Troy Neel
Troy Lee Neel (born September 14, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player. After a solid start in Major League Baseball (MLB), Neel moved to Japan and compiled strong numbers in six seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Early life Neel was born in Freeport, Texas. Troy attend Brazoswood High School and started on the baseball team that won the 1984 UIL Texas High School 5A state championship. He attended Texas A&M University before his professional baseball career. At the time, Neel was planning on being a linebacker as part of the famed Wrecking Crew defense. After one season, he missed baseball and transferred to Howard College to get back into baseball. Career Initially, Neel was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 9th round of the 1986 MLB draft, before being traded to Oakland in 1991, where he made his Major League debut. Neel played in the major leagues for the Oakland Athletics primarily as a first baseman and designated hitter fr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Waterloo Indians
The Waterloo Indians were a minor league baseball team that played from 1977 to 1988 in the Midwest League. They played their home games at Riverfront Stadium and were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. They were located in Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st .... Year-by-year record References Defunct Midwest League teams Baseball teams established in 1977 Defunct baseball teams in Iowa Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates 1977 establishments in Iowa 1988 disestablishments in Iowa Baseball teams disestablished in 1988 Eastern Iowa League teams Sports in Waterloo, Iowa {{Iowa-baseball-team-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1986 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1986 Major League Baseball draft was the 22nd MLB draft that took place in 1986. During this draft 21 future all-stars were drafted: Greg Swindell, Matt Williams, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Roberto Hernández, Jack Armstrong, Dean Palmer, Scott Cooper, Kent Bottenfield, Bo Jackson, Joe Girardi, Pat Hentgen, Tom Gordon, Steve Finley, Rod Beck, Chuck Knoblauch, Rick Reed, Paul Quantrill, John Olerud, Scott Erickson and Todd Jones. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable players * Kirt Manwaring, 2nd round, 31st overall by the San Francisco Giants * Roger Pavlik†, 2nd round, 32nd overall by the Texas Rangers * Erik Hanson†, 2nd round, 36th overall by the Seattle Mariners *Kevin Tapani, 2nd round, 40th overall by the Oakland Athletics * Dave Hansen, 2nd round, 47th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers *Todd Zeile, 2nd round, 55th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals * Jack Armst ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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So Taguchi
is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix BlueWave / Buffaloes, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. Taguchi is the third Japanese-born player to win a World Series after Hideki Irabu in 1998 and Tadahito Iguchi in 2005. Taguchi is also the first Japanese player to win two World Series with different teams – with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Early life Taguchi was born and raised in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University in his hometown, with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He was a teammate of Ichiro Suzuki when the two played for the Orix BlueWave in the Pacific League of NPB. Although he was drafted by the BlueWave as an infielder, he was moved to the outfield later in his career. Career St. Louis Cardinals (2002–2007) He was signed b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ichiro Suzuki
, also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played for 28 seasons. He played the first nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the next 12 years with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). Suzuki then played two and a half seasons with the New York Yankees and three with the Miami Marlins before returning to the Mariners for his final two seasons. He won two World Baseball Classic titles as part of the Japanese national team. He also became the Mariners' special assistant to the chairman in 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest contact hitters, leadoff hitters and defensive outfielders in baseball history. In his combined playing time in the NPB and MLB, Suzuki received 17 consecutive selections as an All-Star and Gold Glove winner, won nine league batting titles, and was named his league's most valuable player (MVP) four times. In the NPB, he won seven consecu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vancouver Canadians (PCL)
The Vancouver Canadians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League from 1978 to 1999. They were located in Vancouver, British Columbia and played their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. History Vancouver, a city with storied baseball history, had been without a professional team since the departure of the Vancouver Mounties in 1969. Harry Ornest secured the rights to a Triple-A Pacific Coast League franchise for the city called the Vancouver Canadians; they began play in 1978 as an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Canadians went 74–65 in their inaugural campaign, but missed the postseason two and a half games behind the Portland Beavers. Entering the 1979 season, the Canadians shifted their affiliation to the Milwaukee Brewers. Vancouver finished at the top of the North Division standings with a record of 79–68. The Canadians faced the Hawaii Islanders in the division series but lost in three games. The following year, they returne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. Since 1966, the team has played its home games at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The franchise was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Gene Autry as one of 1961 Major League Baseball expansion, MLB's first two expansion teams and the first to originate in California. Deriving its name from an earlier Los Angeles Angels (PCL), Los Angeles Angels franchise that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), the team was based in Los Angeles until moving to Anaheim in 1966. Due to the move, the franchise was known as the California Angels from 1965 to 1996 and the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004. "Los Angeles" was added back to the name in 2005, but because of a lease agreement with Anaheim that required the city to also be in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1998 In Baseball
Headline events of the year *Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. and Greg Vaughn all hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break (the first time four players had done so in the same season) and engage in a 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase, historic chase for Roger Maris's single-season record of 61 home runs. While Griffey (56) and Vaughn (50) would fall short of the record, both Sosa (66) and McGwire (70) 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase, shattered Maris's record in an exciting late-season chase that culminated in a final week that saw record-setting performances by McGwire, Sosa, Tom Gordon, Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman and Jason Kendall. The New York Yankees won a major league record 125 games (114 regular season games and 11 postseason games). Champions Major League Baseball *1998 World Series, World Series: New York Yankees over San Diego Padres (4-0); Scott Brosius, MVP *1998 American League Championship Series, American League Cha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Doug Jennings
James Douglas Jennings (born September 30, 1964), or referred to in Japan as "D.J", is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a utility player from 1988–1991 and 1993, and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Orix BlueWave as an outfielder from to . Baseball career (1984–2005) Early career Jennings was drafted by the Angels in the 2nd round of the 1984 MLB Draft. He started his professional career in Salem. In 1985, he was brought up to Quad Cities. In 1986, he was brought up to Palm Springs. In 1987, he was brought up to Midland. After the season, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the Rule V Draft on December 7, 1987. Oakland Athletics (1987–1991) Jennings made his Major League debut with the Oakland A's In 1988. His Major League career got off to a quick start in April 1988 for Oakland. The Athletics had taken him from the Angels system the previous off-season. Now, in his first major-league start, Jenning ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team has played its home games at Progressive Field (originally known as Jacobs Field after the team's then-owner). Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 12 Central Division titles, six List of American League pennant winners, American League pennants, and two World Series championships (in and ). The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts#Longest current World Series championship drought, longest active among all 30 current Major League teams. The team's name references the ''Guardians of Traffic'', eight monolithic 1932 Art Deco sculptures by Henry Hering on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is adjacent to Progressiv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its home games at Rate Field, which is located on Chicago's South Side, Chicago, South Side. They are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago, alongside the National League (baseball), National League (NL)'s Chicago Cubs. The White Sox originated in the Western League (1885–1900), Western League, founded as the Sioux City Cornhuskers in 1894, moving to Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the St. Paul Saints, and ultimately relocating to Chicago in 1900. The Chicago White Stockings were one of the American League's eight charter Major North American professional sports teams, franchises when the AL asserted major league status in 1901. The team, which shortened its name to the White Sox in 1904, originally played their home games at South Side Park befo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bobby Thigpen
Robert Thomas Thigpen (born July 17, 1963) is an American former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is noted for setting the major league record of 57 saves during the season, which has since been broken by former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Francisco Rodríguez. He is the former pitching coach of the Winston-Salem Dash. He is also the former bullpen coach for the Chicago White Sox. Baseball career Thigpen was a three sport star at Aucilla Christian Academy near Monticello, Florida. As a member of the baseball team he played for longtime Aucilla coach, Ray Hughes. A pitcher and shortstop in high school, he led the Warriors to the 1981 Class A state championship game. He played two years at Seminole Community College, after which he moved on to pitch and play the outfield for Mississippi State University and coach Ron Polk. Among his teammates were future major-leaguers Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Jeff Brantley. Thigpen was part of MSU's 1985 College ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |