BR Bullpen:Did You Know Archive4

This is an archive of articles that were featured on the Main Page as part of Did You Know? from November 6, 2009 to November 1, 2011.

Did you know...[edit]

...that Steve Fireovid was the active leader in wins in AAA from 1989-1993?
...that Art Hillebrand turned down offers to play in the majors before setting off on a career that won him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame?
...that Wayne Dickerson was the first player ever drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates?
...that Joe Jachym not only passed his number on to a Hall of Famer but his actual uniform as well?
...what College World Series record Edmund Muth tied?
...what role Roy Mack and Connie Mack Jr. played in forcing their famous father from his job?
...that Archie Allen guided two countries to medals on the international stage?
...that Craig Lefferts was the most recent pitcher to hit a walk-off home run?
...that first-round pick Johnny Jones nearly had more passed balls than runs and RBI in his pro career?
...what NCAA Division II record Kris Sutton set?
...that Don Mincher played for three different teams that relocated to new cities the following season?
...that Wilmer Aaron (cousin of Hank Aaron) twice topped .300 in AA yet never got a shot in AAA, let alone the majors?
...what high school record Sho Nakata set in Japan?
...what umpiring decision by Bill Brennan caused a near riot and cost the National League president his job?
...that Chico Hernandez was part of the first All-Latino battery in the major leagues?
...that Otto Briggs stole home during a Negro World Series?
...that Chris O'Riordan went from being a walk-on in college to an All-American?
...what role Pedro Borbon played in the "greatest World Series game ever played"?
...that Negro League player and manager Chappie Johnson trained two white teams during the Deadball Era?
...that Dan Rothem was the first Israeli to play baseball in NCAA Division I?
...why Luis Zayas was allowed to manage in Cuba after the Revolution even though he had played professionally after pro ball was banned on that island?
...that Hiromasa Arai twice had stretches of over 100 plate appearances without a strikeout?
...what Cuban baseball records Julián Castillo set?
...that Jonathan Schoop saved the game that gave his country its first Little League World Series title?
...why Tim Burcham was once named the Opening Day starter for the San Francisco Giants yet never appeared in a game for them?
...why Tamotsu Nagai was once given a gift by the star hitter of an opposing team?
...why Eddie Mooers was named Richmond's Mr. Baseball?
...what record José Antonio Huelga holds in Cuba?
...that Ryan Coe was not only an All-American at two different levels, but also married an All-American?
...what Canadian high school record Gerry Reimer set?
...that Darin Blood won the third pitching Triple Crown in California League history?
...what records Jun-ho Jeon set in the Korea Baseball Organization?
...that Mitsuo Yoshikawa was the fifth player to go from high school to starting a Japan Series game in a year?
...that former owner George Argyros was later a US Ambassador?
...that Justin Blood was the first draft pick in his college's history?
...that Kazuo Yamane won the deciding game all three times the Hiroshima Carp won the Japan Series?
...why Jason Maas retired while he was hitting .352 in AAA?
...what performance Gaspar Pérez had that won him a Amateur World Series MVP award?
...that Danny Hultzen was the first player from the University of Virginia to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year - and then was the first Virginia player to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year?
...why John Steadman is in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame?
...what University of Miami record Stan Jakubowski set?
...that Walter Kowalski mounted one of the first legal challenges to the reserve clause?
...why the Kansas City Royals are considered to have turned a page in their history in 2011, after 15 years in the wilderness ?
...that Lázaro de la Torre was the fourth Cuban pitcher (since 1962) to win 200 games?
...that Jeff Cook once hit home runs from both sides of the plate in a game - and had no other homers all year long?
...that Larry Isbell was an All-American in both baseball and football?
...that research by Warren Brown led to the ouster of the president of one of the most prominent minor league circuits?
...that Trevor Bauer led NCAA Division I in strikeouts two seasons in a row?
...how Naoki Takahashi got a win and a save in the same game?
...what record Dan Robertson set in his first season in professional baseball?
...that Aquino Abreu is the only Cuban hurler to throw no-hitters in back-to-back starts?
...that Dave Nightingale was the first national correspondent for The Sporting News?
...that Jeff Perry was once traded one-for-one for a future Hall of Fame pitcher?
...that Takashi Nishimoto won more games than any other Nippon Pro Baseball player who did not get picked during the draft era?
...what was controversial about the style of Dick Young?
...what records Santiago Mederos set?
...what big hit got Will Scalzitti in the first game played by a Colorado Rockies affiliate?
...that Noh-jun Park went from being an Olympic pitcher in 1984 to being honored as one of the top three outfielders in the Korea Baseball Organization in 1994?
...what Mexican League record Roberto Vizcarra set?
...that Julian Yan cracked over 400 career home runs?
...why Jack Krawczyk fell to the 25th round of the draft after setting two NCAA Division I records?
...that Tetsuya Yoneda is the all-time Nippon Pro Baseball leader in four different categories?
...why Kevin Mitchell was called a paycheck thief in Japan?
...what offensive and defensive records Leonardo Valenzuela set or tied in the Mexican League?
...what slugging feat Jesse Ibarra accomplished before anyone else had done it in all of Organized Baseball?
...that Ben Jukich was the first player drafted from the Great Plains Athletic Conference?
...that Art Kenney beat the Boston Red Sox while still in college?
...that Jack Rhodes coached for three different countries in international competition?
...what NCAA Division II record James Vida set?
...what scandal cost Dave Wilder his job?
...that Hugh Radcliffe once struck out 28 batters in a high school game?
...that Willie Glen allowed only three runs in 33 postseason innings after setting the Northern League regular-season strikeout record in 2007?
...that Bill Swiacki was the first foreign-born MVP in the Hoofdklasse?
...that Tom Goffena was the first player ever drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays?
...at what college Jimmy Williams was the last person to be head coach?
...that Mitsuhiro Adachi was the only player to win the Fighting Spirit Award three times?
...that René González was the first Mexican Leaguer to win three straight batting titles?
...that Dale Plummer received a telephone call to come up to the Boston Red Sox yet never pitched in the big leagues?
...that Akira Ejiri set a collegiate pitching record yet was primarily an outfielder as a pro?
...how many MVP awards Wilmer Fields won - and in how many different countries?
...that Mike Morgan pitched his first postseason game more than 20 years after he made it to the major leagues?
...what role Bunny Downs played in starting Hank Aaron's professional career?
...what Mexican League record Rolando Camarero set that still stands?
...what German national team record Peter Budny holds?
...that Tony Castaño was the last manager to guide a Cuban Winter League squad to a Caribbean Series title?
...what was noteworthy about the appearance of Groundhog Thompson?
...why Kazuyuki Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers before Hideo Nomo but never made it to the majors?
...that Tony McDonald won a Rookie league batting championship four years after he had spent a full year in AAA?
...why Tamotsu Kimura only pitched four more games after winning the Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award?
...what three East-West Game records Jonas Gaines holds?
...why Harry Heslet retired a year after setting the California League home run record?
...why Hisao Niura was rumored to be involved in drugs?
...that Othello Renfroe was the first black scorer in Major League Baseball?
...what negative record Kojiro Ikegaya set?
...that Red Grier threw a no-hitter in the Negro World Series 30 years before one was thrown in a MLB World Series?
...what franchise record Kan Otake set in 2009?
...what record José María Fernández set in the Cuban Winter League?
...that Nick Giaquinto went from winning a Super Bowl to coaching college baseball?
...that Atsushi Aramaki was the first Pacific League hurler to win 100 games?
...that Claus Helmig was the first player born and raised in Germany to appear in the minor leagues?
...that American Bill Powell got the first Caribbean Series win ever for a Puerto Rican League team?
...that Hiroshi Nakao lost the first night game in Nippon Pro Baseball history?
...in what tragic way Negro League player Dan Wilson met his end?
...what crucial hit Lázaro Vargas had in the 1988 Baseball World Cup
...what biblical verse Bill Perkins had on his uniform?
...in what unusual circumstances Frank Anderson found players while he was coaching college baseball?
...what injury Tommy Sampson sustained while working in the coal mines that negatively impacted his baseball career?
...that Al Salerno and Bill Valentine were the leaders of efforts to unionize American League umpires - and lost their jobs because of their work?
...that Neil Robinson set the East-West Game record for career batting average?
...what record Emiliano Ginanneschi set in Italy?
...that Geraldo Padua had streaks of 20 straight wins and 14 straight losses at points during his career?
...what record Alejandro Crespo shares in Cuban Winter League history?
...that Gale Pringle played for four future Hall of Fame managers among his first five skippers in pro ball?
...the history of baseball's antitrust status?
...what record Taira Fujita set in 1978?
...that Kenichi Yazawa was the first Central League Best Nine first baseman other than Sadaharu Oh in a 19-year period?
...what Central American and Caribbean Games records Pedro José Rodríguez, Sr. set in 1978?
...that Carmen Cozza would go on to the College Football Hall of Fame after his baseball career ended?
...what Taiwan Major League record Lonnie Goldberg set?
...why Satoru Kanemura was suspended for the 2006 playoffs?
...that three future major leaguers played for Burlington City High School in 1944 - more than some colleges have produced in decades of play?
...that Satoshi Nakajima is the last active member from the Hankyu Braves?
...that Giorge Díaz won the first Gold Medal game in the Olympics after baseball became a medal event?
...that Stefano Manzini is the only player to rank among Italy's top 10 in both career homers and career ERA?
...that Masayasu Kaneda set Nippon Pro Baseball records for triples in a game, season and career?
...what Richard Bélec did to get into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame?
...that Claro Duany won four batting titles during his career?
...what records Steve Gerkin set in the majors and minors?
...what freak injury sidelined Jose Guillen for much of 2009?
...that Min-Ching Lo was the first two-time Taiwan Series MVP?
...that Alonso Téllez had over 3,800 hits in professional baseball?
...what signing subterfuge was involved when Kenichi Nakata began his career?
...how Rats Henderson got his nickname?
...that Shoitsu Omatsu was the first Nippon Pro Baseball player with three plate appearances in an inning?
...what unusual career path Daniel Choi took after leading NCAA Division I in wins?
...what historic win Juan Pena got for the Dominican national team?
...what three major plays Hatsuhiko Tsuji made in Japan Series finales?
...what NCAA Division I record Rick Raether set in college?
...what the San Francisco Giants did in their 50 years before they won a World Series?
...that Mike DiMuro was the first American to umpire in Nippon Pro Baseball?
...that Clint Myers has coached high school state baseball champions, national junior college softball champions and national NCAA Division I softball champions as well as being named NJCAA baseball Coach of the Year?
...what record Kendall Carter holds in the prestigious history of Arizona State University?
...what records Masaru Uno set during his career?
...how racism led to the death of Porter Moss?
...that Cheng-Hsien Chen had the longest consecutive game played streak in the history of the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that Takashi Ishii was the first pitcher ever to win more games in a Japan Series than he had won in the regular season?
...that Jamie Reed was the first on-field hire by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays?
...the details of the tragic death of Len Koenecke?
...what strikeout record Zach Peterson set shortly after he went unselected in the 2007 amateur draft?
...what records Ron Stead set in the Intercounty Baseball League?
...that Tetsu Yofu was the first foreign player to be named MVP of the Taiwan Series?
...that Samuel Deduno won three minor league strikeout titles?
...that Ian Holness drove in all the runs in the only Olympic win by the South African national team?
...that Hiroshi Shintani came within one out of the first perfect game ever at Koshien Tournament?
...that Corey Powell was the only player in the Taiwan Major League to have three seasons of 100 hits; also, he was the only one with three seasons of 20 homers?
...what records Masanori Sugiura set in the Olympics and Baseball World Cup?
...that Jimmy Whalen won almost 300 minor league games even though he died before age 35?
...that Da-Hung Cheng was the first catcher to lead the Chinese Professional Baseball League in steals?
...that Michinori Tsubouchi was the first player in the Japanese Professional Baseball League to reach 1,000 hits?
...that Scott Bittle led NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings in his fourth college season but has yet to pitch a game as a pro three years later?
...that Chris Dominguez was the second two-time Big East Conference Player of the Year?
...that Javier Méndez was named Cuban Serie Nacional 16 years apart, a record?
...what defensive records were set by Toshio Naka?
...that Travis Wood set a Southern League record for ERA?
...that Kozo Shoda was the first switch-hitting batting champion in Nippon Pro Baseball history?
...what inexplicable defensive gaffe 35-year-old veteran Dè Flanegin committed in the 2007 Holland Series?
...what records Osvaldo Martínez set in Taiwan?
...that Makoto Imaoka had 49 bases-loaded RBI one year?
...that Christoforos Rompinson was the lone native-born Greek on his country's team in the 2004 Olympics?
...what softball record Laura Espinoza-Watson set in college before becoming a professional baseball player?
...that Don Lemon was the first gaijin to perform what feat in Nippon Pro Baseball?
...what Chris Matlock did to be named NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year?
...what dramatic home run Agustín Marquetti hit to end his illustrious career?
...what record René Rijst set in the Hoofdklasse?
...that Michiyo Arito and Hiroyuki Yamazaki won the most Best Nine honors at third base and second base, respectively, in Pacific League history?
...what two crucial extra-inning hits Hunter Morris had in the 2008 World University Championship?
...that Jeremy Hellickson was the first MVP of what national championship?
...that Lázaro Junco won a record 10 Cuban home run titles?
...what lawsuit Andy Oliver filed against the NCAA, netting him hundreds of thousands of dollars.?
...that Katsuo So was the first Taiwanese hurler to beat the Cuban national team?
...that Kyle Parker was the first player in NCAA Division I to hit 20 home runs and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same academic year?
...that Daniel Nava had a $1 signing bonus and went on to hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues?
...what record Ilo Bartolucci set in Italy?
...that Christian Colon was the first captain in the history of the US college national team?
...in what event Lázaro Valle tossed a perfect game against South Korea?
...that Zack Von Rosenberg pitched his teams to four straight state titles in high school, starting and winning the championship each time?
...that Robbie Morrison blew a finale game in both a College World Series and Intercontinental Cup in a two-year period?
...that Daisuke Miura lost seven Opening Day starts in a row?
...why Ming-Hsiung Liao had his career end less than two years after winning a home run title?
...that Wilfredo Sánchez was the first Castro-era Cuban player to 1,000 hits - then the first to 2,000 hits as well?
...who comprised the 1960 Baltimore Orioles' Kiddie Korps?
...that Pancho Coimbre once went two straight seasons without striking out a single time?
...that Kang-chul Lee was the only Korea Baseball Organization pitcher to have ten straight seasons with double-digit wins?
...that Mike Stanton hit 68 minor league home runs before his 20th birthday?
...what pitchers threw an emery ball?
...in what tournament Yobal Dueñas hit the decisive home run?
...that Marcel Kruyt was one of the first three four-decade players in the Hoofdklasse?
...what role Steve Scafa played in what is often rated the best college baseball game ever?
...that Tyson Gillies, a deaf outfielder, was rated the most exciting player in the 2009 California League?
...that Jayson King coached the first team from New Hampshire to make the College World Series in either Division I, II or III?
...how Lance Zawadzki had the first hit at PETCO Park years before he made his major league debut with the Padres?
...that Omar Carrero once had more shutouts (5) than earned runs (4) allowed in a full season?
...that Mickey Grasso spent three years in a German POW camp during World War II before he came to the majors?
...that Ken Brauckmiller was the first pitcher to beat the Cuban national team in the Olympics?
...that Tomohiro Kuroki was the first Nippon Pro Baseball pitcher to get a win in the 21st Century?
...what records Roberto De Franceschi holds in the Italian Baseball League?
...that Jerry Keller twice led a AAA loop in a Triple Crown department yet never made the major leagues?
...what unusual stunt manager Frank Peters pulled in 1974?
...that Desmond Jennings once went 7 for 7 in AAA?
...why Hiromi Matsunaga was walked eleven times in a row?
...what record Braudilio Vinent holds in Cuba?
...the story behind the musical Damn Yankees?
...that Katsumi Shiraishi hit the first home run in Hiroshima Carp history?
...that Hee-min Han was the first South Korean in Taiwan's CPBL?
...that Chi-Chen Tseng went from being a full-time manager to a full-time player at age 44 and made the All-Star Game?
...that Wilson Ramos was the first American League catcher to rap four hits in his debut game?
...what defensive record Yutaka Takagi set?
...why Kihachi Enomoto is not part of the meikyukai even though he qualifies?
...what Baseball World Cup record Brett Gray shares?
...that Jim Magrane was the first pitching Triple Crown winner in the Atlantic League?
...what records Andrew Scott holds in the Australian Baseball League?
...how Paul Beeston got his start in baseball?
...that Takashi Toritani has twice set fielding records but has yet to win a Gold Glove?
...why Kuei-Chang Tseng had his career end less than a year after setting a single-season record in the CPBL?
...the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers?
...what historic first Norihiro Komada accomplished?
...what the Royals Baseball Academy was and how it influenced baseball development practices?
...that Leonel Moa was the first player in Cuban history to swat four home runs in a contest?
...how Goose Goslin got his nickname?
...that Chi-Chen Tseng went from being a full-time manager to a full-time player at age 44 and made the All-Star Game?
...what records Ariel Delgado holds in Nicaragua?
...what stunt Pepper Bassett did that made him a popular crowd draw?
...that Brandon Waring nearly set a league home record yet didn't even make the All-Star team at year's end?
...that Chao-Chi Sung dominated the 1990 Little League World Series then became the first pitching Triple Crown winner in the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that Hugh Bedient Jr. was the first US pro baseball player killed in military service after World War I?
...why former major leaguer Fred Taylor is in a basketball Hall of Fame?
...that Ormari Romero finished his Cuban national team career in what historic game and his Cuban Serie Nacional career in what another notable contest?
...what historic wins José Becerra and Pete Sikaras had for Spain and Greece, respectively?
...that Chin-Hsing Kuo was the first pitcher to win three games in one Taiwan Series?
...how Richie Phillips ended the careers of several major league umpires?
...that Mike Sodders was the first Baseball America Player of the Year yet never made the majors?
...that Rodney Pedraza was the first American to save 100 games in Nippon Pro Baseball?
...what historic hit Yung-Tai Sung had?
...what historic walk was drawn by free-swinging Clayton Byrne?
...why a TV special was made about the life of Tsunemi Tsuda?
...that Ronny Johnson, a pitcher in the US, would go on to set the Australian Baseball League career RBI record?
...what three tragic events Ryan Leahy has been affected by?
...what country agreed to host the 1983 Intercontinental Cup even though it was not fielding a team in the event?
...that Masahiro Doi made 15 All-Star teams in Japan?
...that Faustino Corrales once struck out 22 batters in a nine-inning game?
...what the National Board of Control was?
...what record Roberto Cabalisti holds?
...what off-field event forced Eric de Bruin to end his managerial career?
...what record Juan Manrique set - and broke - and broke again?
...that Ron Maurer once played all nine positions in a game?
...what record Monty Swartz holds?
...that Tom Penders has coached two different college basketball teams to the Sweet 16 since his baseball career ended?
...that Haruyasu Nakajima was the first Triple Crown winner in the history of Nippon Pro Baseball?
...what record Dae-jin Lee set in the Korea Baseball Organization?
...that Roberto Bianchi is the all-time Italian Baseball League home run leader?
...that Luis "Camaleón" García is a member of two Halls of Fame and has been a finalist for a third?
...what record Alexander Ramos set in Cuba?
...what controversy surrounded the appointment of John Cohen as head coach of Mississippi State University?
...why Charles Bronfman is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame?
...what historic home run Ubisney Bermúdez allowed?
...what record Nemesio Porras holds in Nicaragua?
...that Roger Cador was the first head coach of a historically black college to win a game in the NCAA Tournament?
...what record Salvador Colorado set in Mexico?
...that Jorge Alberto Martínez Roque threw the 50th no-hitter in Cuba in the Castro era?
...what adversity Sheng-Hsien Feng overcame as a youth to become a baseball player?
...that Roy Partlow was one of the first five African-Americans in the minors after Montreal teammate Jackie Robinson broke the Organized Baseball color barrier - and what cut Partlow's career short?
...what record Bernie Tatis holds in the Chinese Professional Baseball League?
...that Noriyoshi Omichi was the last active player to have appeared with the Nankai Hawks?
...that Remo Cardinale was the first Canadian amateur signed by the Toronto Blue Jays?
...what record Rey Isaac set in Cuba?
...what scandal ended the US career of Maximo Nelson?
...what scandal ended the playing career of Rey Vicente Anglada?
...what scandal ended the coaching career of Dave Okubo?
...what scandal has imperiled the career of Angel Villalona?
...what tragedy ended the life of Brian Cole?
...that Masanori Ishikawa was the first Yakult Swallows pitcher ever to win a Gold Glove in the Central League?
...that Ernesto Carlos Kuk Lee may become the first Asian native to enter the Salon de la Fama?
...that Tomochika Tsuboi was the first player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to hit .300 his first season in both the Central League and Pacific League?

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BR Bullpen:Did You Know Archive4

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