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.
first person about his struggles in the beginning of his baseball career, and how he miraculously turns his
Derek Jeter’s young years were helped by his parents. When Derek was 5 years old, Derek moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan with his parents. His Dad was a counselor for drugs/alcohol, while his mom is an accountant. Derek and his sister were big baseball fans as kids. In 8th grade, Jeter predicted he would be in a New York Yankees uniform by age 18. Derek’s had already built his legendary confidence in the young years of grade school. Jeter attended St. Augustine Cathedral School in Kalamazoo. “He was one of those kids you just never forget,” recalled his teacher Shirley Garzelloni, “and I would say that even if he wasn’t still playing baseball.” Jeter’s character was built up well even at a young age.
Since then he has led his team to five world series titles and become the team captain. He is known for his good looks and quiet confidence. He is still playing shortstop for the Yankee’s today and never stops improving. More world series titles are seen in his future.
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.
should know Babe Ruth is for the most important reason, that being the way he
To the track! To the wall! It is gone and the crowd goes wild! This is the sound of a professional baseball player hitting a homerun. Many people love the sport of baseball but most of them do not know what it actually takes to be a player. Throughout the year a professional baseball player is constantly involved with aspects of the sport. Being able to maintain this takes a numerous amount of dedication from the players. Loss of sleep, sacrifice of time, and being able to constantly travel shows how much dedication a professional baseball player has.
The 1960’s were a decade of upheaval. Outcry spilled out into the streets as angry demonstrators protested against the Vietnam War; Civil Rights marches occupied a segregated South; and the Black Power movement swept through the Negro community with persuasive authority. In the midst of all of this social change stood one man, St. Louis Cardinal’s centerfielder Curt Flood. Fueled by the turmoil of his times, Flood started his own social movement, a one-man struggle for freedom on the baseball diamond. Flood an accomplished baseball player had endured twelve years in the Major Leagues, a victim of unwarranted discrimination in a still racist nation. In 1969, Flood became a pioneer, making an historic decision that ended his baseball career at the age of 31. Against the advice of the Major League Baseball’s Players Union, Flood refused to accept his trade to the Philadelphia Phillies after the end of the 1969 season. When Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn refused to let him out of baseball’s reserve clause, which allowed for a player to be traded without his consent and made it impossible for a player to choose to play for another team, Flood took his case all the way to the Supreme Court (Ashe 61). When the case finally made its way through the courts system, Flood’s playing career was lost but a whole new era of baseball had begun. Flood stands as the pivotal figure that changed the balance of power in the game.
pril 15, 1947, the day that changed baseball. Jackie Robinson played his first game in the Major Leagues, breaking the color barrier. Jackie Robinson was born January 31,1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie Robinson was the greatest player in baseball history. He was the first to break the color barrier for baseball. Robinson was so great, that baseball retired his number for all teams forever. Jackie Robinson changed baseball, and the world forever.
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.
There is a lot of debate going around about who is the best baseball player of all time. There are a lot of different answers out there. One thing is certain, though, Babe Ruth's name is always mentioned in the conversation. The slugger from the 1920's is one of the most famous athletes in the world. To this day he still holds some of the records for hitting in the MLB.
The world is a very different place than what it was in the 1920’s; however, despite our differences, many things have stayed the same. No matter what, there’s always something to refer back to. Nearly one-hundred years ago, the 1920’s holds a great deal of historical events that changed the world. One of these historical events is when Babe Ruth changed the outlook on negro leagues and african american baseball players. Ruth could do many things that other people couldn’t in baseball. He in general was an amazing baseball player, but he also did something much more, something that would change the world’s views of not just him, but everybody.
Miguel Cabrera, also known as “Miggy”, was born in Maracay, Venezuela on April 18, 1983. His real name is José Miguel Cabrera Torres. Miguel was raised by his parents, Miguel Sr. and Gregoria. As a young child Miguel first started playing baseball with his neighbors. Baseball is one of the most popular sports in his home country of Venezuela. 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 on 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. Baseball ran through Miguel’s family, and it was something that they could all play together. When Miguel wasn’t playing baseball with his local team in Maracay. Miguel’s father, Miguel Sr., was a stud baseball prospect growing up, but was not able to complete his ultimate goal of becoming a pro baseball player. After playing baseball, Miguel’s father became a mechanic. If baseball did not work out for his son, he wanted Miguel to have the proper education to still be able to get a job. Miguel’s father stayed hard on his about his grades, and made sure that he graduated with his high school diploma.
A hobby I've held onto and cherished for a very long time was playing baseball. The sport was introduced to me by my father through the movie The Sandlot. The sport ended up holding a more significant meaning to me after I learned that both my Father and Grandfather played in their high school years. For me, Baseball laid down the foundation for my future and has been a positive force in my development since I was young.