1.
Pitcher
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In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important defensive player, there are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and closer. The National League in Major League Baseball and the Japanese Central League are among the leagues that have not adopted the designated hitter position. In most cases, the objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through the zone, swings the bat at the ball and misses it. If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it is called a strike if any part of the passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, If the batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball. There are two legal pitching positions, the windup and the set position or stretch, either position may be used at any time, typically, the windup is used when the bases are empty, while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed, a balk can be called on a pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is one who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed, generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts. A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks, nearly all action during a game is centered on the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitchers particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence the dynamics of the game and can determine the victor. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the box at one side of the plate. The type and sequence of pitches chosen depend upon the situation in a game. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select the starting catcher for a game based on the starting pitcher. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery, although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins the game, and he may be followed by relief pitchers, such as the long reliever, the left-handed specialist, the middle reliever. In Major League Baseball, every team uses Baseball Rubbing Mud to rub game balls in before their pitchers use them in games, a skilled pitcher often throws a variety of different pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well
2.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
3.
Earned run average
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In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched, runs resulting from defensive errors are recorded as unearned runs and omitted from ERA calculations. Henry Chadwick is credited with devising the statistic, which caught on as a measure of pitching effectiveness after relief pitching came into vogue in the 1900s. Some criterion was needed to capture the apportionment of earned-run responsibility for a pitcher in games that saw contributions from other pitchers for the same team, a pitcher is assessed an earned run for each run scored by a batter who reaches base while batting against that pitcher. The National League first tabulated official earned run average statistics in 1912, recently written baseball encyclopedias display ERAs for earlier years, but these were computed retroactively. Negro League pitchers are often rated by RA, or total runs allowed, as with batting average, the definition of a good ERA varies from year to year. During the dead-ball era of the 1900s and 1910s, an ERA below 2.00 was considered good, in the 1960s, sub-2.00 ERAs returned, as other influences such as ballparks with different dimensions were introduced. Today, an ERA under 4.00 is again considered good, the all-time record for the lowest single season earned run average by a pitcher pitching 300 or more innings is 1.12, set by Bob Gibson in 1968. The record for the lowest career earned run average is 1.82, held by Ed Walsh, but a purported record based on so few innings pitched is highly misleading. Over the years, more than a dozen part-time pitchers have pitched 105 or more innings and had a run average lower than 0.86. Some sources may list players with infinite ERAs and this can happen if a pitcher allows one or more earned runs without retiring a batter. Additionally, an undefined ERA occasionally occurs at the beginning of a baseball season and it is sometimes incorrectly displayed as zero or as the lowest ranking ERA, even though it is more akin to the highest. At times it can be misleading to judge relief pitchers solely on ERA, because they are charged only for runs scored by batters who reached base while batting against them. Thus, if a pitcher enters the game with his team leading by 1 run, with 2 outs and the bases loaded. If he retires the batter, his ERA for that game will be 0.00 despite having surrendered the lead. Starting pitchers operate under the rules but are not called upon to start pitching with runners already on base. The relievers freedom to use their energy for a few innings, or even for just a few batters. ERA, taken by itself, can also be misleading when trying to objectively judge starting pitchers, the advent of the designated hitter rule in the American League in 1973 made the pitching environment significantly different
4.
Strikeout
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In baseball or softball, a strikeout occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means the batter is out, a strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denoted by K. Although a strikeout suggests that the pitcher dominated the batter, the style that generates home runs also leaves batters susceptible to striking out. Some of the greatest home run hitters of all time — such as Alex Rodriguez, Gorman Thomas, Reggie Jackson, and Sammy Sosa — were notorious for striking out. A pitched ball is ruled a ball by the if the batter did not swing at it and, in that umpires judgment. Any pitch at which the batter swings or, that in that umpires judgment passes through the zone, is ruled a strike. Each ball and strike affects the count, which is incremented for each pitched ball with the exception of a ball on any count with two strikes. That is, a strike may only occur by the batter swinging and missing at a pitched ball. A pitched ball that is struck by the batter with the bat on any count, a batter may also strike out by bunting, even if the ball is hit into foul territory. In Japan, this is called furinige, or swing and escape, in Major League Baseball, it is known as an uncaught third strike. When this happens, a strikeout is recorded for both the pitcher and the batter, but no out is recorded, because of this, a pitcher may occasionally be able to record more than three strikeouts in one half-inning. In baseball scorekeeping, a strikeout is recorded as a K. A strikeout looking is often scored with a backward K, and sometimes as a K-L, CK, despite the scorekeeping custom of using K for strikeout, SO is the official abbreviation used by Major League Baseball. K is still used by fans and enthusiasts for purposes other than official record-keeping. The K may be placed backward in cases where the batter strikes out looking, the use of K for a strikeout was invented by Henry Chadwick, a newspaper journalist who is widely credited as the originator of the box score and the baseball scorecard. As is true in much of baseball, both the box score and scorecard remain largely unchanged to this day, Chadwick decided to use K, the last letter in struck, since the letter S was used for sacrifice. Chadwick was responsible for several other scorekeeping conventions, including the use of numbers to designate player positions and those unaware of Chadwicks contributions have speculated that K was derived from the last name of 19th century pitcher Matt Kilroy. If not for the evidence supporting Chadwicks earlier use of K, Kilroy raised the prominence of the strikeout, setting an all-time single-season record of 513 strikeouts in 1886, only two years after overhand pitching was permitted
5.
Save (baseball)
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In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances, described below. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers. It became an official Major League Baseball statistic in 1969, mariano Rivera is MLBs all-time leader in regular season saves with 652. The term save was being used as far back as 1952, executives Jim Toomey of the St. A formula with more criteria for saves was invented in 1960 by baseball writer Jerome Holtzman and he felt that the existing statistics at the time, earned run average and win–loss record, did not sufficiently measure a relievers effectiveness. ERA does not account for inherited runners a reliever allows to score, Holtzman felt that Face was more effective the previous year when he was 5–2. When Holtzman presented the idea to J. G. Taylor Spink, publisher of The Sporting News, Holtzman recorded the unofficial save statistic in The Sporting News weekly for nine years before it became official in 1969. In conjunction with publishing the statistic, The Sporting News in 1960 also introduced the Fireman of the Year Award, the save became an official MLB statistic in 1969. It was MLBs first new major statistic since the run batted in was added in 1920, in baseball statistics, the term save is used to indicate the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, usually the closer, until the end of the game. A save is a statistic credited to a pitcher, as set forth in Rule 10.19 of the Official Rules of Major League Baseball. If a relief pitcher satisfies all of the criteria for a save, except he does not finish the game, he will often be credited with a hold. A blown save is charged to a pitcher who enters a game in a situation which permits him to earn a save, if the reliever allows the tying or leading run, but the relievers team wins the game, the reliever wins the game. Due to this definition, a pitcher cannot blow multiple saves in a game unless he has multiple save opportunities, the blown save was introduced by the Rolaids Relief Man Award in 1988. A pitcher who enters the game in a situation and does not finish the game—but his team still leading—is not charged with a save opportunity. Save percentage is the ratio of saves to save opportunities, in 1974, tougher criteria were adopted for saves where the tying run had to be on base or at the plate when the reliever entered to qualify for a save. This addressed saves such as Ron Taylors in a 20–6 New York Mets win over the Atlanta Braves. The rule was relaxed in 1975 to credit a save when a reliever pitches at least one inning with no more than a lead, or comes in with runners on base. In 2000, Rolaids started recording a save when a pitcher enters a save situation with the potential tying run already on base
6.
Los Angeles Angels
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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League West division. The Angels have played games at Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966. Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs at the time, in 2009, the Angels won the AL West division championship for the third straight season. The team name started in 1892, in 1903, the name continued in L. A. through the PCL. After the Angels joined the Major Leagues, some players from the Angels PCL team joined the Major League Angels in 1961. The Angels were one of two teams established as a result of the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion, along with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators. The team then moved in 1962 to newly built Dodger Stadium, which the Angels referred to as Chavez Ravine, the teams founder, entertainer Gene Autry, owned the franchise for its first 36 years. During Autrys ownership, the made the playoffs three times, but never won the pennant. When The Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997, it extensively renovated Anaheim Stadium, the City of Anaheim contributed $30 million to the $118 million renovation with a renegotiated lease providing that the names of both the stadium and team contain the word Anaheim. The team was renamed the Anaheim Angels and became a subsidiary of Disney Sports, under Disneys ownership and the leadership of manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels won their first pennant and World Series championship in 2002. In 2005, new owner Arturo Moreno added Los Angeles to the name in order to better tap into the teams history. He also stated that as Los Angeles is the second largest market in the U. S. its addition would benefit the team greatly. In compliance with the terms of its lease with the city of Anaheim, which required Anaheim be a part of the teams name, local media in Southern California tend to omit a geographic identifier and refer to the team as the Angels or as the Halos. The Associated Press, the most prominent news service in the U. S. refers to the team as the Los Angeles Angels, the mantra Win One for the Cowboy is a staple that is deeply rooted in Angels history for fans. The saying refers to the Angels founder and previous owner, Gene Autry, years went by as the team experienced many losses just strikes away from American League pennants. Autrys #26 was retired as the 26th man on the field for the Angels, Angel Stadium of Anaheim is nicknamed The Big A. It has a section in center field nicknamed the California Spectacular, each game begins with the song Calling All Angels by Train being played on the P. A. with Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky being played during the teams starting lineup announcement
7.
Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League East division. The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in 13, founded in 1901 as one of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the Red Sox home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The Red Sox name was chosen by the owner, John I. Taylor, around 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had known as the Boston Red Stockings. Boston was a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. Following their victory in the 2013 World Series, they became the first team to win three World Series trophies in the 21st century, including championships in 2004 and 2007. Red Sox history has also marked by the teams intense rivalry with the Yankees. The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Liverpool F. C. of the Premier League in England. The Red Sox are consistently one of the top MLB teams in road attendance. From May 15,2003 to April 10,2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games for a professional sports record. Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline has become an anthem for the Red Sox, the name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Sox had been adopted for the Chicago White Sox by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings. The team name Red Sox had previously used as early as 1888 by a colored team from Norfolk. The Spanish language media sometimes refers to the team as Medias Rojas, the official Spanish site uses the variant Los Red Sox. The Red Stockings nickname was first used by a team by the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings and earned the famous nickname, the Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. Other names were used before Boston officially adopted the nickname Braves in 1912
8.
1981 Major League Baseball season
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The 1981 Major League Baseball season had a players strike, which split the season in two halves. NOTE, Due to a strike in mid-season, the season was divided into a first half, the division winner of the first half played the division winner of the second half. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is the person elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Players falling short of the 301 votes needed for election include Don Drysdale, Gil Hodges, Harmon Killebrew, Hoyt Wilhelm, january 23 – Fred Lynn traded by the Boston Red Sox with Steve Renko to the California Angels for Frank Tanana, Jim Dorsey, and Joe Rudi. February 12 – Reputedly because the Boston Red Sox mailed out his two days late, catcher Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent. He will later sign with the Chicago White Sox, march 11 – Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. April 9 – After pitcher Jerry Reuss pulls a muscle, rookie Fernando Valenzuela is given his first starting assignment and his first Major League start results in a five-hit shutout. It is the beginning of what will be called Fernandomania in Southern California, april 10 – Carlton Fisk debuts with the Chicago White Sox, coincidentally in Fenway Park against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. Fisk hits a home run in the eighth to secure a 5–3 win for Chicago. April 18 – Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds records his 3000th career strikeout, april 18 –19 – Minor league teams from Pawtucket and Rochester clash in a 33 inning game that extends eight hours and 25 minutes, the longest professional baseball game up to that time. Future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken, Jr. go a combined 6-for-25 in the game, april 27 – Just 18 days after his first start, Fernando Valenzuela has grabbed the attention of the baseball world. In just his fifth start, he pitches his fourth complete game shutout running his record to 5–0 with a microscopic 0.20 ERA and he is also batting over 0.400 to help his own cause. April 29 – Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies records his 3000th career strikeout, april 1981 is the only month in history to have two pitchers reach this milestone. He is the first left-handed pitcher in Major League history to reach that mark, may 10 – In the second game of a doubleheader, Charlie Lea of the Montreal Expos no-hits the San Francisco Giants 4–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched at Olympic Stadium. May 15 – Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitches a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, 3–0. He struck out 11, all swinging, after the third inning and never had a 3-ball count on any batter on a misty, current Indians broadcaster Rick Manning caught the 27th out of the night on a fly ball to center field. Barkers catcher, Ron Hassey will later catch Dennis Martínezs 1991 perfect game making him the first catcher in history to two perfect games. May 25 – Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 3, 000th major league game, yaz joins Ty Cobb, Stan Musial and Hank Aaron as the fourth major leaguer to appear in 3,000 games
9.
1985 Major League Baseball season
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The 1985 Major League Baseball season ended with the Kansas City Royals defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh game of the I-70 World Series. Bret Saberhagen, the regular season Cy Young Award winner, was named MVP of the Series, the National League won the All-Star Game for the second straight year. World Series, Kansas City Royals over St, on September 11, Pete Rose hit his 4, 192nd hit, breaking Ty Cobbs all-time Major League career hits record. On October 6, Phil Niekro won his 300th game and became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout as a member of the New York Yankees
10.
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
11.
1988 Major League Baseball season
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The 1988 Major League Baseball season ended with the underdog Los Angeles Dodgers shocking the Oakland Athletics, who had won 104 games during the regular season, in the World Series. The Dodgers went on to win the Series in five games, the As surrounded him with a stellar supporting cast, led by fellow slugger Mark McGwire. Speaking of the Dodgers, nobody expected them to even contend for the National League West title in 1988, let alone win the World Championship. However, the intensity and clutch hitting of Gibson and the pitching of Orel Hershiser spearheaded L. A. to a division championship by seven games over the Cincinnati Reds. In addition to his 23 victories, Hershiser led the National League with 267 innings pitched and 8 shutouts and these accomplishments, combined with his 2.26 ERA, earned him the National League Cy Young Award. He hurled another complete game shutout in Game 2 of the World Series, Hershiser was named MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series, capping off arguably one of the greatest seasons a starting pitcher has ever had. Stargell becomes the 17th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, pitcher Jim Bunning garners 317 votes, and falls four votes shy of the 321 needed for election in his 13th year on the ballot. March 1 – For the first time since 1956, the Special Veterans Committee does not elect anyone to the Hall of Fame, phil Rizzuto, Leo Durocher, Joe Gordon and Gil Hodges are among the candidates passed over. April – The Baltimore Orioles begin the season with a Major League-record 21 consecutive losses, manager Cal Ripken, Sr. was a casualty of the streak, losing his job after the sixth consecutive loss. April 4 – George Bell becomes the first player to hit three home runs on Opening Day, as the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-3. April 4 – The New York Mets hit six runs in a 10-6 win over the Montreal Expos. September 17 – Jeff Reardon becomes the first pitcher to save 40 games in both leagues as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3–1, Reardon, who saved 42 games for the Montréal Expos in 1985, pitches the ninth inning for his 40th save in 47 opportunities. September 19 – The Oakland Athletics clinch their first American League West title since 1981 with a 5–3 victory over the Minnesota Twins, the As would finish the season with 104 wins, a franchise record. September 22 – The New York Mets lock up the National League East with a 3–1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, September 26 – The Los Angeles Dodgers pull out a 3–2 victory in San Diego to secure their fourth National League West championship of the decade. September 30 – Despite a 4–2 loss in Cleveland, the Boston Red Sox triumph in a close race for the American League East by virtue of Milwaukees 7–1 loss to Oakland. October 9 – The Oakland Athletics complete a sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS with a 4–1 victory at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. As closer Dennis Eckersley, who saved all four Oakland wins, is named Series MVP, october 12 – A gruelling seven-game NLCS is decided as the Los Angeles Dodgers blank the New York Mets 6–0. Orel Hershiser, who saved Game 4 and threw a complete shutout in Game 7
12.
1990 Major League Baseball season
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The 1990 Major League Baseball season. February – The 1990 Major League Baseball lockout begins and it lasts 32 days, and as a result virtually wipes out all of spring training and also pushes Opening Day back a week to April 9. In addition, the 1990 season has to be extended by three days in order to accommodate the normal 162-game schedule. April 20 – After retiring the first 26 Oakland Athletics batters, may 22 – Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs is intentionally walked by Cincinnati Reds pitching five times. He is the first player to do so in Major League history, june 11 – Nolan Ryan pitches the sixth no-hitter of his career by defeating the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, 5–0. June 14 – It is announced that the National League will be expanding by two teams for the 1993 season, june 29 – For the first time in major league history, two no-hitters are thrown on the same day in both leagues. Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics pitches a 5–0 no-hitter against his future team, hours later, Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela no-hits the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, 6–0. July 1 – While no longer recognized as such, the New York Yankees Andy Hawkins pitches a no-hitter at old Comiskey Park, however, walks and errors lead to four unearned runs as the Chicago White Sox win 4–0. July 10 – Six American League pitchers combine for a two-hitter, Texas Rangers second baseman Julio Franco drives in both runs in the seventh inning and is named MVP. July 12 – Barry Bonds hits his 100th career home run, july 17 – The Minnesota Twins turn two triple plays in a single game against the Boston Red Sox, yet still lose the game 1–0 on an unearned run. July 31 – Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers earns his 300th career win, august 31 – Ken Griffey and his son Ken Griffey, Jr. start for the Seattle Mariners in a game against the Kansas City Royals. It marks the first time a father and son have ever played in the same Major League game, september 2 – After coming close on numerous occasions, Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays hurls his teams first no-hitter, blanking the Cleveland Indians 3–0 at Cleveland Stadium. September 3 – Reliever Bobby Thigpen sets a league record with his 47th save in a 4–2 Chicago White Sox victory over the Kansas City Royals. The previous record was set by Dave Righetti of the New York Yankees in 1986, september 14 – Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr. hit back-to-back home runs for the Seattle Mariners in a 7–5 loss to the California Angels. Pitcher Kirk McCaskill gives up the home runs. September 15 – Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox saves his fiftieth game, the White Sox defeat the Boston Red Sox 7–5. Willie Mays is the first, though they later be joined by Barry Bonds. September 25 – The Oakland Athletics secure their third straight American League West championship with a 5–0 shutout of the Royals in Kansas City, the As would finish with the best record in baseball at 103–59, the third consecutive year they have done so
13.
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The game usually occurs on either the second or third Tuesday in July, and is meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the MLB season. Both of the major leagues share a common All-Star break, with no games scheduled on the day before or two days after the All-Star Game itself. Some additional events and festivities associated with the game take place each year close to, no official MLB All-Star Game was held in 1945 including the official selection of players due to World War II travel restrictions. The first All-Star Game was held on July 6,1933 as part of the 1933 Worlds Fair in Chicago, at Comiskey Park and was initiated by Arch Ward, initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. The venue for the All-Star Game is chosen by Major League Baseball, the criteria for the venue are subjective, generally, cities with new ballparks and those who have not hosted the game in a long time—or ever—tend to get selected. New York City has hosted more than any city, having done so nine times in five different stadiums. At the same time, the New York Mets failed to host for 48 seasons, in the first two decades of the game there were two pairs of teams that shared ballparks, located in Philadelphia and St. Louis. This led to some shorter-than-usual gaps between the use of venues, The Cardinals hosted the game in 1940, and the Browns in 1948. The Athletics hosted the game in 1943, and the Phillies in 1952, the venues traditionally alternate between the American League and National League every year. This tradition has been several times, The first time was in 1951. Detroit Tigers were chosen to host the game as part of the citys 250th birthday. The second was when the format during the 1959–1962 seasons resulted in the A. L. being one game ahead in turn. This was corrected in 2007, when the N. L, San Francisco Giants were the host for the 2007 All-Star Game, which also set up the 2008 game to be held at the A. L. s Yankee Stadium in its final season. This decision was made following the announcement of Miami as host for the 2017 All Star Game, the coaching staff for each team is selected by its manager. This honor is given to the manager, not the team and this happened in 2003, when Dusty Baker managed the National League team despite having moved from the National League champion San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs. This has also included situations where the person is no longer actively managing a team, mcGraw came out of retirement for that purpose. Dick Williams resigned after managing the Oakland Athletics to the 1973 World Series, in 1974, he became manager of the California Angels, whose uniform he wore for the game. Tony La Russa, who managed the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, in 1979, Bob Lemon managed the American League team after having been fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner
14.
1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The game was held on July 17,1979, at The Kingdome in Seattle, Washington the home of the Seattle Mariners of the American League. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 7-6, the game featured memorable defensive play by outfielder Dave Parker, as he had two assists on putouts, one at third base and one at home plate. The game was notable for the play of Lee Mazzilli. This would be the time the Kingdome would host the All-Star Game. When it returned to Seattle for a time in 2001. Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, American League starter Nolan Ryan began the game in sizzling fashion, striking out Davey Lopes and Dave Parker, but then he walked Steve Garvey. Mike Schmidt tripled in Garvey, and George Foster followed with a double down the field line to score Schmidt for a 2-0 National League lead. The American Leaguers came right back in their half of the first inning, George Brett walked with one out, Don Baylor doubled him in, and Fred Lynn put the AL up 3-2 with a two-out, two-run homer off Steve Carlton. The NL regained the lead on a sacrifice fly by Parker in the second. The AL went back up 5-4 in the bottom of the third when Carl Yastrzemski batted in a run with a single and Chet Lemon scored on a Schmidt error. The score remained that way until the sixth, when the NL tied it back up at 5-5 on a Winfield double off Mark Clear, the AL went back up 6-5 in their half of the sixth. Gaylord Perry gave up a single to Yastrzemski, a double to Darrell Porter. Sambito pitched the NL out of trouble by getting pinch-hitter Reggie Jackson to ground to Davey Lopes at second, Lopes gunned down Porter at the plate. After an intentional walk to Roy Smalley to load the bases, Sambito retired Brett, in the seventh, Jim Rice led off and blooped a double to right, but was thrown out by Dave Parker as he tried to stretch the hit into a triple. The AL then came to bat in the eighth and mounted one last threat, brian Downing led off with a single off Bruce Sutter and was sacrificed to second. Sutter walked Reggie Jackson intentionally and then struck out Bobby Grich, graig Nettles then blooped a single to right, and Downing attempted to score, but once again the arm of Dave Parker claimed another victim. Parker fired a strike to Carter, who blocked Downing from ever reaching the plate. This play, along with his play on Rice, earned Parker the games MVP award
15.
1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The 1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 53rd midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League, the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 13,1982, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the game resulted in a 4–1 victory for the NL, and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Dave Concepción was named the MVP. It is notable for being the first All-Star Game ever played outside the United States and this would be the only All-Star Game to be played in Montréal, as the Expos would leave in 2005 to become the Washington Nationals before having an opportunity to host another. Four members of the Expos were voted into the starting lineup, players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The AL drew first blood in the first off NL starter Steve Rogers when Reggie Jackson drove home Rickey Henderson with a sacrifice fly, Dave Concepcion responded for the NL with a two-run homer in the second off AL starter Dennis Eckersley and the NL never looked back. The NL tacked on a run in the third when Ruppert Jones tripled, the NL got their final run in the sixth on a Gary Carter RBI single that scored then-Expo teammate Al Oliver
16.
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
17.
Relief pitcher
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Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as closers, set-up relief pitchers, middle relief pitchers, left/right-handed specialists, and long relievers. A teams staff of relievers is normally referred to metonymically as a teams bullpen, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, in the early days of Major League Baseball, substituting a player was not allowed except for sickness or injury. An ineffective pitcher would switch positions with another player on the field, the first relief appearance in the major leagues was in 1876 with Boston Red Caps outfielder Jack Manning switching positions with pitcher Joe Borden. In this early era, relief pitchers changing from a role to the pitchers box in this way were often called change pitchers. This strategy of switching players between the mound and the outfield is still employed in modern baseball, sometimes in long extra inning games where a team is running out of players. In 1889, the first bullpen appearance occurred after rules were changed to allow a player substitution at any time, early relief pitchers were normally starting pitchers pitching one or two innings in between starts. In 1903, during the game of the inaugural World Series. Firpo Marberry is credited with being the first prominent reliever, from 1923 to 1935, he pitched in 551 games,364 of which were in relief. Baseball historian Bill James wrote that Marberry was a modern reliever—a hard throwing young kid who worked strictly in relief, worked often, another reliever, Johnny Murphy, became known as Fireman for his effectiveness when inserted into difficult situations in relief. Nonetheless, the full-time reliever who was entrusted with important situations was more the exception than the rule at this point, often, a teams ace starting pitcher was used in between his starts to close games. Later research would reveal that Lefty Grove would have been in his leagues top three in saves in four different seasons, had that stat been invented at the time, gradually after World War II, full-time relievers became more acceptable and standard. The relievers were usually pitchers that were not good enough to be starters, relievers in the 1950s started to develop oddball pitches to distinguish them from starters. For example, Hoyt Wilhelm threw a knuckleball, and Elroy Face threw a forkball, in 1969, the pitchers mound was lowered and umpires were encouraged to call fewer strikes to give batters an advantage. Relief specialists were used to counter the increase in offense, relievers became more respected in the 1970s, and their pay increased due to free agency. All teams began having a closer, the 1980s were the first time in MLB that the number of saves outnumbered complete games. In 1995, there were nearly four saves for every complete game and it is unclear whether the specialization and reliance on relief pitchers led to pitch counts and fewer complete games, or whether pitch counts led to greater use of relievers. As closers were reduced to one-inning specialists, setup men and middle relievers became more prominent, in past decades, the relief pitcher was merely an ex-starter who came into a game upon the injury, ineffectiveness, or fatigue of the starting pitcher. The bullpen was for old starters who had lost the ability to throw effectively, many of these pitchers would be able to flourish in this diminished role
18.
Covina, California
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Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, about 22 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley region. The population was 47,796 at the 2010 census, up from 46,837 at the 2000 census, the citys slogan, One Mile Square and All There, was coined when the incorporated area of the city was only one square mile. Covina is often confused with West Covina which is larger in both area and population, located to its south and westside. Irwindale lies to the west, as well as the area of Vincent. Present day Covina was originally within the homelands of the indigenous Tongva people for 5,000 to 8,000 years, in the 18th century it the became part of Rancho La Puente in Alta California, a 1770s Spanish colonial and 1842 Mexican land grants. The city of Covina was founded in 1882 by Joseph Swift Phillips, on a 2, 000-acre tract that was purchased from the holdings of John Edward Hollenbeck, one of the 1842 grantees of Rancho La Puente. The City of Covina was named by a engineer, Frederick Eaton. The city was incorporated in 1901, the townsite being bounded by Puente Street on the south, 1st Avenue on the east, the city’s slogan, “One Mile Square and All There”, was coined by Mrs F. E. It would be orange and grapefruit groves, not vineyards, that would blanket the city. By 1909, the city was the third largest orange producer in the world, since World War II, however, the orange groves have been largely replaced by single-family and multiple-family dwellings. Covina claims to have the largest movie multiplex in Los Angeles County, opened in 1997, the Covina AMC30 located at Arrow Highway and Azusa Avenue is one of the busiest theatres in the United States. The movie theater was built on the site of a former Sears building and it has been a sister city of Xalapa, Mexico, since 1964. A replica of a giant stone Olmec head, located in a place of honor in beautiful Parque Xalapa, was given to the city in 1989 by the state of Veracruz, according to the placard placed below the head, it was originally excavated from San Lorenzo de Tenochtitlan. The statue was moved from its location in front of the police department to Jalapa Park in the southeast portion of the city. During the election held March 6,2007, nine candidates ran for two of the five positions on the city council, the voters then rejected the 10-year renewal of a 6% Utility Users Tax the city has had since 1999. Only 3,797 ballots were cast out of 21,633 registered voters, the Utility Users Tax was subsequently renewed at the June 3,2008, election which attracted 5,032 voters. 2008 marked both the opening as well as charter season of the Covina Center for the Performing Arts, when he left, nine family members were dead and the house was engulfed in flames. The slayings left 15 children without one or both parents, after the shootings, Pardo unwrapped a Christmas package containing a homemade flamethrower and used it to spray racing fuel gasoline to set the home ablaze
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Mount San Antonio College
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Mt. San Antonio College is a community college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, United States,2.12 miles west of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. It is amongst the largest community colleges in California with 57,319 students, the school also has a 15-acre Wildlife Sanctuary that supports a large variety of native species of birds, mammals, and insects. It consists of a lake, swamp, stream, pond, meadow and it is one of the last safe places for nature to exist in Walnut due to increased development and a growing population. The Randall Planetarium has been open since 1968, there are more projects in progress, the latest being a modern agricultural sciences complex, including working animal hospital, set to complete construction in Spring 2011. Construction has also begun on a new Design Technology building. More projects are expected in the next few years as funds from a recently voter approved measure come in. Located on campus are several cafes and a Common Grounds area which serves a Carls Jr. junior restaurant. The current president of the college is Dr. William Scroggins, Mt. SAC boasts a nationally recognized aviation and aircraft maintenance program. The school has programs in partnership with schools to which students can arrange to receive a bachelors degree. Mt. SAC is one of 36 colleges in the United States to offer the College Training Initiative program through the FAA, due to this, the program attracts students from across the United States. This initiative trains students particularly to be air traffic controllers for the FAA, through this program Mt SAC offers an Associate of Science degree in Aviation Science. Besides air traffic control, Mt. SAC has the largest Associate of Science and it maintains a flight training association on and off campus at nearby Brackett Airport, with a hangar and facilities made possible through donations from Sophia Clarke. Its flying team is ranked as the best among community colleges in the western United States from 1991 to 2006, in 2000,2002,2005, and 2013 the flying team ranked #1 among community colleges in the United States. Also in 2005, and in 1987, the school was the recipient of the Loening Trophy, the Mt SAC Flying team is a member of National Intercollegiate Flying Association and Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Flying Association. In addition to associate degrees, the Mt SAC aviation program also has an on-campus partnership with Southern Illinois University to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management. Associated Students is the student government organization at Mt. San Antonio College and its budget, of more than $600,000, is generated by an optional Student Activities fee paid by students during the fall and spring semesters. Associated Students coordinates and sponsors several events for the student body, Associated Students officers include members of the Executive Board, Student Senate, and Student Court. The current adviser to the Associated Students is Andi Sims, Director of Student Life, the current A. S President is Aneca Nuyda, while the A. S Vice President is Richard Lim
20.
Walnut, California
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Walnut is a suburban city in the eastern part of Los Angeles County in California. Moneys Best Places to Live ranked Walnut #70 in 2009 and #57 in 2011, the greater Walnut Valley is located between the steep San Jose Hills mountain range to the north, and the gentle Puente Hills to the south. Quality housing consists of master-planned single family homes ranging in size from 1,800 to 11,200 square feet, as well as Mt. San Antonio Community College. Walnut is one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in the San Gabriel Valley, the city covers nearly nine square miles and is home to hundreds of businesses. Its 2012 population was estimated at 29,661 by the United States Census Bureau, according to the 2010 United States Census, Walnut has a median household income at one of the top earning percentiles in the country at $101,250. The citys name is derived from the Rancho Los Nogales Mexican land grant, the native California black walnut is a common tree of the San Jose Hills. The City of Walnut is a general law city incorporated on January 19,1959 and it is governed by a city council/city manager form of government. A five-member city council is elected by the residents, and a mayor is elected annually by the council to serve a twelve-month term, a city manager is appointed by the council to oversee the daily activities of the city. Several small creeks run mostly to the south toward the valley of San Jose Creek, the history of Walnut dates back to the indigenous Tongva people. Spanish missionaries who arrived in the 18th century called the indigenes Gabrieleño, the Walnut area was part of the network of outlying ranches used for the grazing of cattle and sheep by the Mission. Following secularization of the missions in the 1830s, former lands were divided into ranchos. In the Walnut area, the first grants were Rancho San Jose, Rancho Los Nogales, in 1868, John Rowland and William Workman divided Rancho La Puente, leaving Rowland the eastern half and Workman the western half. Rowland’s land included the portion of Walnut and the adjacent community now called Rowland Heights. The land was used mainly for raising cattle and growing wheat, grapes, in 1895, the first U. S. post office was established and given the name Lemon. In 1908, the post office name was changed to Walnut, as a reminder of those early days, the U. S. Post Office is on Lemon Avenue, one of the main streets. The City of Walnut’s Bicentennial Commission selected the construction of Lemon Creek Park, in 1872, the Lemon Creek Park area became the property of Sheriff William Rowland, who inherited the 29, 000-acre ranch from his father, John Rowland. The modest structure built in 1883 served as the home of Mr. Meridith, the adobe redwood ranch house is one of the few remaining original ranch style redwood and adobe structures in the area
21.
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
22.
Setup man
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In baseball, a setup man is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth, as closers were reduced to one-inning specialists, setup men became more prominent. Setup pitchers often come into the game with the losing or the game tied. They are usually the second best relief pitcher on a team, after closers became one-inning pitchers, primarily in the ninth inning, setup pitchers became more highly valued. A pitcher who succeeds in this role is often promoted to a closer, setup men are paid less than closers and mostly make less than the average Major League salary. The most common used to evaluate relievers, the save, is unkind to setup men. Due to the definition of the statistic, setup men are rarely in position to record a save if they pitch well. The hold statistic was developed to acknowledge a setup mans effectiveness. Setup men are selected to Major League Baseball All-Star Games. A setup man has never won the Cy Young Award or the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award. Tim McCarver wrote that the New York Yankees in 1996 revolutionized baseball with Mariano Rivera, a middle reliever who should have been on the All-Star team and he finished third in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award, the highest a setup man has finished. That season, Rivera primarily served as a pitcher for closer John Wetteland. Their effectiveness gave the Yankees a 70–3 win–loss record that season when leading after six innings, McCarver said the Yankees played six-inning games that year, with Rivera dominating for two innings and Wetteland closing out the victory. Illustrating the general trend, both Rivera and Rodriguez were moved to closer soon after excelling as setup men
23.
Closer (baseball)
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In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer, is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is assigned to a teams best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman, short reliever, a small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, a closer is generally a teams best reliever and designated to pitch the last few outs of games when their team is leading by a margin of three runs or fewer. Rarely does a closer enter with their team losing or in a tie game, a closers effectiveness has traditionally been measured by the save, an official Major League Baseball statistic since 1969. Over time, closers have become one-inning specialists typically brought in at the beginning of the inning in save situations. The pressure of the last three outs of the game is cited for the importance attributed to the ninth inning. Closers are often the highest paid relievers on their teams, making money on par with starting pitchers, in the rare cases where a team does not have one primary pitcher dedicated to this role, the team is said to have a closer by committee. New York Giants manager John McGraw in 1905 was one of the first to use a pitcher to save games. He pitched Claude Elliott in relief eight times in his ten appearances, though saves were not an official statistic until 1969, Elliot was retroactively credited with six saves that season, a record at that time. In 1977, Chicago Cubs manager Herman Franks used Bruce Sutter almost exclusively in the eighth or ninth innings in save situations, while relievers such as Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage were already being used mostly in save situations, Frankss use of Sutter represented an incremental change. Sutter was the first pitcher to start the inning in 20 percent of his career appearances. Clay Carroll in 1972 was the first pitcher to make a third of his seasons appearances in the beginning of the ninth inning, which would not be repeated until Fingers in 1982. John Franco in 1987 was the first to be used over 50 percent of the time in the beginning of the ninth in a season, lee Smith in 1994 was the first to be used over 75 percent of the time in that situation. Tony La Russa while with the Oakland As is frequently named as the innovator of the position, La Russa explained that be ahead a large number of games every week. Thats a lot of work for somebody throwing more than one inning, also, there was the added advantage of not getting overexposed. We tried to get to face three or four batters an outing. Baseball teams often copy one another, following a strategy based on one teams success, in 1990, Bobby Thigpen set a record with 57 saves while breaking Francos one-inning saves record with 41
24.
Starting pitcher
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In baseball, a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponents first batter of a game, a pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher. Starting pitchers are expected to pitch for a significant portion of the game, although their ability to do this depends on many factors, including effectiveness, stamina, health, and strategy. A starting pitcher in professional baseball usually rests three, four, or five days after pitching a game before pitching another, therefore, most professional baseball teams have four, five or six starting pitchers on their rosters. These pitchers, and the sequence in which they pitch, is known as the rotation, in modern baseball, a five-man rotation is most common. Under ideal circumstances, a manager of a team would prefer a starting pitcher to pitch as many innings as possible in a game. Often, a pitcher is subject to a pitch count. The most common pitch count for a pitcher is in the neighborhood of 100. Pitch count limits are especially common for starting pitchers who are recovering from injury, in the early decades of baseball, it was not uncommon for a starting pitcher to pitch three hundred innings or more, over the course of a season. In addition, there are accounts of starting pitchers pitching on consecutive days and it is believed that these feats were only possible because pitchers in the early years of the game, unlike modern starters, rarely threw the ball with maximum effort. A starting pitcher who can be counted on to throw many innings is known as a workhorse. An example of a modern-day workhorse pitcher is Roy Halladay, who was the leader in both complete games thrown and shutouts before his retirement in 2013. A starting pitcher must complete five innings of work in order to qualify for a win in a game he starts and it is possible to be credited with a loss despite pitching fewer than five innings. A starter who works six or more innings giving up three or fewer earned runs is said to have achieved a quality start. A starter that finishes the game without having to be relieved by the bullpen is said to have thrown a complete game, the pitcher that throws a complete game is almost always in a position for a win. Starting pitchers usually have a variety of pitches to choose from, fastballs, A pitch thrown hard and which generally follows a mostly straight trajectory. There are a number of different types of fastballs, the 4-seam fastball is the hardest thrown pitch, but also has very little movement or break to it. The 2-seam fastball is slightly slower than the 4-seam, but breaks slightly inward to the throwing arm as well as drop slightly
25.
Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
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The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America, MVP voting takes place before the postseason, but the results are not announced until after the World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961. The BBWAA does not offer a definition of what most valuable means. First basemen, with 34 winners, have won the most MVPs among infielders, followed by second basemen, third basemen, of the 24 pitchers who have won the award,15 are right-handed while 9 are left-handed. Walter Johnson, Carl Hubbell, and Hal Newhouser are the pitchers who have won multiple times. Barry Bonds has won the most often and the most consecutively, jimmie Foxx was the first player to win multiple times,9 players have won three times, and 19 have won twice. Frank Robinson is the player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues. The awards only tie occurred in the National League in 1979, there have been 18 unanimous winners, who received all the first-place votes. The New York Yankees have the most winning players with 22, the award has never been presented to a member of the following four teams, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Tampa Bay Rays. The most recent recipients are Mike Trout in the American League, in recent decades, pitchers have rarely won the award. When Justin Verlander won the AL award in 2011, he became the first pitcher in league to be named the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992. Verlander also became the first starting pitcher to win this award since Roger Clemens had accomplished the feat in 1986. The National League went even longer without an MVP award to a pitcher—after Bob Gibson won in 1968, the 1910 race for best average in the American League was between the Detroit Tigers widely disliked Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians. On the last day of the season, Lajoie overtook Cobbs batting average with seven bunt hits against the St. Louis Browns, American League President Ban Johnson said a recalculation showed that Cobb had won the race anyway, and Chalmers ended up awarding cars to both players. The following season, Chalmers created the Chalmers Award, a committee of baseball writers were to convene after the season to determine the most important and useful player to the club and to the league. Since the award was not as effective at advertising as Chalmers had hoped, in 1922 the American League created a new award to honor the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club. Winners, voted on by a committee of eight baseball writers chaired by James Crusinberry, received a bronze medal, voters were required to select one player from each team and player-coaches and prior award winners were ineligible
