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Left-handed Specialist
In baseball, a left-handed specialist (also known as lefty specialist) is a relief pitcher who throws left-handed and specializes in pitching to left-handed Batter (baseball), batters, weak right-handed batters, and switch-hitters who bat poorly right-handed. Because baseball practices Baseball rules#Substitutions, permanent substitution, these pitchers frequently pitch to a very small number of batters in any given game (historically, often only one), and rarely pitch to strictly right-handed batters. Most Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have several left-handed pitchers on their rosters, at least one of whom is a left-handed specialist. A left-handed specialist is sometimes called a ''LOOGY'' (or Lefty One-Out GuY), coined by John Sickels, and may be used pejoratively. Pitching style The pitcher generally has an advantage when his handedness is the same as the batter's, and the batter has an advantage when they are opposite. This is because a right-handed pitcher's breaking ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesse Orosco
Jesse Russell Orosco (born April 21, 1957) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 2003 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins. Orosco was named to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game in 1983 and 1984. Orosco won a World Series in 1986 World Series, 1986 with the Mets and in 1988 World Series, 1988 with the Dodgers. He retired when he was 46 years old, one of the oldest players to still be playing in the modern age. Orosco is one of only 31 players in baseball history to date to have List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades, appeared in Major League games in four decades. Orosco holds the major league record for career pitching appearances, having pitched in 1,252 games. His longevity was aided by the increasing use of left-handed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer (abbreviated CL), is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final out (baseball), outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman and stopper. A small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Nine closers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith (baseball), Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter, Billy Wagner, and Hoyt Wilhelm. Usage A closer is generally a team's best reliever and designated to pitch the last few outs of games when his team is leading by a margin of three runs or fewer. Rarely does a closer enter with his team losing or in a tie game, however in the playoffs they are often brought on if it is a close game. A closer's effectiveness has traditionally been measured by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baseball Strategy
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play beginning when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball that a player on the batting team, called the batter, tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called " runs". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners advancing around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The initial objective of the batting team is to have a player r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitching (baseball)
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws (" pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closer. Traditionally, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with the American League and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter, a cause of some controversy. The National League adopted the designated hitter in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slider (baseball)
In baseball, a slider is a type of breaking ball, a pitch that moves or "breaks" as it approaches the batter. Due to the grip and wrist motion, the slider typically exhibits more lateral movement when compared to other breaking balls, such as the curveball. The slider is generally among the fastest breaking balls, commonly ranging . A variation of the slider, known as the sweeper, is characterized as being slightly slower, but having more lateral movement. Pitches that exhibit qualities similar to that of both a slider and a curveball are referred to as a slurve. Grip and action The grip for a slider is characterized as being similar to that of a fastball. Like all pitches, the grip can take many different forms, with slight variations between pitchers suiting their individual preferences. A common feature in most slider grips is the index and middle finger being in close proximity to each other. The associated wrist motion often contributes a large amount to the pitch's move ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway (US), Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California.See also: - The university property does not extend into Malibu city (see the legend indicating the symbol for "College or University"). Founded by entrepreneur George Pepperdine in South Los Angeles in 1937, the school expanded to Malibu in 1972. Courses are now taught at the main Malibu campus, as well as the graduate campuses in the USA, Latin America, and Europe. The university is composed of an undergraduate liberal arts school (Seaver College) and four graduate schools: the Pepperdine University School of Law, Caruso School of Law, the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, Graziadio Business School, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walk-on (sports)
In American and Canadian college athletics, a walk-on is someone who becomes part of a college team without being recruited or awarded an athletic scholarship. Walk-on players are generally viewed as less significant players and may not even be placed on an official depth chart or traveling team, while the scholarship players are a team's main players. However, a walk-on player occasionally becomes a noted member of the team. General parameters * Because of scholarship limits instituted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), many football teams do not offer scholarships to their Punter (gridiron football), punters, long snappers and placekickers until they have become established producers. * Sometimes injury or outside issues can ravage the depth chart of a particular position, resulting in the elevation of a walk-on to a featured player. * In other situations, a walk-on may so impress the coaching staff with their play on the scout team and in practice that th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Ohman
William McDaniel Ohman (born August 13, 1977) is a German–born American former professional baseball pitcher. He attended Ponderosa High school in Parker, Colorado. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins and Chicago White Sox. In January 2018, Ohman was named the pitching coach for the Palm Beach Cardinals. College career He played for Pepperdine University in the late 1990s, where he met his wife. Professional career Chicago Cubs Ohman was selected in the eighth round of the 1998 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs. He spent all of 1998 and 1999 in the Cubs minor league system. Ohman made his major league debut on September 19, against the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching one scoreless inning of relief. He also pitched for the Cubs in , but had Tommy John surgery in and did not pitch again until . In , he pitched for the minor league Iowa Cubs and in the following off-season, he was add ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Myers (baseball)
Michael Stanley Myers (born June 26, 1969) is an American former professional left-handed relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2007. High school and college Myers attended high school at Crystal Lake Central High School in Illinois and later attended Iowa State University, where he played college baseball for the Iowa State Cyclones baseball team. In the summers of 1988 and 1989, he pitched for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star in 1989. Minor league career Myers was in the minor leagues for parts of six seasons. In his final four minor league seasons, he was 14–27 with a 4.29 ERA. He was used primarily as a starting pitcher until , when he pitched 42 games, all in relief, for the Charlotte Knights and Toledo Mud Hens. Professional career The San Francisco Giants drafted Myers in the fourth round of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. Before he ever played for the Giants at the major leagu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspaper was founded May 19, 1890, under the name ''The Arizona Republican'', by Lewis Wolfley, Clark Churchill, John A. Black, Robert H. Paul, Royal A. Johnson, and Dr. L. C. Toney. Six years later, they would sell the paper to “an experienced newspaperman” from Washington, DC, Charles C. Randolph. On April 28, 1909, the newspaper notified its readers that local businessmen S. W. Higley and Sims Ely purchased the newspaper from George W. Vickers, and would run the paper as president and general manager, respectively. They co-owned the newspaper until December 1911, Higley purchased Ely’s interest in the paper. S. W. Higley would hold sole ownership of the Arizona Republican, serving as president and manager until its sale to Dwight B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Thatcher
Joseph Andrew Thatcher (born October 4, 1981) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Houston Astros. Early life Thatcher was a member of Kokomo High School's baseball and basketball teams for four years; he was an all-region basketball player. He was a freshman on the 1997 team that played in Indiana's final true state tournament and set a school record for 3-pointers in a game as a senior in 2000. College career Thatcher pitched for four seasons with Indiana State University. In 2003, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He served as the Sycamores' closer in 2004, his final year with the team. Professional career River City Rascals Thatcher was not drafted upon graduating college, he signed with the River City Rascals of the independent Frontier League, ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
