When people think of baseball, pitchers normally come to mind: starters, relief pitchers and then there are the closers. The closer is a crucial asset for a baseball team, without an outstanding closer a team could fold in the last inning of the game. To be a great closer, one must have excellent control, the ability to outwit a batter, and movement on their pitches. In order to be remembered as one of the all-time greatest closers, they must have the statistics as well as effective pitches. Mariano Rivera, the most well-known closer for the New York Yankees, was able to use his background to further his love for baseball by accomplishing many goals set during his career while also setting the highest rankings in baseball closers’ history. …show more content…
As a kid, he grew up playing baseball with all of his friends, and every Christmas they would all receive a baseball that would have to last them year around. He also remembers making cardboard gloves with his friends as a child, these are memories that will not only last him a lifetime but also his friends as well. “He has said that although he did not grow up poor, no one around him was wealthy either” (Loveday Pg.1). Mariano dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and went to work with his father on a boat at age sixteen, and he always had the dream of playing soccer professionally. Although Mariano played baseball for an amateur league team, he never dreamed he would play professionally. Mariano’s talents were soon discovered by major league scouts, and by 1990 Mariano was a free agent with the New York Yankees at the age of 20. (Loveday Pg.1-2) (Kirkus Pg.
Fernando Valenzuela, is a Mexican former major league baseball pitcher, and he played with the Los Angeles dodgers,California Angels,Baltimore Orioles,Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres; also with the St.Louis Cardinals totalling to seventeen seasons in the majors.Fernando is my hero because he was one of the best pitchers in the MLB, and there wasn’t that many mexican pitchers;that’s what inspired me to try to make it to the mlb because there’s people that tell me that I
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
“If you build it, he will come” (Kinsella 1). These words of an announcer jump start a struggle for Ray Kinsella to ease the tragic life of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Ray hears a voice of an announcer which leads him to build a baseball field that brings Shoeless Joe Jackson onto the field. However, this field puts his family on the verge of bankruptcy which is just one of the struggles Ray Kinsella is presented in his life. Shoeless Joe Jackson is no stranger to having no money, as he was only making a measly $1.25 as a kid struggling to support his family. He never attended school and was illiterate throughout his entire life. The struggle is completely the same with Ray Kinsella growing up, as he is forced into baseball, which ultimately makes him run away from home. Ray’s hate is Joes love. Joe loves baseball and makes it to the major leagues, but it doesn’t last. Joe’s career is cut short due to the fact he is accused of throwing the World Series, and banned from baseball forever. Rays’s father would have loved it if his son made it to the major leagues because he thought Ray had the potential and talent. However, his only dream was simple, he wanted to play a game of catch with his son, unfortunately, he passed away and he never got to see his son after he ran away. Shoeless Joe Jackson’s death wasn’t any better, as he died guilty of throwing the World Series which was the biggest sports tragedy to date. Tragedies are not uncommon phenomena, Ray Kinsella and Shoeless Joe Jackson have the unfortunate luck to go through a struggle fulfilled and uphill battle in what is suppose to be a wonderful thing, life.
Josh Gibson hit over 900 or 800 home runs in his career, depending on whose information you consult. His average was over .350. So why do we not hear Gibson's name mentioned in the recent discussion about baseball's best player ever that has surrounded Barry Bonds or at least as the greatest home run hitting catcher ever with Mike Piazza? This is because Josh Gibson played in the Negro Leagues.
Who would have thought a little boy from the Dominican Republic would have so much effect on people. David Ortiz is a well known player around the Major League Baseball Association, many people know him by Big Papi. He has created foundations and many other things for all types of people. From children to adults and in between, Ortiz has been an influential individual.
Roger Clemens is arguably one of the greatest pitchers ever in Major League Baseball history. Clemens has built an astounding and exciting career filled with impressive statistics that may rarely be duplicated. His career extends from the early 1980’s into the new millennium, and continues today. During this stretch, nicknamed “The Rocket”, he won more Cy Young awards, seven, than any other pitcher in MLB history. The Cy Young award is given annually to the League’s best pitcher. In 2003 he won the 300th game of his career. He is only one of four MLB pitchers in all time to pass the 4,000 strikeout mark.
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez was a young Latino who had a passionate love for baseball. He was like any normal kid in the neighborhood apart from his strikingly athletic good looks, strong natural leadership and obsession with baseball. “Benny”, as his closest friends would call him, was a true hero to his inner circle of teammates. Especially to Scotty Smalls, as it was Benny who saved Scotty from a life sentence by retrieving his step father’s prized Babe Ruth autographed baseball from the jaws of the notorious junkyard “Beast” and making himself a neighborhood legend.
David Ortiz is an icon because of his contributions to the welfare of children and to baseball. His charity raises money to give kids medical care that they need or don’t have access to, and trains doctors and nurses. He has made significant contributions to baseball by changing the designated hitter’s role and donating equipment to children in need. If more wealthy people followed Ortiz’s humanitarian values, many of our current problems like poverty, racism and education imbalance would most likely not exist.
On one visit Derek took to his grandparents house (he was about six) Dot took him to his first Yankee’s game. This is where he really started to dream. He wanted to play shortstop for his favorite team, the New York Yankee’s. When Derek got home from his trip he told his parents about his dream of being on the Yankee’s. His parents took him very seriously. His dad told him that “if you are dedicated and you work hard all of your dreams will come true”. Derek never forgot these words.
Many Latin American children dream about playing baseball in the Major Leagues. One reason for this is because to them playing in the Major Leagues is a way out of their current situation. There is poverty in many Latin American countries. Many children dream of being rich and famous like their Latin American heroes.
All three of these films discussed the importance of race in America and how whites treated people of other races during this time. The two films Soul of the Game and The Life of Jackie Robinson are both about African Americans and their struggle of being accepted into the world of baseball. The third film, Hank Greenberg is about the life of Hank Greenberg and how he, as a Jew, was both ridiculed and then accepted into the world of baseball. All of these players, although they were not liked at the time, have gone down in history as some of the best baseball players in history and are certainly well known.
Many Dominicans dream to make it to the big leagues to break free from the inevitable poverty of their country. The road is long and requires many stops, such as training academies and the minor leagues, in order to reach Major League Baseball. While very few will reach the pinnacle, signing a contract with the training academies or minor leagues in itself provides a higher
should know Babe Ruth is for the most important reason, that being the way he
In many countries around the world, the socioeconomic problem is so bad that they are granted the title of a Third World country. Countries that are not quite as bad, such as most Latin American countries like Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, often have trouble, on a smaller level, of creating jobs and job security for its people to inspire work ethic and incentive to raise the socioeconomic bar that has been set below average. Sometimes, all it takes is a role model; a person who is from that respective country who has made a name for themself of continental proportion to inspire the rest of the country to fight against the low standard that has been acquired. This paper will discuss how in Latin America, the people of these countries have found hope and incentive to work through the hardship and hard work of certain professional baseball players that had either defected or were lucky enough to work their way into the American professional baseball system. Because these players have struck gold on such an enormous level, a global level, they have given the poorer and disadvantaged people of their country a reason to fight to make their situation better. These players have given back considerably to their communities and their countries which makes them the role models they are today.
Miguel came from a very poor part of Venezuela. One thing that kept his family going, was baseball. His father played baseball as a child up to his twenties. His mother was on the Venezuelan national softball team for fourteen years. Miguel’s uncle, Davis Torres, played Class-AA for the St. Louis Cardinals minor league team, before being released.