|
John Bateman (baseball)
John Alvin Bateman (July 21, 1940 – December 3, 1996) was an American professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Montreal Expos, and Philadelphia Phillies. Bateman batted and threw right-handed. During his playing days, he stood tall, weighing . Born in Killeen, Texas, Bateman grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma and attended Lawton High School. He signed with the expansion Houston Colt .45s, as an amateur free agent, in . In 10 MLB seasons, Bateman compiled a .230 lifetime batting average; he ended his big league career with the Phillies. Houston Colt .45s Bateman clubbed 22 home runs for the minor league Modesto Colts in 1962, and made the Colt .45s out of spring training the following season as Jim Campbell's back-up behind the plate. Campbell, however, sputtered, and soon lost his starting job to Bateman. On May 17, , Bateman caught the first no-hitter in Houston franchise history. Don Nottebart held the Phil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using PitchCom, or hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all events ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan area, Lawton, Oklahoma, metropolitan statistical area. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Lawton's population was 90,381, making it the sixth-largest city in the state, and the largest in Western Oklahoma. Developed on former Indian reservation, reservation lands of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Fort Sill Apache Tribe, Apache peoples, Lawton was incorporated in 1901. It was named after Major General Henry Ware Lawton, who served in the Civil War, where he earned the Medal of Honor, and was killed in action in the Philippine–American War. Lawton's landscape is typical of the Great Plains, with flat topography and gently rolling hills, while the area north of the city is marked by the Wichita Mountains. The city's proximity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason Castro (baseball)
Jason Michael Castro (born June 18, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres. After playing college baseball at Stanford University, he was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft (#10 overall). Castro made his big league debut with Houston in 2010. He was selected to the 2013 All-Star Game, serving as a reserve catcher, which made him the first Astro All-Star elected to play for the American League. Early life Jason Michael Castro was born on June 18, 1987, in Castro Valley, California. Castro played high school baseball at Castro Valley High School. He played junior varsity basketball at Castro Valley High School for the legendary Coach Burns. College career Castro attended Stanford University, where he played college baseball for the Stanford Cardinal. He was named the club's most valuable play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Brand
Ronald George Brand (born January 13, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, and was an original member of the Montreal Expos. Career Pittsburgh Pirates Brand originally signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent after attending North Hollywood High School, he spent five seasons in their farm system before debuting with the big league club in . He hit his first major league home run on June 20, off Denny Lemaster of the Milwaukee Braves. Houston Astros After spending all of in the minors, Brand was selected in the 1964 rule 5 draft by the Houston Colt .45s, who rebranded as the Astros ahead of the season. John Bateman was Houston's Opening Day starting catcher in 1965, however, he soon lost his starting job to Brand. On August 18, Brand hit his second home run of the season, and the third of his career. He never hit another major league home run. In , Bateman won back the starting catcher j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oklahoma City Dodgers
The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, which opened in 1998 in the city's Bricktown, Oklahoma City, Bricktown district. The team was originally known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997 and played at All Sports Stadium. The 89ers competed in the Triple-A American Association (1902–1997), American Association (AA) in 1962, moved to the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and returned to the AA from 1969 to 1997. After the American Association disbanded, the 89ers rejoined the PCL in 1998 and have been members of it since, including the 2021 season when it was known as the Triple-A West. The team renamed itself the Oklahoma RedHawks from 1998 to 2008 and the Oklahoma City RedHawks from 2009 to 2014. The franchise affiliated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National League (baseball), National League and American League, as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL or NA). Minor League Baseball originated as simply the organization of lower tiers of professional baseball in the United States, comprising clubs that lacked the financial means to compete with the National League and later the American League. The association of minor leagues remained independent throughout the early 20th century, protected by agreements with the major leagues to ensure they were compensated when minor-league players were signed by major-league clubs. Later, Minor League Baseball evolved to be constituted entirely of farm team, affiliates of larger clubs, giving young prospects a chance to develop the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record attendance of 68,266 set by a George Strait concert in 2002. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston and known for pioneering modern stadiums. Construction on the stadium began in 1963, more than a year after the ceremonial groundbreaking, and it officially opened in 1965. It served as home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 until 1999, and the home to the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL)/National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996, and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Grote
Gerald Wayne Grote (October 6, 1942 – April 7, 2024) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 through 1981 for the Houston Colt .45s, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kansas City Royals. After playing for Houston from 1963 to 1964, Grote played for the Mets from 1966 to 1977. With the Mets, he was a two-time All-Star player and was a member of the team that became known as the Miracle Mets for their upset victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series. He finished his career with the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978 and the Royals and Dodgers in 1981. Grote was considered to be one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1992. Early life Grote was born on October 6, 1942, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas. When he was ten years old, he and his family were caught in an F-4 tornado. His mother, father, and two sisters made it to safety, however, his gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Runs Batted In
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the batter bats a base hit which allows a teammate on a higher base to reach home and so score a run, then the batter gets credited with an RBI. Before the 1920 Major League Baseball season, runs batted in were not an official baseball statistic. Nevertheless, the RBI statistic was tabulated—unofficially—from 1907 through 1919 by baseball writer Ernie Lanigan, according to the Society for American Baseball Research. Common nicknames for an RBI include "ribby" (or "ribbie"), "rib", and "ribeye". The plural of "RBI" is a matter of "(very) minor controversy" for baseball fans:; it is usually "RBIs", in accordance with the usual practice for pluralizing initialisms in English; however, some sources use "RBI" as the plural, on the basis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Nottebart
Donald Edward Nottebart (January 23, 1936 – October 4, 2007) was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 296 games in Major League Baseball for five teams over nine seasons (1960–1967; 1969). Nottebart pitched the first no-hitter in Houston Colt .45s/Astros history in 1963. He was listed as tall and . Early life Nottebart was born in West Newton, Massachusetts, the second child of Fred and Otta Alice Nottebart. He was a three-sport star at Lexington High School, graduating in 1954. In 1955 he married high school sweetheart Joanne Wilson—they would eventually have four children. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Milwaukee Braves in 1954. Career He made his major league debut at age 24 on July 1, 1960, in an 8-7 Braves road loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Nottebart started but had a rough debut, walking the first hitter he faced, Julián Javier, pitching six innings and allowing six earned runs, nine hits and eight w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Campbell (catcher)
James Robert Campbell (born June 24, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player, a catcher who played 82 games in the Major Leagues for the Houston Colt .45s during and . He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Campbell was acquired by the Colt .45s over a full season before the team played an official big-league game. He'd signed originally with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955, was briefly loaned to the Chicago White Sox organization, and played for six seasons without reaching the Double-A level. After the 1960 minor-league season, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves, then traded on February 23, 1961, to the newborn Colt .45s, founded as a National League expansion team set to debut in 1962. To prepare for their first MLB season, the Colt .45s — known as the ''Astros'' since 1965 — were acquiring minor league players to stock their organization and loaning them to other teams' minor-league clubs. Campbell was assigned to the 1961 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spring Training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for the roster and position spots, and it gives established players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climates (MLB goes to Arizona and Florida while the KBO, NPB, and CPBL go to Okinawa, Kyushu, Australia, and Taiwan) to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play. In modern MLB training, teams that train in Florida will play other Florida-training teams in their exhibition games, regardless of regular-season league affiliations. Likewise, Arizona-training teams will play other Arizona teams. This arrangement commenced long before either state received MLB franchises of their own, and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
