Curtis John Pride (born December 17, 1968) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who is

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

. He batted

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. In 2015, Pride was named MLB's Ambassador For Inclusion. Since 2009 Pride has served as the head baseball coach at

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the firs ...

Youth

Deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

at birth from

rubella Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

, Pride developed oral skills early in his life and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, in practice it is an edge cit ...

. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and soccer in high school. After high school, Curtis Pride attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William ...

. He was the starting point guard on the basketball team. He also was an excellent soccer player who played for the United States at the

1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship The 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the first edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian in People's Republic of China from July 31, 1985, to August 11, 1985. Players born after August 1, 1968, ...

in China and scored two goals in the tournament, including the match winner against

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. He was named one of the top 15 youth prospects in the world for that year and was a 1986 Parade Magazine High School All American soccer player. Pride uses his 5% residual hearing to help him speak and is a fluent lip-reader.

Career

Pride was originally signed by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

, but reached the major leagues with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

in 1993. At that time, he became the first deaf player in the majors since Dick Sipek in 1945. A left-handed hitter, with good plate discipline, and considerable speed, he never played regularly in the majors. Instead, he pinch hit or played in the outfield, usually

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical th ...

, as an injury replacement, and is regarded as an excellent fielder with a strong arm. His first Major League hit was September 17, 1993 in Montreal. Pride's first four hits in his major league career were a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

, and single. Pride became a free agent before the 1996 season and signed with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, where he played well in a part-time outfield role. With fewer than 300

plate appearances In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

in 95 games, he compiled career-high numbers in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

(.300),

s (10),

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

(31), runs (52), hits (80), doubles (17)

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

(5), and stolen bases (11). He was expected to gain more at bats in future seasons as a result. But 1997 found him on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

and he was released and signed by the Red Sox. After that, he played with the

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

, returned to Boston and Montreal, and saw a little action with the Yankees. He was signed by the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

in the 2004 season and was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake Stingers. In 2005, he was signed to a

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 N ...

contract with the Angels and was called up after an injury to

Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero Sr. (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and designated hitter. He played for ...

. He was returned to the minors after Guerrero recovered from the injury. After spending 2007

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

as a non-roster invitee for the Angels, he was assigned to start the season as a member of the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

. Pride signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League B ...

of the independent Atlantic League on April 15, 2008. He was released by the Blue Crabs on August 23, 2008. In an eleven-season major league career, Pride batted .250 (199-for-796) with 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 421 major league games.

Coaching career

In 2008, Pride was selected to be the baseball coach at

, a school for the deaf. In the summer of 2011, he served as assistant coach for the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane F ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

Personal life

When he is not playing baseball, Pride and his wife Lisa are actively involved in the ''Together With Pride'' foundation, which aids hard-of-hearing children through a hearing aid bank, according to the foundation's website. There are several activities the foundation supports or hopes to support, such as a scholarship program, literacy, and mentoring. In 1996, Pride received the Tony Conigliaro Award, given annually to an ''MLB'' player who best overcomes adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage. In 2016, he won the prestigious

Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards were established to honor the legacy of the founder of the Viscardi Center, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability rights advocate who wore prosthetic limbs. These international Awards, first conferr ...

.He keeps homes in both the Washington, D.C. area and

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. As of 2019, the city had a population of 65,398 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the most populous village in the state. It is t ...

References

External links

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Minor League Splits and Situational Stats
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Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
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''Together with Pride'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pride, Curtis 1968 births Living people African-American baseball players Albuquerque Dukes players American disabled sportspeople American expatriate baseball players in Canada American men's basketball players American soccer players Anaheim Angels players Arizona League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Association football forwards Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Maryland Baseball players from Washington, D.C. Binghamton Mets players Boston Red Sox players Cape Cod Baseball League coaches Columbia Mets players Columbus Clippers players Deaf baseball players Deaf people from the United States Detroit Tigers players Gallaudet Bison baseball coaches Harrisburg Senators players Jupiter Hammerheads players Kingsport Mets players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball outfielders Mayos de Navojoa players Montreal Expos players Nashua Pride players Nashville Sounds players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Ottawa Lynx players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Silver Spring, Maryland People from Wellington, Florida Pittsfield Mets players Point guards Richmond Braves players Salt Lake Bees players Salt Lake Stingers players Soccer players from Florida Soccer players from Maryland Soccer players from Washington, D.C. Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Baseball players from Atlanta Sportspeople from Detroit Baseball players from Florida St. Lucie Mets players Toledo Mud Hens players United States men's youth international soccer players West Palm Beach Expos players William & Mary Tribe men's basketball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Basketball players from Detroit Baseball players from Detroit