In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which he is not entitled 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, a stolen base most often occurs when a baserunner advances to the next base while the pitcher is pitching the ball to home plate. Successful base stealers are not only fast but have good baserunning instincts, 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 hit from another player. For example, if a runner on first base reached third base on a single, in 1887, Hugh Nicol set a still-standing Major League record with 138 stolen bases, many of which would not have counted under modern rules. Modern steal rules were implemented in 1898. Base stealing was popular in the early decades, with speedsters such as Ty Cobb. Wills record was broken in turn by Lou Brock in 1974, base stealing is an important characteristic of the small ball managing style. Such managers emphasize doing the things to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching. The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s, led by pitcher Sandy Koufax, the antithesis of this is reliance on power hitting, exemplified by the Baltimore Orioles of the 1970s, which aspired to score most of its runs via home runs. Often the small ball model is associated with the National League, however, some successful recent American League teams, including the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2005 Chicago White Sox have excelled at small ball. The Kansas City Royals have embodied this style recently, leading the league in stolen bases but finishing last in home runs in 2013 and 2014. Successful teams often combine both styles, with a runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing small ball, still hit 200 home runs. Baseballs Rule 8 specifies the pitching procedure in detail, a runner intending to steal on the pitcher breaks for the next base the moment the pitcher commits to pitch to home plate. The pitcher cannot abort the pitch and try to put the runner out, if the runner breaks too soon, the pitcher may throw to a base rather than pitch, and the runner is usually picked off by being tagged out between the bases. Past this moment, any delay in the runners break makes it likely that the catcher, after receiving the pitch. Before the pitch, the runner takes a lead-off, walking several steps away from the base as a start toward the next base. Even a runner who does not intend to steal takes a lead of a few more steps
10.
Houston Astros
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The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League West division in Major League Baseball, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000. The Astros were established as the Houston Colt. 45s and entered the National League in 1962 with the expansion New York Mets. The current name—reflecting Houstons role as the center of the U. S. space program—was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome, the worlds first domed sports stadium. The Astros played in the NL from 1962 to 2012 and they played in the West division from 1969 to 1993, and the Central division from 1994 to 2012. The Astros have played in one World Series in 2005 against the Chicago White Sox, from 1888 until 1961, Houstons professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston, George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston and they called the new league the Continental League. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten, however, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, Marty Marion, could not come to an agreement with the HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960, however, on October 17,1960, the National League granted an expansion franchise to the Houston Sports Association in which their team could begin play in the 1962 season. Eventually, the Houston Sports Association succeeded in purchasing the Houston Buffaloes, at this point majority-owned by William Hopkins, the Buffs played one last minor league season as the top farm team of the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being succeeded by the citys NL club. The new Houston team was named the Colt. 45s after a Name The Team contest was won by William Irving Neder, the Colt.45 was well known as the gun that won the west. The colors selected were blue and orange. The first team was formed mostly through a draft after the 1961 season. The Colt. 45s and their cousins, the New York Mets. Many of those associated with the Houston Buffaloes organization were allowed by the ownership to continue in the major league, Manager Harry Craft, who had joined Houston in 1961, remained in the same position for the team until the end of the 1964 season. General manager Spec Richardson also continued with the organization as business manager, similarly, the radio broadcasting team remained with the new Houston major league franchise
11.
Milwaukee Brewers
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The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team and are based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The team is named for the association with the brewing industry. Since 2001, the Brewers have played their games at Miller Park. The team was founded in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, an team of the American League, in Seattle. The Pilots played their games at Sicks Stadium. After only one season, the relocated to Milwaukee, becoming known as the Brewers. In 1998, the Brewers joined the National League and they are the only franchise to play in four divisions since the advent of divisional play in Major League Baseball in 1969. The teams only World Series appearance came in 1982, after winning the ALCS against the California Angels, the Brewers faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, losing 4-3. In 2011, the Brewers won the NLDS versus the Arizona Diamondbacks 3–2, the Brewers were part of the American League from their creation in 1969 through the 1997 season, after which they moved to the National League Central Division. Milwaukee had previously been a National League city when its team was the Milwaukee Braves, in 1981, Milwaukee won the American League East Division in the second half of the strike-shortened season. In the playoffs, they lost the series to the New York Yankees. In 1982, Milwaukee won the American League East Division and the American League Pennant, in the Series, they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to three. In 1998, the Brewers changed leagues, going from the American League to the National League, in 2008, for the first time in the 26 years since their World Series appearance, the Brewers advanced to postseason play by winning the National League wild card. They were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, on September 23,2011, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first division title in 29 years. The first Brewers uniforms were hand-me-downs from the Seattle Pilots, because the move to Milwaukee received final approval less than a week before the start of the season, there was no time to order new uniforms. However, the outline of the Pilots logo remained visible, the uniforms had unique striping on the sleeves left over from the Pilots days. The cap was a version of the Milwaukee Braves cap in blue. Ultimately, it was decided to keep blue and gold as the team colors, the Brewers finally got their own flannel design in 1971
12.
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
13.
Philadelphia Phillies
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The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, the Phillies compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League East division. Since 2004, the home has been Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have won two World Series championships and seven National League pennants, the first of which came in 1915, the franchise has also experienced long periods of struggle. The 77 season drought is the fourth longest World Series drought in Major League Baseball history, the longevity of the franchise and its history of adversity have earned it the dubious distinction of having lost the most games of any team in the history of American professional sports. Despite the teams lack of success historically, they are one of the more successful franchises since the start of the Divisional Era in Major League Baseball. The Phillies have won their division 11 times, which ranks 6th among all teams and 4th in the National League, the franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1883, replacing the team from Worcester, Massachusetts in the National League. The teams spring training facilities are located in Clearwater, Florida and its Double-A affiliate is the Reading Fightin Phils, which plays in Reading, Pennsylvania, and its Triple-A affiliate is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which plays in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After being founded in 1883 as the Quakers, the changed its name to the Philadelphias. This was soon shortened to Phillies, Quakers continued to be used interchangeably with Phillies from 1883 until 1890, when the team officially became known as the Phillies. Player defections to the newly formed American League, especially to the cross-town Philadelphia Athletics, poor fiscal management after their appearance in the 1915 World Series, however, doomed the Phillies to sink back into relative obscurity, from 1918 to 1948 they only had one winning season. Though Chuck Klein won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1932 and the National League Triple Crown in 1933, after lumber baron William B. Cox purchased the team in 1943, the Phillies rose out of the standings cellar for the first time in five years. As a result, the fan base and attendance at home games increased, but it soon became clear that not all was right in Coxs front office. Eventually Cox revealed that he had been betting on the Phillies, the new owner, Bob Carpenter, Jr. scion of the Delaware-based DuPont family, tried to polish the teams image by unofficially changing its name to the Bluejays. However, the new moniker did not take, and it was dropped by 1949. This led to the advent of the Whiz Kids, led by a lineup of players developed by the Phillies farm system that included future Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn. In contrast, the Philadelphia Athletics finished last in 1950 and long-time manager Connie Mack retired, the team struggled on for four more years with only one winning season before abandoning Philadelphia under the Johnson brothers, who bought out Mack. They began play in Kansas City in 1955, as part of the deal selling that team to the Johnson brothers, the Phillies bought Shibe Park, where both teams had played since 1938
14.
J. A. Happ
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James Anthony J. A. Happ is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He has also played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, though his name is James Anthony and his initials are J. A. he pronounces his name as Jay. He is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds, Happ was born in Peru, Illinois, and raised with two older sisters. He attended high school at St. Bede Academy, where he was a letter winner in baseball and basketball. He was named Bureau County Athlete of the Year during his senior season, after graduating from high school in 2001, Happ enrolled in Northwestern University, where he majored in history. Happ chose to forgo his senior season and entered the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, Happ throws five pitches, a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider/cutter, a curveball, and a changeup. Happ relies on all of his pitches against right-handed hitters, and he commonly mixes his curveball with his fastball in two-strike counts. Happ again impressed in 2005 with the low-A Lakewood BlueClaws, while Happ played for only half of the season, he compiled a 2.36 ERA in 72⅓ innings. He was promoted to Double-A for a game at the end of the season, in which he gave up only one earned run in six innings. In 2006, Happ began the season for the Clearwater Threshers of the High-A Florida State League and he also pitched one game at the end of the season for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, then the Phillies Triple-A affiliate. Combined for the year, Happ went 10–9, with an ERA of 2.69,162 strikeouts and he was rewarded, during the following offseason, with his first appearance in Baseball Americas Top Ten Prospects list for the Phillies organization, in which he was ranked eighth. After pitching in the Arizona Fall League in the fall of 2006, on June 30,2007, while suffering from a spate of injuries to their starting rotation, the Phillies purchased Happs contract from the Lynx. At the time, Happs record in Triple-A was 1–2 with a 4.02 ERA and he made his major league debut against the New York Mets and allowed five runs, all earned, in four innings. He was then returned to the Lynx and did not pitch at the league level again that season. Happ struggled upon his return to Ottawa, despite striking out 36 batters over five starts in the months of July and August, Happs ERA ballooned to 5.02 by the end of the season. It was later revealed that he had been pitching that season with elbow fatigue, as a result, he did not participate in any fall or winter leagues during the following offseason. Happ began the 2008 season with the Phillies new Triple-A affiliate in Allentown, Pennsylvania and he went 5–6 with a 3.54 ERA in his first seventeen starts, striking out 104 batters in 101⅔ innings. On July 4, Happ was called up to take the place of Brett Myers in the Phillies starting rotation and that same night, Happ made his season debut against Johan Santana and the Mets
15.
Anthony Gose
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Anthony Robert Gose is an American professional baseball center fielder in the Detroit Tigers organization. He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Gose attended Bellflower High School in Bellflower, California. In his senior year, he had a.443 batting average, a.618 on-base percentage and he pitched for the team as well, throwing as fast as 97 miles per hour. Gose also competed in track and field and he ran the 100 and 200 meter races, and the 4 ×100 and 4 ×400 metres relays. He also attended the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton and he received a scholarship to attend the University of Arizona to play college baseball with the Arizona Wildcats. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Gose in the round, with the 51st overall selection. He opted to sign with the Phillies, forgoing his college scholarship for a $772,000 signing bonus, playing for the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2009, he appeared in the SAL All-Star Game. His 76 stolen bases that season led all of minor league baseball, Gose began the 2010 season with the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. He batted.263 with 4 home runs,20 runs batted in,17 doubles, on July 29,2010, Gose, along with J. A. Happ and Jonathan Villar, was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for Roy Oswalt and $12 million. Immediately after, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for first baseman Brett Wallace, the Blue Jays had attempted to acquire Gose from the Phillies before, including in the Roy Halladay trade. They assigned him to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the FSL, Gose was ranked by MLB. com in 2011 as the Blue Jays fifth-best prospect in the organization. In 2011, he played for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double-A Eastern League, the Fisher Cats were EL champions and Gose scored the winning run in the championship game. He broke Darin Mastroiannis record for stolen bases in one season, finishing with 70 stolen bases and he also hit 15 home runs. During the 2011–12 offseason, he played in the Venezuelan Winter League, prior to the 2012 season, he was ranked as the 39th-best prospect in baseball. Gose started the 2012 season with the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and he was named to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game. In Triple-A in 2012, Gose had a.286 average with 5 home runs,21 doubles,10 triples, and 43 runs batted in. Gose played in 106 games in the 2013 season for Buffalo in the International League, finishing with a.239 average,3 home runs, on July 17,2012, Gose was called up to the Blue Jays to replace the injured José Bautista. Gose made his MLB debut that day, against the New York Yankees, Gose collected his first Major League hit on a bunt single in the ninth inning off of Clay Rapada
16.
Roy Oswalt
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Roy Edward Oswalt is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the majority of his career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Texas Rangers, Oswalt was selected by the Astros in the 1996 MLB draft. He made his league debut with the club in 2001. He was back-to-back 20-game winner in both 2004 and 2005 and he helped the Astros to their first World Series appearance in 2005. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2005 National League Championship Series, when he left the Astros in 2010 his wins and strikeout total was second in franchise history to Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan. He is a three-time All-Star, selected from 2005 to 2007, as of the 2012 season his career strikeout total was in the top 100 all-time. As a member of Team USA, Oswalt won a medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Oswalt was born and raised in Weir, Mississippi, the son of Billy Joe, Billy was a Vietnam War veteran and logger. Roy grew up with his brother, Brian, and their older sister. Jean was a baseball fan and taught her kids about the game. Oswalt grew up rooting for the Atlanta Braves, Oswalt joined the Weir High School football team as a quarterback and the baseball team as a pitcher. He could throw in the mid 80s with good control, Oswalt reflected, I always heard that I was too small. Weir itself was small in size, making it difficult for scouts to hear about Oswalt. Nonetheless, he was recruited to join the team at Holmes Community College. Oswalt was spotted by one major league scout, James Farrar of the Houston Astros. Convinced that Oswalts anonymity kept him hidden from other teams, the Astros allowed him to drop into the 23rd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft, by this point, Oswalt had drawn the attention of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, for whom he had long wanted play. The Astros enticed Oswalt with a $500,000 signing bonus, in 1997, Oswalt played rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, where he gave up only two runs in five starts. He was then called up to the Auburn Doubledays of the New York–Penn League and he split 1998 between the same two teams
17.
Spring training
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Practices andthe start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, Spring training typically starts in mid-February and continues until just before Opening Day of the regular season, traditionally the first week of April. In some years, teams not scheduled to play on Opening Day will play spring training games that day, pitchers and catchers report to spring training first because pitchers benefit from a longer training period. A few days later, position players arrive and team practice begins, Spring training by major league teams in sites other than their regular season game sites first became popular in the 1890s and by 1910 was in wide use. Hot Springs, Arkansas has been called the birthplace of Spring Training baseball. The location of Hot Springs and the concept of getting the players ready for the season was the brainchild of Chicago White Stockings team President Albert Spalding. In 1886, the White Stockings traveled to Hot Springs to prepare for the upcoming season, practicing at the Hot Springs Baseball Grounds, the White Stockings had a successful season and other teams took notice and began holding spring training in Hot Springs. The Cleveland Spiders, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Whittington Park/Ban Johnson Park, Majestic Park and Fogel Field were all built in Hot Springs to host Major League teams. Famously, a young pitcher named Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox was playing a game at first base on St. Patricks Day,1918. Ruth would hit two home runs that day in Hot Springs, and the second was a 573-foot shot that landed across the street from Whittington Park in a pond of the Arkansas Alligator Farm, soon he was playing the field more often. The First Boys of Spring is a 2015 documentary about Hot Springs Spring Training, the film was narrated by area native, actor Billy Bob Thornton, and produced by filmmaker Larry Foley. The documentary began airing nationally on the MLB Network in February,2016. The Detroit Tigers are credited with being the first team to conduct spring training camp in Arizona and they trained in Phoenix at Riverside Park at Central Avenue and the Salt River in 1929. The Philadelphia Phillies were the first of the current major-league teams to train in Florida, Spring training in Florida began in earnest in 1913, when the Chicago Cubs played in Tampa, and the Cleveland Indians in Pensacola. One year later, two teams moved to Florida for spring training, the real start of the Grapefruit League. Since 2010, major league teams have been divided during spring training. All but six of the league teams have gone to spring training in Florida at one time or another. Many of the most famous players in history have called Florida home for 4–6 weeks every spring. According to the autobiography of former Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck, in 1947, Veeck was the owner of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers and the team trained in Ocala, Florida
18.
Oklahoma City Dodgers
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The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and they play at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, located in the Bricktown Entertainment District in downtown Oklahoma City. The team was known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997 when the team played at All Sports Stadium at the state fairgrounds. It first competed in the American Association in 1962, moved to the PCL from 1963 to 1968, in 1998, the team rejoined the PCL and became known as the Oklahoma RedHawks. In 1999, a name change resulted in the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Since the Los Angeles Dodgers purchased a share of the prior to 2015. Oklahoma City won the PCL championship in 1963 and 1965 as the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Colt. 45s/Astros, Oklahoma City has been home to professional baseball for all but a few years since 1904, when the Metropolitans were established as the citys first team. Oklahoma Citys teams and names have changed numerous times since, the team became known as the Indians in 1909 before returning to the original Mets name in 1910 and reverting again to the Indians name in 1911. Oklahoma City was home to the Senators in 1912, after one year without a baseball team, Oklahoma Citys squad became the Boosters in 1914. The Senators name returned from 1915 to 1916, but the Boosters name came back in 1917, the Oklahoma City Indians name returned in 1918 and the team name stuck until 1957. Oklahoma Citys current baseball franchise began competing in 1962 as the Oklahoma City 89ers following a period without professional baseball in the area. The franchises original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, in July 1961, Spec Richardson, who was then general manager of the Houston Buffs, met with Oklahoma City officials and boosters, and agreed to move the team. After a unanimous approval from the American Associations board of directors, eventually, the Astros sold the team to Tulsa businessman, P. C. In 1973, a connection with the Cleveland Indians was established. A later affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies lasted from 1976 until 1982, in 1983, the Texas Rangers became the parent club, a relationship that would continue as the 89ers adopted new colors and uniforms along with the nickname RedHawks in 1998. The team was renamed the RedHawks after the hawk, a bird of prey commonly seen throughout Oklahoma. When announcing the new name, team officials noted the raptors four-foot wingspan and migration patterns, a hawk is also part of the states official song. Prior to the 2009 season, the once again named itself after its home city
19.
Baltimore Orioles
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The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball as a member of the American League East division, Louis, Missouri to become the St. Louis Browns. After 52 often-beleaguered years in St. Louis, the franchise was purchased in November 1953 by Baltimore business interests led by Clarence Miles, the franchise officially moved to Baltimore for the 1954 season and adopted the historic Orioles name in honor of the official state bird of Maryland. The Orioles name had also used by several previous major and minor league baseball clubs in Baltimore. Nicknames for the team include the Os and the Birds, the Orioles experienced their greatest success from 1966 to 1983, when they made six World Series appearances, winning three of them. The franchise has won a total of nine division championships, six pennants. The Orioles are also known for their successful stadium, the trend-setting Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The modern Orioles franchise can trace its roots back to the original Milwaukee Brewers of the minor Western League, the Brewers were there when the WL renamed itself the American League in 1900. At the end of the 1900 season, the American League removed itself from baseballs National Agreement, two months later, the AL declared itself a competing major league. As a result of several shifts, the Brewers were one of only two Western League teams that didnt fold, move or get kicked out of the league. In its first game in the American League, the team lost to the Detroit Tigers 14–13 after blowing a lead in the 9th inning. To this day, it is a league record for the biggest deficit overcome that late in the game. During the first American League season in 1901, they finished last with a record of 48–89 and its lone Major League season, the team played at Lloyd Street Grounds, between 16th and 18th Streets in Milwaukee. The Miles-Krieger -Hoffberger group renamed their new team the Baltimore Orioles soon after taking control of the franchise, the name has a rich history in Baltimore, having been used by a National League team in the 1890s. In 1901, Baltimore and McGraw were awarded a franchise in the growing American League. After a battle with Ban Johnson, the Head of the American League in 1902, McGraw took many of the top players including Dan McGann, Roger Bresnahan and Joe McGinnity to the New York Giants. As an affront to Johnson, McGraw kept the black and orange colors of the New York Giants, which San Francisco wears to this day. In 1903, the rest of the team was transferred to New York where they were nicknamed the Highlanders until circa 1912, as a member of the high-minor league level International League, the Orioles competed at what is now known as the AAA level from 1903 to 1953
20.
2015 American League Wild Card Game
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It was held at Yankee Stadium on October 6,2015. The Yankees clinched a wild card berth on October 1, while the Astros clinched a wild card berth on October 4, the Yankees hosted the game, as they finished the regular season with a better win-loss record. This was the Astros first postseason appearance as an American League team, as such, this was the first postseason meeting between the Astros and the Yankees. It was also the Astros first playoff win since Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series, in addition, with the Yankees being the first to be eliminated, all four remaining teams in the ALDS were expansion teams. The Astros defeated the Yankees, 3–0, houstons Dallas Keuchel struck out seven batters and allowed only three hits in six innings of work, and the Astros bullpen then retired nine of ten Yankee batters for the victory. Tanaka lasted five innings, striking out three, houstons Jose Altuve scored Jonathan Villar from second base in the seventh inning against Yankee reliever Dellin Betances, the final run of the game
21.
Chris Carter (right-handed hitter)
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Vernon Christopher Chris Carter is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, Carter was born in Redwood City, California. At approximately age 7 or 8, his family moved to Las Vegas and he attended Sierra Vista High School. In 2005, Sierra Vistas baseball team won the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Class 4A state championship, Carter was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Carter began his career with the Bristol White Sox of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2005. He hit 10 home runs and had 37 runs batted in and he played for two teams in the 2006 season. The teams included the Great Falls White Sox of the Rookie-level Pioneer League and he had a combined total of 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. He played for Kannapolis in the 2007 season where he hit 25 home runs and had 93 RBIs, during the 2007 offseason, the White Sox traded Carter to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Carlos Quentin. He played for the Stockton Ports of the Class A-Advanced California League in the 2008 season where he hit 39 home runs and had 104 RBIs, Carter was named the California League Rookie of the Year for the 2008 season. In 2008 and 2009, Baseball America ranked Carter as one of the top 10 prospects in the Athletics organization, also in 2008 and 2009, Carter was the Oakland Athletics Minor League Player of Year. Carter was placed on the As 40-man roster on November 20,2009, in 2009, he was named the This Year in Minor League Baseball Awards Overall Hitter of The Year. On August 9,2010, Carter was promoted to Oakland, on August 16, Carter was demoted to Sacramento after starting his career 0–for–19 with 12 strikeouts. After the AAA season ended, Carter was recalled to Oakland, on September 20, he snapped his 0–for–33 streak with a single in the sixth inning. On September 22,2010 Carter hit his first major league run against the Chicago White Sox. Carter finished the 2010 season with a.186 batting average across 78 plate appearances and 24 games and he played in the Venezuelan Winter League upon completion of the 2010 season. He hit.136 in 15 MLB games the next year and he also split the 2012 season between MLB and the minor leagues, hitting.239 with 16 home runs and 39 RBI in 67 games. After the 2012 season, the Athletics traded Carter to the Houston Astros with Brad Peacock, during the 2013 season, Carter played 148 games batting.223 with 29 home runs,82 RBI, and struck out an MLB-leading 212 times. He became only the player to strikeout 200 times in a season
22.
Craig Counsell
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Craig John Counsell is an American former professional baseball player and current manager in Major League Baseball. Counsell was an infielder who played sixteen seasons for five teams, Counsell is currently the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League, a position he has held since May 2015. Counsell is best known for his performances in 1997 with the Florida Marlins. He has the distinction of having been on base for the last two times that the World Series ended with a hit, and was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player in 2001. He is also known for his batting stance, for much of his career, Counsell held his bat over his head. Late in his career, Counsell lowered his batting position significantly, Counsell was born in South Bend, Indiana. He grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and attended Whitefish Bay High School and his father, John, worked for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball as their director of the speakers bureau and director of community relations. Counsell attended college at the University of Notre Dame, where he played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team, the Colorado Rockies of MLB selected Counsell in the 11th round of the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with the Rockies on September 17,1995, the Rockies traded Counsell to the Florida Marlins for Mark Hutton in July 1997. He immediately became the Marlins regular starting second baseman, in June 1999, the Marlins traded Counsell to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later. The Dodgers released Counsell during 2000 spring training, and he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and his stay with the Diamondbacks lasted four years. Counsell batted 8-for-21 in the 2001 National League Championship Series, with the Brewers, Counsell started at shortstop in 2004. After one season with the Brewers, Counsell returned to the Diamondbacks as a agent for two more seasons. Counsell returned to the Brewers as a agent for 2007. He recorded his 1, 000th career hit on August 16,2008 against Derek Lowe of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in 2011, he was the fourth-oldest player in the National League, and had the second-best career fielding percentage of all active second basemen. In 2010, he was chosen as the 13th-smartest athlete in sports by Sporting News, the record was set by notoriously poor hitter Bill Bergen in 1909, and later tied by infielder Dave Campbell in 1973. It had been reported Bergens streak was 46 at bats, however, subsequent research definitively established that Bergens streak stopped at 45, meaning that Counsell tied but did not break the record. The record was only a few weeks after Counsell tied it, by Eugenio Vélez of the Los Angeles Dodgers.18 and 5.86
23.
Orlando Arcia
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Orlando Jesus Arcia is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers signed Arcia as a free agent in October 2010. He made his debut in 2011 with the Dominican Summer League Brewers. He missed the 2012 season due to an ankle he suffered during spring training. Arcia returned in 2013 to play for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Class A Midwest League and he spent the 2015 season with the Biloxi Shuckers of the Class AA Southern League. In July, he played in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, after hitting. 307/. 347/.453 with eight home runs, Arcia was named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year for 2015. The Brewers added him to their 40-man roster after the season and he also spent 2014 and 2015 playing for the Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, a winter league held during the MLBs offseason. Arcia began the 2016 season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and he made his major league debut on August 2. His brother, Oswaldo Arcia, plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks, career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference
24.
Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1990)
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Billy R. Hamilton is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball. He also holds the Cincinnati Reds record for most stolen bases by a rookie in a season, Hamilton attended Taylorsville High School in Taylorsville, Mississippi, where he was all-state in baseball, football and basketball. He was a top prospect at wide receiver, turning down a scholarship offer from Mississippi State University. Hamilton was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Prior to the 2011 season, Hamilton was ranked by Baseball America as the 50th best prospect in baseball and that season, while playing for the Dayton Dragons, Hamilton became the 12th minor league player to have 100 stolen bases in a season and the first since 2001. He finished the 2011 season with 103 total stolen bases and hit. 278/. 340/.360, prior to 2012, Baseball America ranked Hamilton as the 48th best prospect. MLB rated Hamilton as the 31st best prospect, fourth-best shortstop, on August 21,2012, Hamilton stole a record 146th base in his 120th game of the season for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The record was held by Vince Coleman for the Class A Macon Redbirds in 1983. He finished the 2012 season with 155 stolen bases and hit. 311/. 410/.420, after the 2012 season, the Reds announced that Hamilton, who originally played shortstop, would be moving to center field for 2013. Prior to the 2013 season, Hamilton was ranked as the Reds best prospect by Baseball America, for the season with the Louisville Bats, in 123 games he stole 75 bases and hit. 256/. 308/.343. Hamilton was called up to the Major Leagues on September 2,2013 and he stole second base off Yadier Molina and came around to score on a Todd Frazier double. He got his first start on September 18,2013 in a 6-5 Reds road win over the Houston Astros. For the game, Hamilton reached base five times, going 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored, one RBI and four bases in four attempts off four pitchers. Hamilton became the first Major League player since 1920 to steal four bases in his first Major League start, in his first 10 times on base, he stole nine bases and scored six runs. He was successful in his first 13 steal attempts, before being out on his 14th attempt. Hamilton became a regular with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 and he had something of a rough start to the season, hitting just.221 through April 27 and being caught in five of his first fifteen attempts at stealing. Despite this, Hamilton was actually second in Major League Baseball for stolen bases at the time, on October 23,2014, Hamilton was nominated for the 2014 Gold Glove for National League Center field, but lost to Juan Lagares of the New York Mets. Hamilton also finished 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to New York Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom
25.
Third baseman
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In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5. The third baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, the third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base. The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play, the third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territory. Third base is known as the hot corner, because the third baseman is relatively close to the batter, a third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions in order to catch hard line drives sometimes in excess of 125 miles per hour. Third basemen often must begin in an even closer to the batter if a bunt is expected. As with middle infielders, right-handed throwing players are standard at the position because they do not need to turn their body before throwing across the infield to first base. Mike Squires, who played fourteen games at third base in 1982 and 1983, is a rare example of a third baseman who threw lefty. Some third basemen have been converted from middle infielders or outfielders because the position does not require them to run as fast. Players who could hit with more ability often were not suited for third base, since the 1950s the position has become more of a power position with sluggers such as Eddie Mathews, Mike Schmidt and Ron Santo becoming stars. There are fewer third basemen in the Baseball Hall of Fame than there are Hall of Famers of any other position
26.
Travis Shaw
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Travis R. Shaw, is an American professional baseball infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Boston Red Sox, listed at 6 feet 4 inches, weighing 225 pounds, Shaw bats left handed and throws right handed. His father, Jeff, is a former two-time All-Star pitcher who played for six major league teams, Shaw was born and raised in the city of Washington Court House, Ohio. Shaw attended Washington High School, the matter of his father, Jeff. Travis Shaw played college baseball at Kent State University in Kent and he batted a.307 average with a Mid-American Conference-leading 14 home runs while playing 62 games for the Golden Flashes in 2011. He also slugged.553 and collected 51 runs batted in, being named to the first team All-MAC in 2011, Shaw also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves. He finished the year at Low Class A Greenville Drive, batting.333 in two games before gaining a promotion to the High Class A Salem Red Sox in 2012. He was promoted to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs early in August, but was tested in the upper Eastern League. Even so, he was among the five best Red Sox minor leaguers in 2012, ranking second both in RBI and OPS, fourth in slugging, while tying for second in on-base percentage and for fourth in home runs. In 2013 Shaw scuffled while adjusting to Double-A, hitting a paltry.221 in 127 games with Portland, nevertheless, he finished with 16 home runs,50 RBI and a very solid.452 OBP. Shaw steadily progressed in 2014, while splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A and he hit. 305/. 406/.548 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in 208 plate appearances for Portland before gaining a promotion to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. He finished strong at Pawtucket, hitting. 262/. 321/.431 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 81 games, overall in 2014, Shaw topped the Sox minor league system with 21 home runs and collected 78 RBI, being surpassed only by Carlos Asuaje. He also scored a second-best 78 runs behind Mookie Betts and was second in extra base hits to Asuaje, as a result, Shaw walked more than he struck out in Portland and posted acceptable strikeout and walk rates at Pawtucket. Shaw ranked 19th in the MLB. com Top 20 Boston Red Sox Prospects list for 2014, Shaw was added to the 40-man roster in November 2014. He was promoted to the major club on May 8,2015. He was optioned to Pawtucket the next day, on July 7,2015, Shaw was called up from Triple A Pawtucket and recorded his first major league hit, a second inning single, against the Miami Marlins. Shaw eventually went 3 for 4 on the night with a run scored, on August 1, Shaw hit 2 home runs, went 4 for 4 with a walk, and was a triple shy of the cycle. Two weeks later, in Bostons 15-1 rout of the Seattle Mariners, Shaw became the second player ever to have two two-homer games in the first 18 games of his career
27.
Neil Walker (baseball)
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Neil Martin Andrew Walker is an American professional baseball second baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft and he played with the Pirates through 2015 and played in 2016 with the Mets. He played catcher on the team and a wide receiver for the football team. Walker, who played on the Rams basketball team until his senior year, was a two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Male Athlete of the Year. His baseball jersey, #24, was retired from Pine-Richland during a ceremony before the Pittsburgh Pirates July 22,2010 game. Neil grew up as a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 1994, he attended the All-Star Game, where he obtained the signatures of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Frank Thomas. To this day, those signed baseballs are among his most prized baseball possessions, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Walker in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. After three minor seasons, Neil started 2007 rated No.74 on Baseball Americas list of Top 100 prospects. Walker was invited to the Pirates 2007 spring training as a non-roster invitee and he was sent back to the Pirates Double-A affiliate Altoona Curve where he spent the majority of the season. On May 15,2007, he became the first Curve player to have a game, going 4-for-4 with a home run, double. Walker hit a pair of home runs on May 27,2007. He hit a grand slam and drove in five runs on June 28,2007 in the game of a double-header against the Trenton Thunder. Walker was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians for the 2008 season, Walker spent the majority of the season again with the Pirates Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians. In 95 games, he hit.264 with 69 RBI and 5 stolen bases and he received his first Major League call-up on September 1,2009 and served as a pinch-hitter for Pirates starter Charlie Morton that night against the Cincinnati Reds. His first career hit came five days later against Jason Motte of the St. Louis Cardinals and he never became an every day regular player and finished the season hitting.194 in 17 games. Walker spent most of spring training with the Pirates in Bradenton and he made his first Major League start of the year that night against the Cincinnati Reds, playing at third base. He hit an RBI double in the 8th inning off Reds starter Mike Leake, but his role on the team was initially in question, as Andy LaRoche had been the Pirates every day third baseman. But the position change stuck and Walker quickly established himself as the new second baseman and he hit his first Major League home run on June 1,2010 off Chicago Cubs starter Ted Lilly, a two-run shot that propelled the Pirates to a 3–2 victory
28.
Center fielder
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A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record plays, the center fielder is assigned the number 8. Outfielders must cover large distances, so speed, instincts and quickness to react to the ball are key and they must be able to catch fly balls above their heads and on the run. They must be able to throw the ball accurately over a distance to be effective. Amateur players may find it difficult to concentrate on the game, emphasizing the correct position will give outfield players something to concentrate on at each pitch. As well as the requirements above, the fielder must be the outfielder who has the best combination of speed. The center fielder covers more grass than any player and, most likely. The center outfielder is the captain of the outfield and has the authority to call off the corner fielders when she or he has a chance to catch the ball. A center fielders vision and depth perception is a coveted skill, because the position requires a good arm and fast legs, center field is generally where the team puts its best all-around athletes, as a result, center fielders are often fine hitters as well. Many center fielders are renowned as excellent batters and base runners, Baseball Hall of Fame Outfield Baseball positions
29.
Twitter
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Twitter is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages, tweets, restricted to 140 characters. Registered users can post tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them, users access Twitter through its website interface, SMS or a mobile device app. Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco, California, United States, Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams and launched in July. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, in 2012, more than 100 million users posted 340 million tweets a day, and the service handled an average of 1.6 billion search queries per day. In 2013, it was one of the ten most-visited websites and has described as the SMS of the Internet. As of 2016, Twitter had more than 319 million monthly active users. On the day of the 2016 U. S. presidential election, Twitter proved to be the largest source of breaking news, Twitters origins lie in a daylong brainstorming session held by board members of the podcasting company Odeo. Jack Dorsey, then a student at New York University. The original project name for the service was twttr, an idea that Williams later ascribed to Noah Glass, inspired by Flickr. The developers initially considered 10958 as a code, but later changed it to 40404 for ease of use. Work on the project started on March 21,2006, when Dorsey published the first Twitter message at 9,50 PM Pacific Standard Time, Dorsey has explained the origin of the Twitter title. we came across the word twitter, and it was just perfect. The definition was a short burst of inconsequential information, and chirps from birds, and thats exactly what the product was. The first Twitter prototype, developed by Dorsey and contractor Florian Weber, was used as a service for Odeo employees. Williams fired Glass, who was silent about his part in Twitters startup until 2011, Twitter spun off into its own company in April 2007. Williams provided insight into the ambiguity that defined this early period in a 2013 interview, With Twitter and they called it a social network, they called it microblogging, but it was hard to define, because it didnt replace anything. There was this path of discovery with something like that, where over time you figure out what it is, Twitter actually changed from what we thought it was in the beginning, which we described as status updates and a social utility. It is that, in part, but the insight we eventually came to was Twitter was really more of an information network than it is a social network, the tipping point for Twitters popularity was the 2007 South by Southwest Interactive conference. During the event, Twitter usage increased from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000, the Twitter people cleverly placed two 60-inch plasma screens in the conference hallways, exclusively streaming Twitter messages, remarked Newsweeks Steven Levy
30.
Instagram
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In August 2015, version 7.5 was released for mobile devices, allowing users to upload media captured in any aspect ratio, but not at full size. Users can also apply various digital filters to their images, the service rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million active users as of April 2012 and over 300 million as of December 2014. Support for the app is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Windows 10 devices and Android handsets, while third-party Instagram apps are available for BlackBerry 10, the service was acquired by Facebook in April 2012 for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock. In 2013, Instagram grew by 23%, while Facebook, as the parent company, Instagram began development in San Francisco, when Systrom and Brazilian Krieger chose to focus their multi-featured HTML5 check-in project, Burbn, on mobile photography. As Krieger reasoned, Burbn became too similar to Foursquare, and for that, Burbn pivoted to become more focused. The word Instagram is a portmanteau of instant camera and telegram, on March 5,2010, Systrom closed a $500,000 seed funding round with Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz while working on Burbn. Josh Riedel then joined the company as Community Manager, shayne Sweeney joined in November 2010 as an engineer and Jessica Zollman was hired as a Community Evangelist in August 2011. In January 2011, Instagram added hashtags to help users discover both photographs and each other, Instagram encourages users to make tags both specific and relevant, rather than tagging generic words like photo, to make photographs stand out and to attract like-minded Instagram users. In September, version 2.0 went live in the App Store and included new and live filters, instant tilt–shift, high resolution photographs, optional borders, one-click rotation, the deal valued Instagram at around $25 million. On April 3,2012, Instagram was released for Android phones running the 2.2 Froyo version of the OS and that same week, Instagram raised $50 million from venture capitalists for a share of the company, the process valued Instagram at $500 million. Facebook made an offer to purchase Instagram, along with its 13 employees, for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock in April 2012, with a plan to keep the company independently managed. Britains Office of Fair Trading approved the deal on August 14,2012, and on August 22,2012, on September 6,2012, the deal between Instagram and Facebook was officially closed. On April 12,2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion in cash, the deal, which was made just prior to Facebooks scheduled IPO, cost about a quarter of Facebooks cash-on-hand, according to figures documented at the end of 2011. Mark Zuckerberg noted that Facebook was committed to building and growing Instagram independently, according to multiple reports, the deal netted Systrom $400 million based on his ownership stake in the business. The exact purchase price was $300 million in cash and 23 million shares of stock, on December 17,2012, Instagram updated its Terms of Service, granting itself the right—starting on January 16, 2013—to sell users photos to third parties without notification or compensation. In January 2013, it was confirmed that Instagram had asked for identification as a form of verification due to unspecified violations. In September 2013, Instagram reaffirmed its commitment to free and open access to its app for users. On October 3,2013, Instagram announced that it would be adding advertising to its platform
31.
Ed Andrews
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George Edward Andrews was a professional baseball player. He was a second baseman and outfielder over parts of eight seasons with the Philadelphia Quakers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Brooklyn Wards Wonders. He was the National League stolen base champion in 1886 with Philadelphia, for his career, he compiled a.257 batting average, with 278 RBIs,602 runs scored, and 205 stolen bases. An alumnus of Case Western Reserve University, he was born in Painesville, Ohio and later died in West Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 75
32.
John Montgomery Ward
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John Montgomery Ward, known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo and he led the formation of the first professional sports players union and a new baseball league, the Players League. Ward attended the Bellefonte Academy in the early 1870s and, at 13 years of age, in his short time there, he helped jumpstart a baseball program and is often credited for developing the first curveball. However, he was kicked out of school for pushing an upperclassman who attempted to haze him down a flight of stairs, the following year, in 1874, his parents James and Ruth died. He tried to make it as a salesman, but when that proved unsuccessful. It was there that he re-discovered baseball, in 1878, the semi-pro team that he was playing for folded, which opened the door for him to move on to a new opportunity. He was offered a contract to pitch for the Providence Grays of the still new National League, Wards first season with the Grays was a successful one, going 22–13 with a 1.51 ERA. He played that season exclusively as a pitcher, but during the two seasons he played increasingly in the outfield and at third base. Ward had his two finest seasons as a pitcher, going 47–19 with 239 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA in 1879 and 39–24 with 230 strikeouts and he pitched nearly 600 innings each year. As a 19-year-old pitcher, he won 47 games and led the 1879 Providence Grays to a first-place finish, in 1880, he began to play other positions. On June 17,1880, Ward pitched the second game in baseball history, defeating future Hall of Famer Pud Galvin. Lee Richmond had thrown baseballs first perfect game just five days before, the next perfect game by a National League pitcher would not happen for 84 years, when Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game in 1964. Ward also expanded his role to include managing when he became a player-manager for the teams final 32 games, winning 18 of them. The seasons of 1881 and 1882 were the first in which he played games in the outfield than he pitched. This was due to an arm injury he originally incurred sliding into a base. By this time, however, the Grays felt his best days were behind him, Ward moved to the New York Gothams in 1883. An injury to his arm while running the bases during the 1884 season ended Wards pitching career. As he could not wait for his arm to heal before he returned to the field and he replaced Jim Price as the Giants manager for the final 16 games of the 1884 season
33.
Dummy Hoy
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Hoy is noted for being the most accomplished deaf player in Major League history, and is credited by some sources with causing the establishment of signals for safe and out calls. He was also an excellent baserunner, scoring over 100 runs nine times and he is one of only 29 players to have played in four different Major Leagues. His 1,004 career walks put him second in Major League history behind Billy Hamilton when he retired, and he also ended his career ranking eighth in career games played. He opened a repair store in his hometown and played baseball on weekends, earning a professional contract in 1886 with an Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1888, with the Washington Nationals of the National League, Hoy became the third player in the Major Leagues, after pitcher Ed Dundon. In his rookie year he led the league in stolen bases, at 54 and batting left-handed, he was able to gain numerous walks with a small strike zone, leading the league twice and compiling a.386 career on-base percentage. Hoys speed was an advantage in the outfield, and he was able to play shallow as a result. On June 19,1889, he set a Major League record by throwing out three runners at home plate in one game, with catcher Connie Mack recording the outs. He returned to Washington for two years with the Washington Senators of the National League, and was traded to the Reds in December 1893, where he was reunited with Comiskey. In May of his last season with the Reds, he batted against pitcher Dummy Taylor of the New York Giants in the first faceoff between deaf players in the Major Leagues, Hoy got two hits. Hoy retired with a.287 batting average,2044 hits,1426 runs,726 runs batted in,248 doubles,121 triples and 40 home runs. He had 487 stolen bases from 1888 through 1897, and 107 more after the statistic was redefined to its present meaning in 1898 and his 1795 games in the outfield ranked second to Jimmy Ryan in Major League history. Jesse Burkett broke his Major League record for putouts in 1905. His record for games in center field was broken by Tris Speaker in 1920. Hoy himself often corrected individuals who addressed him as William, indeed, no articles printed during Hoys lifetime have been found to support the suggestion that he influenced the creation of signals, nor did he ever maintain that he had such a role. They also raised his nephew, Paul Hoy Helms, the founder of the Helms Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles, Hoy also worked as an executive with Goodyear after supervising hundreds of deaf workers during World War I. In 1951 he was the first deaf athlete elected to membership in the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame and he could see, if not hear, the standing ovation he received. Upon his death that December, his remains were cremated according to tradition and were scattered at Lytle Park in Cincinnati
34.
Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866)
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William Robert Sliding Billy Hamilton was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player who holds a number of baseball records. He played for the Kansas City Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Beaneaters between 1888 and 1901 and he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1961. As of 2016, he is third on the all-time list of stolen bases leaders. Hamilton was born on February 16,1866 in Newark, New Jersey and his parents, Samuel and Mary Hamilton, had immigrated to New Jersey from Ireland. Biographer Roy Kerr writes that evidence suggests that Hamilton was descended from the Ulster Scots people, when Hamilton was a small child, his family moved to Clinton, Massachusetts. He worked in a Clinton cotton mill as a young teenager, Hamilton broke into the major leagues in the American Association with the Kansas City Cowboys in 1888. He established himself as a star the following season by batting.301 with 144 runs and 111 stolen bases, in 1890, the Cowboys, who were ceasing operations, sold Hamilton to the Philadelphia Phillies. The next year he led the NL in batting average, runs scored, for a third consecutive season, Hamilton led the NL in stolen bases. In 1892, Hamilton hit both a leadoff and game-ending home run in the same game, only Vic Power, Darin Erstad, Reed Johnson and Ian Kinsler have accomplished the same feat. He hit.380 in 1893, which led the major leagues, Philadelphia outfielders Hamilton, Sam Thompson, Ed Delahanty and Tuck Turner all hit over.400 in 1894. Hamilton also set the record for most stolen bases in one game and he set the record for most consecutive games scoring one or more runs, with 35 runs in 24 games in July–August 1894. Hamilton led the league in steals for a time in 1895. In 1896, Hamilton moved to Boston, for whom he played his six seasons. Although his numbers declined, Hamilton still scored over 100 runs in all, Hamilton retired after the 1901 season. Over his career he compiled 912 stolen bases, a.344 batting average and 1690 runs in 1591 games, he is one of only three players to average more than one run per game played. His.455 career on-base percentage ranks fourth all-time behind Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and John McGraw and he is the Philadelphia Phillies career leader in batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases. He holds Phillies single-season records for on-base percentage, runs, stolen bases and times on base, though stolen bases were credited differently during Hamiltons career than they are in modern times, he was very proud of his stolen base marks. In 1937, Hamilton lambasted the Sporting News in a letter he wrote to them, stating, I was, I stole over 100 bases on many years and if they ever re-count the record I will get my just reward
35.
Tom Brown (center fielder)
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Thomas Tarlton Brown was an Anglo-American center fielder in Major League Baseball. Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, he played for 17 seasons, upon his retirement he served as an umpire, working mostly in the National League in 1898 and 1901–1902. In June 1882, Tom signed with the Baltimore Orioles, of the American Association, as a right fielder, he hit one home run with 23 runs batted in for that season with Baltimore. He was a right fielder for most of his early career and that year, the Orioles finished 6th in the league, and Brown was sent to the Columbus Buckeyes in an unknown transaction before the 1883 season. He played two season in Columbus, both of which he hit five home runs and drove in 32 runs and his best season with them occurred in 1884, when he batted.273 and scored 93 runs in 106 games played. On October 30,1884, the Buckeyes went under and the team, highlights of his two and a half seasons with the Alleghenys include a.307 batting average in 1885 and 51 RBIs in 1886. However, he struggled in 1887 and was released by Pittsburg on August 15 and he was picked up by the Indianapolis Hoosiers, of the National League, a few days later, where he hit only.179 in 36 games. While at Indianapolis, Brown became part of the first known platoon arrangement in baseball, before the 1888 season, he was sent to the Boston Beaneaters. Brown was one of Bostons star players, as their starting right fielder, and he hit nine home runs with 49 RBIs, and stole 46 bases. After the 1888 season, Albert Spalding assembled two teams of players for a world tour with Tom pitching for the All America team. The tour lasted until March 1889, for the 1889 season, he only hit two home runs, and drove in 24 runs, but he placed third in the league with 63 stolen bases. He also scored 93 runs while only accumulating 84 hits, Brown jumped to the new Players League, along with many other major league players, before the 1890 season. The league lasted just one season, and Tom signed with the Boston Reds, in that season with the Reds, he hit.274 with 4 home runs and 61 RBIs, and stole 79 bases. Behind Browns hitting prowess, and with other such as Dan Brouthers, Hugh Duffy, and Charlie Buffinton. After the 1891 season, the Association folded, Brown was granted to the league and was obtained by the Louisville Colonels on January 1,1892. He played in Louisville for three seasons, during which he stole a league-leading 66 bases in 1893, hit 9 home runs in 1894, on January 6,1895, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns for shortstop Frank Shugart. Brown played in 83 games for St. Louis before being released in August and he signed with the Washington Senators on August 21,1895. Brown later served as the player-manager of the Senators for the 1897 and 1898 seasons, winning 64 games, Brown established the major league record with 490 errors committed as an outfielder
36.
Joe Kelley
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Joseph James Kelley was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with John McGraw, Willie Keeler and he returned to the NL with Cincinnati Reds and Boston Doves. Kelley served as player-manager of the Reds and Doves, after extending his career in the minor leagues, he coached the Brooklyn Robins, and scouted for the New York Yankees. Kelley was regarded as an excellent batter, a base runner. Over his seventeen-season MLB career, Kelley had a.317 batting average, Kelley stole a career-high 87 bases in the 1896 season, which led MLB. He finished in the top ten in categories such as batting average, home runs, runs batted in. He served as captain of the Orioles and the Superbas. In recognition of his achievements, Kelley was elected a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1971. Kelley was born to Patrick Kelly and Ann Kelly in Cambridge, Kelleys parents emigrated to the United States from Ireland, and he had five siblings. According to the 1880 United States Census, Patrick worked as a marble cutter, as a child, Kelley was educated at a parochial grammar school and St. Thomas Aquinas College in Cambridge, where he starred for the schools baseball team as a pitcher. He worked for a piano manufacturer and the John P. Lowell Arms Company. He practiced with the Harvard Crimson, the baseball team of Harvard University. Kelley made his debut with the Lowell Indians of the New England League in 1891. During games he did not pitch, Lowells manager put him in the lineup as an infielder, Kelley had a 10–3 win–loss record and a NEL-leading.323 batting average with Lowell. Three days later, Kelley signed with the Boston Beaneaters of the National League, Kelley made his major league debut in August 1891 with the Beaneaters. After batting.244 in twelve games played, the Beaneaters released Kelley after the season, Kelley began the 1892 season with the Omaha Omahogs of the Class–A Western League, turning down a $1,200 salary from the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. With Omaha, Kelley batted.316 with 19 stolen bases in 58 games, the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL purchased Kelleys contract from Omaha for $500 on July 2,1892. Ned Hanlon, new manager of the Baltimore Orioles, traded George Van Haltren to the Pirates for Kelley, Hanlon had succeeded Van Haltren as Orioles manager during the season, remaining with the Orioles as a player, Van Haltren openly criticized Hanlon
37.
Bill Lange
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During his time in the Majors, he once led the National League in stolen bases, and was among the seasonal leaders in several other offensive categories including home runs, and batting average. Lange was noted for having a combination of speed and power. His 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pound frame was considered large for his era and he is best known for retiring from baseball during the prime of his career to get married, as his future father-in-law forbade his daughter to marry a baseball player. Despite the short-lived marriage, he refused all offers to return as a player and he became a successful businessman after his retirement from baseball. In addition to his success in real estate and insurance, he became a figure in Major League Baseballs efforts to generate interest in the game worldwide. Born in the Presidio District of San Francisco, California, he ran away from home while still in school to live with his brother in Port Townsend. It was from there that he moved up to play Minor League Baseball for the Seattle Reds of the Northwestern Baseball League in the early 1890s, when the Northwestern League folded, Lange return the Bay area to play for the Oakland Colonels of the California League. He played one season for the Colonels, then was signed by the Chicago Colts of the National League, Lange made his Major League debut on April 27,1893 for the Colts, and enjoyed a successful inaugural Major League season. He scored 92 times, hit eight home runs, had 88 runs batted in, while finishing seventh in stolen bases with 47. This was the time he batted under.300 during his Major League career. In the field season, he played at second base, in right field. He did not start playing center field exclusively until the following season, Lange continued his success in 1894 by raising his batting average to.328 and finishing fifth in the league with 65 stolen bases. Lange achieved his highest league rankings in 1895 and his.389 batting average was fifth in the league and is still the top individual season average in Chicago Cubss history. He also finished second in the league in bases with 67, fifth in home runs with 10, fifth in on-base percentage with.456, hit 16 triples, scored 120 runs. Lange had several notable moments during the 1896 season, on July 4, he stole five bases in one game against the Louisville Colonels, although it was two stolen bases short of the record of seven set by George Gore and Billy Hamilton. During a game on August 31, he entered baseball lore with a feat that he never actually performed, the game was scoreless in the bottom of the 10th inning when Lange made a diving catch in center field to keep the game scoreless. Later in the inning, Chicagos first baseman, George Decker attempted to field a ball from third baseman Barry McCormick. In an effort to get Decker to the adjacent the ballpark
38.
Ed Delahanty
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Edward James Delahanty, nicknamed Big Ed, was a Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Infants and Washington Senators. He was known as one of the early power hitters. Delahanty won a title, batted over.400 three times, and has the fifth-highest batting average in MLB history. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 and he died falling into Niagara Falls or the Niagara River after being kicked off of a train while intoxicated. His biographer argues that, Baseball for Irish kids was a shortcut to the American dream and to self-indulgent glory, by the mid-1880s these young Irish men dominated the sport and popularized a style of play that was termed heady, daring, and spontaneous. Personified the flamboyant, exciting spectator-favorite, the Casey-at-the-bat, Irish slugger, the handsome masculine athlete who is expected to live as large as he played. Four of Delahantys brothers, Frank, Jim, Joe and Tom, a Cleveland, Ohio native nicknamed Big Ed, Delahanty was an outfielder and powerful right-handed batter in the 1890s. Crazy Schmit, who pitched for the Giants and Orioles, said of him, When you pitch to Delahanty, you just want to shut your eyes, say a prayer, the Lord only knows whatll happen after that. He attended Clevelands Central High School and went on to college at St. Josephs, Delahanty signed on to first play professional baseball with Mansfield of the Ohio State League in 1887. Delahanty also played minor league ball in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1887, the Wheeling team sold Delahanty to the Philadelphia Phillies for $1,900. He became the most prominent member of the largest group of siblings ever to play in the leagues, brothers Frank, Jim, Joe. The Phillies obtained Delahanty as a replacement for Charlie Ferguson, Ferguson was a pitcher who had converted to second base for his final season, but he died early in 1888 from typhoid fever. Delahanty was brought in to fill in for him at second base and he began his career on May 22,1888, with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, playing 74 games that season with a.228 average,1 HR, and 31 RBI. The next year, in 56 games, he raised his average to.293, in 1890, he jumped to the Players League, but returned to the Phillies the next year when that league folded. He hit.306 and tallied 6 HR and 91 RBI in 1892 and that same year, Delahanty was the victim behind one of The Most Shameful Home Runs of All Time, according to authors Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo. When Delahantys Phillies hosted the Chicago White Stockings at Philadelphias Huntingdon Street Grounds in July, the ball hit a pole and landed right in the doghouse, a little-known feature of the park that was used to store numbers for the manually run scoreboard. Delahanty tried reaching over the doghouse and then tried crawling down into it and he got stuck, and by the time teammate Sam Thompson had freed Delahanty from the area, Anson had crossed home plate. Delahanty blossomed in 1893 with.368,19 HR and 146 RBI and he narrowly missed the Triple Crown, as teammates Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson led the league in batting with.380 and.370 averages respectively
39.
Jimmy Sheckard
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Sheckard was the Chicago Cubs leadoff batter for the final game of the 1908 World Series. He played for four World Series teams in a span from 1906-1910. Sheckard was born in Chanceford Township, York County, Pennsylvania and he enjoyed a great 1901 season with the Superbas, hitting.353 with 11 home runs and 104 runs batted in, and leading the league with 19 triples and a.536 slugging average. In that season Sheckard became the first and so far only player to hit inside the grand slams in two consecutive games. With Baltimore in 1899, Sheckard led the league with 77 stolen bases and he also had the dubious distinction of going hitless in 21 at-bats in the 1906 World Series, won by the Chicago White Sox over the Cubs. Sheckard was the first man to lead the league in homers, ty Cobb and Chuck Klein are the only other players to do so in the majors. Sheckard was also a good outfielder and he holds the all-time single season major league record for double plays at two separate positions. His 12 double plays as a fielder in 1911 for the Cubs is 2 more than any other left fielder in history. And in 1899, while playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Sheckard played right field, see related article on all time double play leaders. In his 17-year career, Sheckard hit.274, with 56 home runs,813 RBI,1296 runs,354 doubles,136 triples, and 465 stolen bases in 2122 games played
