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Billy Traber
William Henry Traber, Jr. (born September 18, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox. Playing career College Traber attended Loyola Marymount University, where he was First-Team All-American and West Coast Conference Player of the Year. He set a single-season school strikeout record with 156 strikeouts (in 123 innings pitched). In , Traber entered the draft and was picked in the first round (16th overall) by the New York Mets. The Mets were prepared to offer Traber a contract worth $1.3 million, but after an MRI showed some damage to his pitching elbow, he signed a contract worth only $400,000. Professional career In 2001, the Mets traded Traber to the Cleveland Indians along with Matt Lawton, Alex Escobar, Earl Snyder, and Jerrod Riggan for Roberto Alomar, Mike Bacsik, and Danny Peoples. In , Traber was runner-up minor league ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a base on balls, 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, left-handed specialist, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closing pitcher, 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 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of the longest-running newspapers in the United States, the ''Times'' serves as one of the country's Newspaper of record, newspapers of record. , ''The New York Times'' had 9.13 million total and 8.83 million online subscribers, both by significant margins the List of newspapers in the United States, highest numbers for any newspaper in the United States; the total also included 296,330 print subscribers, making the ''Times'' the second-largest newspaper by print circulation in the United States, following ''The Wall Street Journal'', also based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' is published by the New York Times Company; since 1896, the company has been chaired by the Ochs-Sulzberger family, whose current chairman and the paper's publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball, power curveball, and the knuckle curve. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to pitcher. The expression "to throw a curveball" essentially translates to introducing a significant deviation to a preceding concept. Grip and action The curveball is typically gripped in a manner similar to holding a cup or glass. The pitcher positions the middle finger along and parallel to one of the ball’s long seams, while the thumb is placed on the seam opposite, forming a "C shape" when viewed from above, with the horseshoe-shaped seam facing inward toward the palm. The index finger is aligned alongside the middle finger, while the remaining two fingers are folded toward the palm, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form of an editorial and stats website, a monthly magazine, a podcast network, and three annual reference book titles. It also regularly produces lists of the top prospects in the sport, and covers aspects of the game from a scouting and player development point of view. Industry insiders look to BA for its expertise and insights related to annual and future MLB draft classes. The publication's motto is "The most trusted source in baseball." History ''Baseball America'' was founded in 1981 and has since grown into a full-service media company. Founder Allan Simpson began writing the magazine from Canada, originally calling it the ''All-America Baseball News''. By 1983, Simpson moved the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AAA (baseball)
Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There are 30 teams, one per Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, with 20 in the IL and 10 in the PCL. Triple-A teams are generally located in smaller to mid-size cities which do not have sports teams of the “ Big Four” leagues, such as Syracuse, Toledo, Reno and Omaha, as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams that also have a team in another major professional league, such as Austin, Jacksonville, Columbus, Buffalo, and Indianapolis. Four Triple-A teams play in the same metro areas as their parent clubs.The Gwinnett Stripers, St. Paul Saints, Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Tacoma Rainiers All current Triple-A teams are located in the United States; before 2008, some Triple-A leagues also fielded teams in Canada, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. The current Bisons organization was founded in 1979 and assumed the history of previous franchises that also used the Buffalo Bisons name, most notably the 1886–1970 Buffalo Bisons minor league franchise, and the 1879–1885 Buffalo Bisons major league franchise. The team established the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 to honor former players, managers and contributors to baseball in Buffalo. The team holds the all-time record for single-season attendance in Minor League Baseball, selling 1,240,951 tickets in 1991 while being considered for 1993 Major League Baseball expansion. ''Forbes'' valued the Buffalo Bisons at $34 million in 2016, making it the 15th-most val ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-A (baseball)
Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball, organized into three leagues: the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League, the Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League, and the Texas League. History Class AA ("Double-A") was established in 1912, as the new highest classification of Minor League Baseball. Previously, Class A (baseball), Class A had been the highest level, predating the establishment of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues—the formal name of Minor League Baseball—in 1901. Entering the 1912 season, three leagues were designated as Class AA: * American Association (20th century), American Association (AA) * International League (IL) * Pacific Coast League (PCL) Each of these leagues had previously been in Cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akron Aeros
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 fans. The nickname "RubberDucks" refers to Akron's history in the rubber industry, in particular as the birthplace of tire and rubber companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and General Tire. History The franchise began as the Binghamton Triplets, a charter member of the New York–Penn League in 1923. They played in Binghamton, New York, at Johnson Field, winning 10 titles over their 46 seasons. After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the franchise and moved it to Gill Stadium, in Manchester, Massachusetts, to become the Manchester Yankees. After 3 seasons in Manchester, the franchise then relocated to West Haven, Connecticut, under new ownership, and became the West Haven Yankees playing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minor League
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in various sports. They generally have lesser fan bases, much smaller revenues and salaries, and are used to develop players for bigger leagues. Minor leagues are also occasionally used as a testing ground for proposed rule changes prior to implementation at the top level. The minor league concept is a manifestation of the franchise system used in North American sports, whereby the group of major league teams in each sport is fixed for long periods between expansions or other adjustments, which only take place with the consent of the major league owners. In Europe, and many other parts of the world, association football (soccer), basketball, american football, baseball, handball, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Bacsik (left-handed Pitcher)
Michael Joseph Bacsik (; born November 11, 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, current radio host, and television analyst. He is known for giving up Barry Bonds' 756th career home run on August 7, 2007, which broke the all-time record formerly held by Hank Aaron. After his baseball career, Bacsik was a radio producer for KTCK, but was later fired. A year later, he was hired as a radio host at KRLD-FM. In 2024, Bacsik became an analyst for Texas Rangers games on Bally Sports Southwest, later joining the Rangers Sports Network when that channel launched in 2025. Baseball career Early years Bacsik was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 18th round (543rd overall) in the Major League Baseball draft out of Duncanville High School. He was in his sixth minor league season with the Indians organization before making his debut on August 5, . He was supposed to be serving mop-up duty, as the Seattle Mariners had opened up a huge lead on the Indians ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seventeen seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest second basemen and all-around players in baseball history. During his career, the 12-time Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-Star won more Rawlings Gold Glove Award, Gold Glove Awards (10) than any other second baseman in baseball history, in addition to winning four Silver Slugger Awards for his hitting. Among second basemen, he ranks third in games played (2,320), fifth in stolen bases (474), sixth in plate appearances (10,400), seventh in double (baseball), doubles (504) and assist (baseball), assists (6,524), and eighth in hit (baseball), hits (2,724), run (baseball), runs (1,508), at bat, at-bats (9,073), and double plays turned (1,407). In 2011 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2011, Alomar was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Nationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerrod Riggan
Jerrod Ashley Riggan (born May 16, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player. A pitcher, Riggan played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Amateur career Riggan played baseball and basketball at Brewster High School in Brewster, Washington, from which he graduated in 1992. He was also his class president. After high school, Riggan attended Edmonds Community College where he started as a shortstop and pitcher on the college baseball team and shooting guard on the college basketball team. At Edmonds, Riggan took a line drive to the head and wore a batting helmet while pitching for the following year. Riggan continued his college baseball career at San Diego State. He was selected in the thirteenth round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft by the Florida Marlins but did not sign. As a senior at San Diego State, he was a co-captain with Travis Lee. He was selected by the California Angels in the eighth round of the 1996 dra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
