BR Bullpen:Did You Know Archive3

This is an archive of articles that were featured on the Main Page as part of Did You Know? from January 4, 2008 to November 6, 2009.

Did you know...[edit]

...that Toru Sugiura hit the first pinch-hit sayonara grand slam in the history of the Japan Series?
...what two records Pedro Formental set?
...what historic game Tomoya Yagi pitched during his first month in Nippon Pro Baseball?
...what historic win Glen Morris got for the South African national team?
...what historic win Rinat Makhmoutov got for the Russian national team?
...what historic win Alex Cremidan got for the Greek national team?
...which Cuban national team star Óscar Gil struck out in the clutch to give his Holguín club its first title?
...why the 1970 Junior World Series had all its games held at one site?
...that Hayato Sakamoto was the youngest player ever to hit a grand slam in the Japan Series?
...which college Prez Jones coached for 51 years?
...what record Enrique Esteban Díaz holds in the Cuban Serie Nacional?
...that Fu-Lien Wu hit the first sacrifice fly in the history of the Taiwan Major League?
...that Shiro Takegami was the first player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to get their first home run as an inside-the-park job?
...why Hichori Morimoto (pictured) is dressed like that?

...that Magnus Pilegård once led his league in both batting average (as a hitter) and lowest batting average allowed (by a pitcher) in the same season?
...that Darrell Woodard was once traded for a coach?
...how Jyun Hirota revolutionized catching in Japan?
...that Henry Roa had more hits than any other non-Cuban in both the Intercontinental Cup (1991-2006) and Baseball World Cup (1988-2005)?
...what record Carlos Valencia set in the 2005 season?
...why Allan Lewis was voted only a tenth of the World Series shares by his teammates on the Athletics?
...what the Mayor's Trophy Game was?
...that Luis Casanova led seven major international tournaments in home runs?
...what minor league franchise record Michaelangel Trinidad broke in 2009 - a mark held by two major league regulars?
...that Lino Rivera managed his teams to three pennants in a span of only two years?
...that Takashi Kita was the first player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to have his first two hits be game-winning, game-ending jobs?
...what three records Sandy Moreno set in Nicaragua?
...what historical first pitch Bob Shawkey threw out?
...what two records Tomoyuki Kubota set in 2007 in Japanese Baseball?
...that Hector Roa was the first player to homer in his first at-bat in the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...how Mexican-born Jimmy Summers became listed as a sniper in the Croatian army - and how this was related to baseball?
...what record Yasunori Oshima set in 1976?
...that I-Tseng Lin won five straight stolen base titles in the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that Luis Casanova led seven major international tournaments in home runs?
...that Derek Tatsuno was the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to win 20 games in a season?
...that Virgil Thompson was the first person to pitch for Team USA in a major international event?
...what freak incident killed William Bedford on the field of play?
...that Chung-Chiu Lin is the oldest player ever to lead the Chinese Professional Baseball League in home runs?
...that Daryl Spencer lost a home run race in part due to a motorcycle accident?
...that Lenny Pearson was the first three-time Cuban Winter League leader in RBI?
...what stars Howie Haak discovered as a scout?
...that Dong-won Choi is second all-time in the Korea Baseball Organization in ERA - but over double the leader?
...that Jay Kirkpatrick not only won the second Triple Crown in the history of the Chinese Professional Baseball League but set or tied records in all three Triple Crown stats that season?
...that Carl Long broke the Kinston Eagles color barrier - and set a franchise RBI record that stood for three decades?
...how Jim Delahanty got his nickname?
...when Félix Cano hit the most famous home run in Spanish baseball history?
...that Donnie Veal lost both of his parents by the time he turned 23, leaving him in charge of the family?
...that Chung-Yi Huang has won more Best Ten honors than anyone else in the history of Taiwanese professional baseball?
...that Pedro Powell was the second player ever to lead the Carolina League in steals in consecutive seasons?
...that Jeremy Powell hit the first home run by a pitcher in a Nippon Pro Baseball interleague game?
...that both Wim Crouwel and his son Mike Crouwel won batting titles and home run titles in the Hoofdklasse?
...that Makoto Kosaka was the first player in Japanese history to reach base all five trips to the plate in his first game?
...that Jong-ho Park was the first switch-hitter to win a batting crown in the Korea Baseball Organization?
...why Taiwan native Yasuaki Taiho did not count as a foreign player under the Nippon Professional Baseball roster rules?
...that George Lawson was involved in trying to launch a number of fraudulent baseball leagues?
...that Luis Ulacia won two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal in the Olympics?
...how a celebration might have cost Tagg Bozied a chance at playing in the majors?
...why Brian Warren became known as "Devil Man" in Japan?
...that Danny Gans had a theater in Las Vegas named after him due to his success as an entertainer after his baseball career ended?
...that Carlos Yánes holds numerous records for longevity in Cuba?
...that Cos Govern (as a manager) and Alfonso Gerard (as a player) were the only natives of the Virgin Islands to appear in the Negro Leagues?
...what two negative incidents Mike Torrez is most famous for being involved in during an otherwise productive career?
...what records Greg Morrison set after being picked in the 71st round of the draft then being released a couple years later before reviving his career?
...why Harry Frazee was forced to dismantle the Boston Red Sox shortly after they won the 1918 World Series?
...what record-setting home run Jeong-min Lee allowed?
...that Scrip Lee both played and umpired in a Negro World Series?
...that Daniel Monzon died at age 18, having driven in five runs in his last baseball game?
...that Ted Strong got the most votes of any Negro League star for the East-West Game in 1939?
...that Han Urbanus threw five no-hitters in the Hoofdklasse and holds numerous records in the Netherlands?
...that Ottis Johnson was the last minor league player to die from a beanball?
...that Frank Betcher became a popular motivational speaker and author after his short major league career ended?
...that Christopher Howard was managing a team at age 19?
...that Roberto Barbon was the first Latin American player to appear in Nippon Pro Baseball?
...that Sid Gordon was once given a day in his honor by a rival team?
...that A.S. Young was an eminent black writer who wrote some prominent pieces about the integration of baseball?
...that Alva Bradley was the heir of one of the most prominent families in the history of Cleveland?
...what Francisco Butto did to win Caribbean Series MVP honors in 2009?
...that Hank Thompson was the first African-American to appear in two different major leagues?
...that Koji Okamura was the first player ejected from a Japan Series?
...how Mudcat Grant got his nickname?
...how the existence of the 1987 Kinston Indians was saved by an election?
...that George Sweatt and Rube Currie were the only players to appear in the first four Negro World Series?
...how James Dunn helped build the first World Series-winning club in Cleveland Indians history?
...that Yasuo Fujii holds the Pacific League record for career grand slams?
...what scandal Esmailyn Gonzalez got into less than a year after being named MVP of the Gulf Coast League?
...how old Parnell Woods was when he became the youngest manager in the Negro Leagues?
...that Julian Heredia won a pitching Triple Crown - while being a relief pitcher?
...what controversy plagued Bill Kenworthy in 1921?
...that Curt Smith was named Player of the Year in two different leagues in 2008?
...what tragedy ended the life of Chief Johnson?
...that Jim Constable battled bipolar disorder that affected his career?
...what team stunned the Cuban national team in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup, ending a run of 15 years of Gold Medals in international events?
...that Zhanpeng Wang was named the top left-handed pitcher in two straight Asian Championships and got China's first two wins ever in a Baseball World Cup?
...that Scott Mitchinson had a 60:1 strikeout:walk ratio one season?
...that Jong-soo Shim once hit .335 with 53 home runs, led his league in slugging and OBP - and failed to win the MVP award?
...that Yasser Gómez once hit triples in three straight at-bats?
...that Zeke Bonura once held the US javelin throw record?
...what conflict Yang Yang was involved in during the 2008 Olympics?
...what Katsuhiko Maekawa did to earn him his release?
...that Phil Dale was the first Australian to earn a 4-year baseball scholarship to a US college?
...what records Gary Burnham set in 2006 and 2008?
...that the 1945 Negro World Series was the lowest-scoring Negro World Series ever?
...how Luz Portobanco tragically died less than a year after pitching in the 2007 Pan American Games?
...that Robin Roy was a two-time MVP of the Division Elite finals?
...that Jonah Nickerson threw 323 pitches in 8 days before being named College World Series Most Outstanding Player?
...that Wei-Cheng Chen couldn't walk for six months in the year prior to his playing in the 1992 Olympics?
...why position player Gavin Fingleson was called on to pitch - and got a win - in the 2007 Baseball World Cup?
...that Calvin Maduro missed being the first Aruban major leaguer - by five days?
...why Peter Vogler may well go down in history as the last Australian All-Star in an Asian Championship?
...what scandal plagued Tomohiro Nioka in 2008?
...what scandals Byung-kyu Kang got into in 2008?
...what scandal Yuan-Chia Chen was involved in during 2008?
...that Giorgio Castelli won 8 batting titles in Italy?
...what problem ended the career of first-round pick Dave Walling?
...how Country Brown met his untimely end on Christmas?
...that Hsin-Min Tan was the first Taiwan native to play in the US minor leagues - but did it while under contract to neither a US or Taiwanese club?
...what unusual feat Yoshiyuki Ishihara pulled off on his 27th birthday - and why he probably wanted not to do it?
...that Bill Arce is the only person to manage two different teams to a Gold Medal in the European Championship?
...that Gene Ammann set the NCAA Division I record for lowest ERA in a season?
...what home run record Jack Howell set in 1993?
...that Chia-Hsien Hsieh holds the all-time Taiwan Major League home run record?
...what two teams Alfonso Urquiola has managed in the Pan American Games?
...that Frank Wickware came from the same hometown as Walter Johnson, who he (at least) once outdueled?
...that former College World Series star Bud Hollowell became a professor after his baseball career ended?
...what record was set in the 1978 Amateur World Series?
...what single-season record Akinobu Mayumi set in his final season?
...that Chih-Yuan Chen managed to win a Rookie of the Year award while playing only 30 games?
...that Mark Langston was the first member of the Seattle Mariners to win a Gold Glove?
...how Seiichi Shima made the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame without playing a game as a pro?
...that Joe Green once almost scored from third base with a broken leg?
...what league Lou Haneles co-founded?
...the history of the Baseball card?
...that Harry Ables set three Texas League records in 1910?
...that Herman Wedemeyer was a minor league outfielder who went on to fame as a TV actor?
...that Chu-Ming Lee was the first player to get 1,000 hits in Taiwanese professional baseball?
...when the The Star Spangled Banner was first played during the 7th-inning stretch?
...what international event Alejo O'Reilly ended with a dramatic home run?
...that Alex Smith threw 244 pitches in one game in 2008?
...what controversy led Minoru Yamashita to retire from umpiring?
...which stars were scouted by Joe Lewis Sr.?
...what award is given out in honor of Ed Kirkpatrick?
...in what major event Miguel Gómez beat the Cuban national team?
...that Alvin Spearman was a Gold Gloves boxer before he became a non-Gold Glove baseball player?
...what series derailed the hopes of the 1922 Browns?
...that Olympic shortstop Mat Buckley made five errors in the finale of the Australian Baseball League one year to cost his team the title?
...that Ming-Tsu Lu led to a rule change in Nippon Pro Baseball's All-Star Game as a rookie?
...that Hamilton Richardson was named MVP of Hoofdklasse five times?
...that Jeff Samardzija was an All-American in college - but not in baseball?
...what Stephan Rapaglia does when not managing the British national team?
...that two Cubans each scored more runs in the 1987 Intercontinental Cup than all their opponents combined?
...how Tom Hallion led (indirectly) to many umpires losing their jobs?
...that Jiangang Lu was the first Chinese player to sign with a NPB team?
...why Mike Sime and Clarence Roper were blacklisted from baseball?
...how old Yutaka Ono was when he became the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout in the Central League?
...what record Pedro Jova set while managing in Cuba - and what record he set while playing in Cuba?
...what Dave Bristol did to organize the Big Red Machine?
...why Chien-Cheng Kuo was banned from the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that Keith Ramsey threw the 4th perfect game in Carolina League history?
...that I-Chung Hong had his career year when he was 39 years old?
...that Travis Wilson was the first New Zealand native to sign with a MLB club?
...that Giulio Glorioso scored more runs one year as a batter than he allowed as a pitcher - without playing a game in the field?
...what Jayson Nix did to be named MVP of the 2007 Baseball World Cup?
...what record Ryan Roberts set in 2008?
...that R.J. Swindle won the highest percentage of his team's games in NCAA Division I one year?
...what fielding record Masahiro Araki holds?
...why Sung-ki Jung missed three seasons at a key point in his development?
...that Brian Farley is an Olympic pitching coach married to a former Olympic softball pitcher?
...what record Cole Gillespie helped set during the 2008 season?
...that Yi-Hsin Chen won MVP awards 3 times in the first 7 years of Taiwanese professional baseball?
...that Lew Kent once pinch-hit for Barry Bonds in a key game?
...that Walter Ball was the first black pitcher to beat a white MLB team?
...that Brad Tippett held left-handed batters to an 0-for-36 performance in 2007?
...how Davy Jones got his nickname?
...that Tommy Hanson threw the first no-hitter in Mississippi Braves history?
...which Hall-of-Famer Jason Kosow portrayed in a TV miniseries?
...that Germany Schaefer successfully pulled off the hidden ball trick in a World Series game?
...that Kyle Russell led NCAA Division I in home runs in 2007?
...that Marvin Williams won two minor league home run and batting crowns after the Boston Red Sox passed on him and Jackie Robinson?
...that Jake Arrieta was the first player from Texas Christian University to appear on Team USA?
...what Ed Killian did for a living after his baseball career came to an end?
...why Chang-Ming Cheng was banned from the CPBL three years after he played in the Olympics?
...why Beau Mills was suspended at a key moment in the 2006 Fresno State University season?
...that Luis Iglesias was the first player to hit 100 career home runs in the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that George Mullin was known for playing mind games with hitters?
...that Esequier Pie threw the first no-hitter in the Israel Baseball League?
...how long Taiwan star Chih-Sheng Lin was suspended for his attack on an umpire?
...how long Cuban star Michel Enríquez was suspended for his attack on an umpire?
...that Jordan Brown won back-to-back minor league MVP awards?
...how Frank Smith got his unusual nickname?
...that David Cooper almost tied a Barry Bonds record in college?
...that Mike Aviles led NCAA Division II in both average and home runs in 2003?
...what the 1976 AL Batting Champ Controversy was?
...what Ray Schalk did after each no-hitter in the majors?
...what school record Ike Davis set in 2006?
...that Doc White had the first save in World Series history?
...that Amaury Martí has been known by three different last names during his baseball career?
...how Shifty Jim West met his untimely end?
...that Jared Goedert led the state of Kansas in passing yards as a high school quarterback?
...that Scott Campbell was the first New Zealand native picked in the MLB amateur draft?
...what record Kuo-Ching Kao set in the 2007 CPBL season?
...that Cliff Floyd won Minor League Player of the Year honors while in AA?
...that Si-hyun Son wound up in the Army due to a draft-dodging scandal two years after he was named the best shortstop in the Korea Baseball Organization?
...that Adiel Palma won the Gold Medal game in both the 2004 Olympics and 2007 Pan American Games?
...that Shawn Chacon set a MLB record for most consecutive no-decisions by a starting pitcher to open a season?
...that Jim Gruzdis won a batting title three years after retiring from active duty as a player?
...that Billy Sullivan Sr. went 0 for 21 during a World Series - while playing appropriately for the Hitless Wonders?
...that Tom Lawless was once traded for a manager?
...that Héctor Olivera Jr. scored the winning run in the Cuban Serie Nacional finals two of the past four years?
...that Jason Michaels won a community service award - one year after fighting with a police officer outside a nightclub?
...that Hernán Iribarren had the second-highest average in a season in Arizona League history?
...that Ernie Hrovatic died in World War II a year after starring in the minor leagues?
...that Pedro Alvarez won the Baseball America Freshman of the Year Award after his teammates had voted against him winning the third base job out of fall training?
...what Shinichi Eto considered the greatest moment of his stellar career in Japan?
...that Pavel Budský was the first Czech-born and -raised minor leaguer?
...that the 1987 Expos lost their general manager because he was having an affair with the team President's wife?
...that Rogelio García is the all-time strikeout leader in the Cuban leagues?
...that Jordan Schafer was suspended for Human Growth Hormone use months after being named the top prospect in the South Atlantic League?
...that Eugene Kingsale was the first Aruban major leaguer - by five days?
...that Masahide Kobayashi set a Nippon Pro Baseball record for consecutive saves?
...that Rube Currie appeared in the first four Negro World Series?
...that Matt Rogelstad was the toughest player to strike out in NCAA Division I one year?
...why first-team All-American Dexter Fowler fell to the 14th round of the 2004 amateur draft?
...what legal problems befell Carlos Pérez?
...that Rowdy Hardy set the all-time Ohio Valley Conference win record?
...that Kwang-hyun Kim was the first Korean pitcher to beat the Japanese team in an Asia Series?
...that the 1989 Orioles tried a 3-man pitching rotation for a time?
...that Jeff Larish tied the College World Series single-game home run record in 2005?
...that Australian pitcher Tom Becker won the finale of the European Cup three years in a row?
...that Shairon Martis threw the only no-hitter in World Baseball Classic history?
...that Adrian Meagher was on the first Australian team to win Gold in a major international event - several years after he had initially retired?
...what freak occurence led to the end of Gerardo Sanchez's consecutive games played streak - the longest in Mexican League history?
...what star players were hampered by collusion?
...that former Negro League infielder John Britton was the first foreign player to be named to a Pacific League All-Star team?
...that Billy McLean was the umpire in the first National League game?
...that Norge Vera was the first pitcher to pick up wins in both the semifinals and finals of a Baseball World Cup?
...that Giichi Hayashi threw the first no-hitter in Pacific League history?
...how long integration took at different levels of baseball?
...that Matt Macri was an All-State pick in both football and baseball in his senior year of high school, leading his school to titles in both sports?
...that Andruw Jones was the youngest player in World Series history to hit a home run?
...that Jimmy Van Ostrand was one of the best badminton players in Canada before he chose to pursue baseball?
...when Gary White had a hit deemed perhaps the most significant in Australian baseball history by some historians?
...that Doug Mientkiewicz twice hit game-deciding home runs against South Korea in the 2000 Olympics?
...that Bobby Slaybaugh lost an eye - and returned to pitch the same year?
...how Kleber Ojima could be said to have had one of the best games in Brazilian baseball history even though he lost the contest?
...that Frederich Cepeda has led the Cuban Serie Nacional in walks five of the past seven seasons?
...that the 1984 Amateur World Series boasted a future MLB home run record holder?
...why it created a stir when Tonny Cohen was picked for the Dutch national team in 1992?
...that Jinten Haku was the only .400 hitter in Korea Baseball Organization history?
...why Eduardo Paret was once banned from action due to a phone call he made?
...what records Tilson Brito set in the 2007 CPBL?
...how a basketball game helped ruin the hopes of the 1985 Orioles?
...that Ryan Doherty was the first minor league pitcher over 7 feet tall?
...that Yoshitomo Tani is not only an Olympic athlete but also married to an Olympic athlete?
...that Matthew Sheldon-Collins has the lowest strikeout rate in Australian Baseball League history?
...that Brett Willemburg outhit many major leaguers in the 2006 World Baseball Classic - despite having washed out of Rookie ball?
...that Mitch Williams had the latest plate appearance in a major league game?
...which future Cuban defector was MVP of the 2002 Intercontinental Cup?
...that Jesus Matos won three consecutive strikeout titles in Serie A1?
...that Sam Fuld set the career hit record in the College World Series?
...that Michael Franke was the first German player signed by a MLB organization in over four decades when he joined the Milwaukee Brewers chain in 2000
...why Cale Iorg did not play baseball for two years before being drafted
...that Jorge Luis Valdés threw the first no-hitter in Pan American Games history?
...that Jerry Eaves and Earl Caldwell Jr. both were teammates of their fathers in the minor leagues?
...why Evel Bastida-Martinez was once sentenced to 200 hours of community service for his actions on the baseball field?
...that Martin Helmig is the all-time German national team leader in batting average and slugging percentage?
...that former minor league outfielder Andre King became a NFL wide receiver after he failed to make it past AA?
...that Agapito Mayor was the first Caribbean Series Most Valuable Player?
...that Kai Gronauer has the best fielding percentage in the history of the German national team?
...how far former Baseball America Freshman of the Year J.J. Jurries got in professional baseball?
...what controversy Carlos Tabares was involved in the Gold Medal game of the 2004 Olympics?
...that Vince Rooi almost beat out two future All-Stars for the team RBI lead when they were in the minors together?
...that Billy Scripture was named to the All-Time Atlantic Coast Conference team?
...that Daniel Fernández is the all-time run leader in the Mexican League?
...how close Yadel Martí came to the second perfect game in Baseball World Cup history?

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BR Bullpen:Did You Know Archive3

Did you know...[edit]

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