Name	Dave Parker
Position	Right fielder / Designated hitter
Bats	Left
Throws	Right
Birth date	June 09, 1951
Birth place	Calhoun, Mississippi
Debutdate	July 12
Debutyear	1973
Debutteam	Pittsburgh Pirates
Finaldate	October 2
Finalyear	1991
Finalteam	Toronto Blue Jays
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.290
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	2,712
Stat3label	Home runs
Stat3value	339
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,493
Teams	Pittsburgh Pirates (–) Cincinnati Reds (–) Oakland Athletics (–) Milwaukee Brewers () California Angels () Toronto Blue Jays ()
Highlights	7× All-Star selection (1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990) 2× World Series champion (, ) 3× Gold Glove Award winner (1977, 1978, 1979) 3× Silver Slugger Award winner (1985, 1986, 1990) 1978 NL MVP 1979 MLB All-Star Game MVP 1985 Home Run Derby winner }}

David Gene "The Cobra" Parker (born June 9, 1951 in Calhoun, Mississippi) is an American former player in Major League Baseball. He was the 1978 National League MVP and a two-time batting champion. Parker was the first professional athlete to earn an average of one million dollars per year, having signed a 5-year, $5 million dollar contract in January 1979. Parker's career achievements include 2712 hits, 339 home runs, 1493 runs batted in and a lifetime batting average of .290. Parker was also known as a solid defensive outfielder during the first half of his career, with a powerful arm. From to , he threw out 72 runners, including 26 in .

He was a baseball All-Star in , , , , 1985, , and . In the 1979 All-Star Game, Parker showcased his defensive ability and powerful arm by throwing out Jim Rice at third base and Angels catcher Brian Downing at home. Parker also contributed an RBI on a sacrifice fly and was named the game's MVP.

Playing career

Pittsburgh Pirates

In the early 1970s, as a member of the Pirates AAA minor league ball team Charleston (WV) Charlies, Parker hit a home run that landed on a coal car on a passing train and the ball was later picked up in Columbus Ohio. He began his major league career on July 12, 1973 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he played from to . In 1977, he was National League batting champion, a feat he repeated in 1978 when he was named the National League's MVP. This was in spite of a collision at home plate with John Stearns during a game against the Mets on June 30, 1978 in which Parker fractured his jaw and cheekbone; he wore a facemask in order to minimize his time away from the lineup. The Pirates rewarded him with baseball's first million-dollar-per-year contract. The following year, he was an instrumental part of the Pirates' World Series championship team.

During a game in 1979, a powerful hit he made to right field was very difficult to throw into the infield, because he had "knocked the cover off the ball." One of the seams on the ball ruptured, making nearly half of the cover come loose.

Pittsburgh fans angered by his million-dollar contract threw "nuts and bolts and bullets and batteries" at him, as pitcher Kent Tekulve stated; a typo in a news story made it appear that they threw car batteries.

In 1981, at a point in his career when it looked as if he would one day rank among the game's all-time greats, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''. The authors, noting that Parker had succeeded Roberto Clemente at the position, wrote, "Someone must have a fondness for right field in Pittsburgh."

However, in the early 1980s, Parker's hitting suffered due to injuries, weight problems and his increasing cocaine use. He became one of the central figures in a drug scandal that spread through the major leagues. Parker was among several players who testified against a dealer in the Pittsburgh drug trials, and he was later fined by Major League Baseball for his admitted drug use.

Later career

At the end of the 1983 season, Parker became a free agent and signed with the Cincinnati Reds. In Cincinnati, he returned to the form that made him an All-Star in Pittsburgh. In 1985, he enjoyed his best season since he won the MVP with a .312 batting average, 34 home runs, and 125 RBI. Parker finished second in 1985 MVP voting to Willie McGee.

After the 1987 season, Cincinnati traded Parker to the Oakland Athletics for José Rijo and Tim Birtsas. In Oakland, Parker was able to extend his career by spending most of his time as a designated hitter. Although injuries and age caught up to him to a degree – he hit just .257 with 12 homers in 377 at-bats in 1988 and .264 with 22 homers in 553 at-bats in 1989 – his veteran leadership was a significant factor in the A's consecutive World Series appearances.

Parker signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for the season and had a solid year as the Brewers' DH with a .289 average and 21 home runs in 610 at-bats. However, Milwaukee opted for youth at the end of the year and traded the aging Parker for Dante Bichette.

Parker's last season was . He played for the California Angels until late in the season when he was released. The Toronto Blue Jays then signed him as insurance for the pennant race, and Parker hit .333 in limited action. However, since he was acquired too late in the season, he did not qualify for inclusion on the post-season roster and thus was unable to play in the American League Championship Series against the Minnesota Twins, which the Blue Jays lost in five games. Parker retired at the end of the season.

Retirement

Parker has served as a first-base coach for the Anaheim Angels, a batting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998, and a special hitting instructor for Pittsburgh. He owns several Popeye's Chicken franchises in Cincinnati. Parker now has had both of his knees replaced due to knee injuries from his playing career.

Parker never got more than 24% of votes on Hall of Fame ballots and his 15-year Baseball Writers Association of America eligibility was exhausted on the 2011 ballot.

See also

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

List of Major League Baseball RBI champions

List of Major League Baseball batting champions

List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

References

External links

Dave Parker at lesterslegends.com

}} |after=Wally JoynerDarryl Strawberry}}

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball right fielders Category:California Angels players Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:Milwaukee Brewers players Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Toronto Blue Jays players Category:National League All-Stars Category:American League All-Stars Category:Baseball players from Mississippi Category:African American baseball players Category:National League batting champions Category:National League RBI champions Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players Category:Gulf Coast Pirates (baseball) players Category:Monroe Pirates players Category:Waterbury Pirates players Category:Salem Pirates players Category:Charleston Charlies players Category:St. Louis Cardinals coaches Category:Anaheim Angels coaches Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches Category:Baseball players from Cincinnati, Ohio

fr:Dave Parker ja:デーブ・パーカー pt:Dave Parker

Name	Bruce Sutter
Position	Pitcher
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	January 08, 1953
Birth place	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Debutdate	May 9
Debutyear	1976
Debutteam	Chicago Cubs
Finaldate	September 9
Finalyear	1988
Finalteam	Atlanta Braves
Stat1label	Games pitched
Stat1value	661
Stat2label	Win–Loss record
Stat2value	68–71
Stat3label	Earned run average
Stat3value	2.83
Stat4label	Strikeouts
Stat4value	861
Stat5label	Saves
Stat5value	300
Teams	Chicago Cubs (–) St. Louis Cardinals (–) Atlanta Braves (–, )
Highlights	6× All-Star selection (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984) World Series champion () 1979 NL Cy Young Award 4× NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1979, 1981, 1982, 1984) 1982 Babe Ruth Award St. Louis Cardinals #42 retired
Hofdate
Hofvote	76.9% }}

Howard Bruce Sutter (; born January 8, 1953) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the splitter.

One of the sport's dominant relievers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he became the only pitcher to lead the National League in saves five times (1979–1982, 1984), and retired with 300 saves – at the time, the third highest total in history, behind Rollie Fingers (341) and Rich "Goose" Gossage (302), and an NL record until broken by Lee Smith in ; Sutter had set the NL record in with his 194th save, surpassing the mark held by Roy Face. In his first nine seasons, only Kent Tekulve made more appearances, and he saved 133 of the Chicago Cubs' 379 wins between 1976 and 1980. In , Sutter won the NL's Cy Young Award as the league's top pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2006.

Career

Sutter graduated from Donegal High School. Sutter was a member of three different teams during his career from to . After being selected by the Washington Senators in the 21st round of the June draft, Sutter instead attended Old Dominion University, and later signed with the Cubs as a free agent in September . He spent slightly over four seasons in the Cubs' farm system, and played on the 1975 Texas League (AA) champion Midland Cubs. It was in the Cubs' farm system that Sutter was taught the split-finger fastball by minor league pitching instructor Fred Martin. He joined the Chicago Cubs in May 1976, and after five seasons was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leon Durham and Ken Reitz in December , and then joined the Atlanta Braves in December as a free agent.

In 1979, Sutter saved 37 games for the Cubs, tying the NL record held by Clay Carroll () and Rollie Fingers (). In addition to the Cy Young Award, Sutter also won both the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and ''The Sporting News'' Fireman of the Year Award in 1979, , 1982 and . He was a member of the Cardinals team which won the 1982 World Series and is credited with two saves in that Series, including the Series-clinching save in Game 7 which ended with a strikeout of Gorman Thomas and a leaping hug by catcher World Series MVP Darrell Porter; Sutter also earned the save in the pennant-clinching victory in the NLCS.

In 1984, he tied Dan Quisenberry's major league record, set the previous year, for most saves in a season (45), a record broken by Dave Righetti (46) in ; Sutter's NL record was broken by Lee Smith (47) in .

Sutter was named to the NL's All-Star team six times (1977–1981, 1984), appearing in the games of 1978 through 1981. He played a major role in all four contests, earning the win in 1978 and 1979, and saves in 1980 and 1981.

On September 8, 1977, Sutter struck out three batters on nine pitches — Ellis Valentine, Gary Carter and Larry Parrish — in the ninth inning of a 10-inning 3-2 win over the Montreal Expos. Sutter became the 12th National League pitcher and the 19th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. Sutter had also struck out the side (though not on nine pitches) upon entering the game in the eighth inning, giving him six consecutive strikeouts, tying the NL record for a reliever.

He was momentarily the highest paid player in baseball, although he agreed to have his Atlanta contract configured so that he was paid $750,000 for six years with the rest going into an insurance fund that was to be structured to pay him $1,000,000 for 30 years.

Upon retirement, Sutter stayed near Atlanta with his wife and three sons. He has had three shoulder surgeries, three knee surgeries, an elbow operation, and two back operations.

His son Chad was a catcher who played for Tulane University and was selected by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round (711st overall) of the 1999 amateur draft.

On January 10, , Sutter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 13th year of eligibility by receiving 400 votes out of a possible 520, or 76.9%. He is the first pitcher who never started a game to be elected to the Hall, and with 1042 1/3 career innings pitched he is also the first inductee to end his career with fewer than 1700 innings. Sutter's Hall of Fame plaque depicts him wearing a Cardinals cap and his trademark beard .

Not since Ralph Kiner in had a player been elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA so late in their eligibility period; Kiner was elected in his 15th and final opportunity.

Sutter's number 42, which he wore throughout his career, was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals during a ceremony at Busch Stadium on September 17, . He shares his retired number with Jackie Robinson, whose number 42 had previously been retired by "all" Major League teams in 1997. It is highly likely that the New York Yankees will also retire the number 42 after their longtime closer Mariano Rivera.

On August 23, 2010 it was announced that he would be a consultant for the Philadelphia Phillies minor league teams.

Quotes

"What a pitcher! What a pitcher!" - Chicago Cubs TV broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, at the close of one of many Sutter saves as a Cub

"Three more saves and he ties John the Baptist." - Hank Greenwald

"He was the Sandy Koufax of relievers." - former manager Whitey Herzog

"I don't think people grasp how impressive it was for him to go two or three innings for a save. When you have to get six, seven or eight outs, so many things can go wrong for a closer." -- former teammate Tom Herr

"Without (the split-finger fastball), I would've been, at best, a Double-A player. If they told me it would hurt my arm if I threw it, I'd do it all over again." - Sutter

"I remember going through the minor leagues with Mike Krukow. All we wanted was to pitch one day in the major leagues. Once we both did that, we both wanted to give up 100 home runs. If we gave up 100 home runs, we figured that we would have stuck around a while." - Sutter (However, Sutter only gave up 77 home runs)

"You never think that giving up two home runs to the same guy helped you get in the Hall of Fame. But ... that's what might have happened." - Sutter commenting on how TV replays just prior to the 2005 Hall of Fame induction of Ryne Sandberg showed the two national-televised Wrigley Field home runs he gave up on June 23, 1984. That was the year that Sutter created a new single-season save record while Sandberg was voted National League MVP.

See also

List of Major League Baseball saves champions

Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches

List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

Major League Baseball titles leaders

References

External links

Baseball Library

}}

Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Atlanta Braves players Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:St. Louis Cardinals players Category:Cy Young Award winners Category:300 saves club Category:National League All-Stars Category:National League saves champions Category:People from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Baseball players from Pennsylvania Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Gulf Coast Cubs players Category:Quincy Cubs players Category:Key West Conchs players Category:Midland Cubs players Category:Wichita Aeros players Category:People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

fr:Bruce Sutter ja:ブルース・スーター

Name	Mike Schmidt
Position	Third baseman
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	September 27, 1949
Birth place	Dayton, Ohio
Debutdate	September 12
Debutyear	1972
Debutteam	Philadelphia Phillies
Finaldate	May 28
Finalyear	1989
Finalteam	Philadelphia Phillies
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.267
Stat2label	Home runs
Stat2value	548
Stat3label	Runs batted in
Stat3value	1,595
Teams	Philadelphia Phillies (–)
Highlights	World Series champion () 1980 World Series MVP 12× All-Star (1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989) 8× National League Home Run Champion (, , , , , , , ) 4× National League RBI Leader (1980, 1981, 1984, 1986) 10× Gold Glove Award winner (1976, , , , 1980, 1981, , 1983, 1984, 1986) 6× Silver Slugger Award winner (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986) 3× NL MVP (1980, 1981, 1986) 5× NL Player of the Month (April 1976, July 1979, May 1980, August 1981, July 1982) 1983 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 4 home runs in one game (April 17, 1976) Philadelphia Phillies #20 retired Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Hofdate
Hofvote	96.5% (first ballot) }}

Michael Jack Schmidt (; born September 27, 1949) is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Schmidt had an unusual batting stance, turning his back somewhat to the pitcher and waving his posterior while waiting for the pitch. By standing far back in the batter's box, he made it impossible to jam him by pitching inside. Schmidt was one of the best athletes of his time; teammate Pete Rose once said, ''"To have his body, I'd trade him mine and my wife's, and I'd throw in some cash."''

Early days

Upon graduation from Fairview High School in Dayton, Ohio in , Schmidt attended Ohio University in Athens, where he joined Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Schmidt led the Ohio Bobcats baseball team to the College World Series in , and was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft with the 30th overall pick.

On June 11, , he was signed by scout Tony Lucadello, who had followed him since Little League Baseball. Six days later, Schmidt made his professional debut in an exhibition game between the Phillies and the Reading Phillies in Reading. Schmidt played the whole game at shortstop for the Phillies and hit a game-winning home run against Reading. Along with shortstop and third base, Schmidt also played some second base in the minors.

Schmidt spent two seasons in the Phillies' farm system, where he batted .263 with 34 home runs and 122 runs batted in. He received a September call-up to the Phillies in , and made his major league debut against the New York Mets on September 12. Four days later, Schmidt ended Montreal Expos pitcher Balor Moore's streak of 25 scoreless innings pitched with his first career home run.

Philadelphia Phillies

Following the 1972 season, the Phillies dealt third baseman Don Money to the Milwaukee Brewers to open a spot for Schmidt on their infield. Schmidt batted only .196 with 136 strikeouts his first full season, however, he did demonstrate his power potential with 18 home runs.

Schmidt's batting average climbed as high as .356 in to received the first of his twelve All-Star nods. On June 10, Schmidt hit a ball into a public address speaker suspended 117 feet above and 329 feet away from home plate in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The ball then fell to the field, and by the Astrodome's ground rules, it remained in play. Schmidt was held to a single, and the runners on first and second each advanced just one base. It is believed that had it not hit the speaker, the ball would have carried beyond 500 feet. For the season, Schmidt finished sixth in National League Most Valuable Player balloting as he batted .282 with 106 RBIs and a league leading 36 home runs to help the Phillies avoid a last place finish in the National League East for the first time since . His 404 assists in 1974 remain a record for third basemen. He also filled in at shortstop and first base.

Schmidt's batting average hovered below .200 through the month of May . Solid months of July and August saw his average rise to .249 by the end of the season as he led the league in home runs for the second year in a row with 38. Schmidt started the season off by hitting twelve home runs in Philadelphia's first fifteen games, including four in one game on April 17, a feat accomplished only 15 times in the history of baseball. For the season, Schmidt drove in 107 runs, and led the league in home runs for the third year in a row (38), and won his first of ten Gold Gloves to lead the Phillies to their first division crown since division play started in .

The Phillies captured the NL east crown three years in a row, however, the were swept by Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" in 1976, and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in and . On December 5, 1978, the Phillies signed Pete Rose as a free agent, temporarily making Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports when they signed him to a four-year, $3.2-million contract. With Rose on board, the Phillies were early favorites to repeat as division winners in . Instead, the Phillies finished the season at 84-78, and in fourth place in NL East. For his part, Schmidt broke the club record for home runs in a season with 45, eclipsing Chuck Klein's 43 hit in .

National League MVP

On October 3, , the Phillies went into Montreal tied with the Expos for first place in the NL East. With a sacrifice fly in the first, and a solo home run in the sixth, Schmidt led the Phillies to a 2-1 victory to capture first place. A day later, Schmidt hit his 48th home run of the season in the 11th inning to give the Phillies the 6-4 extra innings victory over the Expos, and clinch the division. His 48 home runs broke his own team record, and led the National League by a margin of thirteen over his nearest competitor (His home run mark would stand for 26 years until first baseman and National League MVP Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006). Coupled with a league leading 121 RBIs, Schmidt was a unanimous choice for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award.

The Phillies defeated the Houston Astros in the 1980 National League Championship Series to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Though Schmidt had just a career .191 post-season batting average with no home runs and five RBIs, his bat came alive in the World Series, hitting two homers and driving in seven runs against the Kansas City Royals to earn him the World Series MVP Award. Following the World Series, Schmidt and four of his Phillies teammates appeared on Family Feud for one week in 1980. He, Larry Bowa, Garry Maddox, Dick Ruthven and Del Unser took on five members of the Kansas City Royals: Dennis Leonard, Dan Quisenberry, Paul Splittorff, John Wathan and Willie Wilson.

Schmidt's best season may have been the strike shortened season. His 31 home runs were seven more than anyone else in the league. He also led the NL in runs scored, RBIs, total bases and walks, and sett personal highs in batting average, on-base average and slugging average. He won his second consecutive MVP award, this time with 96% of the vote.

The Phillies led the NL East by 3.5 games when the 1981 Major League Baseball strike hit. As a result, the Phillies were named NL East champions for the first half of the season, however, they lost to the second half champion Montreal Expos in the 1981 National League Division Series.

In , in celebration of the team's 100th anniversary, Schmidt was voted by fans the greatest player in the history of the franchise. That year, he led the league in home runs for the sixth time in his career to lead the Phillies back to the post season. Schmidt led his team with a .467 batting average and scored five runs as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1983 National League Championship Series. It was, however, a way different story against the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series. The Phillies were held to a .195 team batting average; Schmidt went just 1-for-20 with a single.

Following the 1983 season, the Phillies dealt Pete Rose to the Montreal Expos. Tim Corcoran and Len Matuszek platooned at first in , however, neither provided to the offensive spark Rose did. In , Schmidt was moved to first base from late May through the end of the season with Rick Schu assuming third base duties. The Phillies finished with a below .500 record for the first time since 1974.

In , the Phillies moved outfielder Von Hayes to first base and shifted Schmidt back to his natural position. He responded by winning his third MVP award, a record for third basemen, with a league leading 37 home runs and 119 RBIs.

Retirement

Trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium on April 18, , Schmidt hit his career 500th home run, a three run shot off of Don Robinson to win the game, 8-6.

Injuries to Schmidt's rotator cuff caused him to miss the last month and a half of the season. He returned healthy for the season, however, after a poor start, Schmidt suddenly chose to announce his retirement in San Diego, on May 29. He demonstrated little emotion on the field, and was known as "Captain Cool" by many in Philadelphia sports circles, however, Schmidt surprised many with an emotional, and occasionally tearful, retirement speech. His last game was May 28, 1989, against the San Francisco Giants.

Despite his poor start and subsequent retirement, fans again voted Schmidt to the NL All-Star team. He decided not to play, but he did participate in the game's opening ceremony.

Career stats

Over his career Schmidt set a vast array of hitting and fielding records. In addition to his MVP Awards, Schmidt won ten Gold Gloves, led the league in home runs eight times, in RBIs four times, OPS five times, and walks four times. He was named to twelve All-Star teams. He is the Phillies all-time leader in games played, at-bats, plate appearances, runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI, walks, strikeouts, total bases, runs created, sacrifice flies, outs, Adj. Batting Runs, Adj. Batting Wins, Extra Base Hits, Times On Base, and Power-Speed number.

}}

Post playing career

Schmidt opted, at first, to pursue a more private lifestyle after his career, rather than to become a manager or coach. He has written a number of articles on baseball for CBS and regularly participates in charity golf tournaments. He spent one season as a member of the Phillies broadcast team on the now-defunct PRISM network. He was known as a very candid and honest broadcaster despite his limited experience in the area.

In 1991, he and Nolan Ryan were inducted into the Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum's Hall of Excellence (established in 1988), thereby becoming only the second and third MLB players inducted into the Hall.

In 1995, Schmidt was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with what was then the fourth highest percentage ever, 96.52%. (Nolan Ryan and George Brett surpassed his percentage in ).

In 1999, he ranked number 28 on ''The Sporting News'''s list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking third baseman, and the highest-ranking player whose career began after 1967. Later that year, he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. His uniform number 20 has been retired by the Phillies, and he has been honored with a statue outside the third-base gate at the team's home, Citizens Bank Park.

Schmidt has publicly expressed his thoughts on various baseball controversies. He has been a vocal advocate for the reinstatement of Pete Rose to baseball. In July 2005, he appeared on Bob Costas' HBO show ''Costas Now'' to discuss steroids, and said, "Let me go out on a limb and say that if I had played during that era I would have taken steroids... We all have these things we deal with in life, and I'm surely not going to sit here and say to you guys, 'I wouldn't have done that.'"

In his 2006 book, ''Clearing the Bases: Juiced Players, Shrinking Ballparks, Sham Records, and a Hall of Famer's Search for the Soul of Baseball'', he somewhat recanted that statement, saying that he understood the desire to get a competitive advantage even though he could not condone breaking the rules to do so.

Coaching

In 2002, Schmidt was hired by the Phillies to work for several weeks as a hitting coach each Spring training. In October 2003, Schmidt was named the manager of the Phillies' Single A Florida State League affiliate, the Clearwater Threshers. He managed them for just the 2004 season, then resigned. In 2009, he served as third base coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Philanthropy

In , Schmidt began sponsoring an annual fishing tournament known as the Mike Schmidt Winner's Circle Invitational at Old Bahama Bay in West End, Grand Bahama Island. The first event raised $27,000, and has since raised over $1.5 million for cystic fibrosis.

In 2008, Schmidt released a charity wine called Mike Schmidt 548 Zinfandel, a reference to his 548 career home runs, with proceeds also going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

See also

List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

500 home run club

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

List of Major League Baseball RBI champions

List of Major League Baseball home run champions

List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

Batters with four home runs in one game

Major League Baseball titles leaders

DHL Hometown Heroes

References

Further reading

External links

, or BaseballLibrary.com

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:500 home run club Category:American people of German descent Category:Baseball players from Ohio Category:Eugene Emeralds players Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Minor league baseball managers Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:Major League Baseball World Series Most Valuable Player award winners Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:National League Most Valuable Player Award winners Category:National League All-Stars Category:National League home run champions Category:National League RBI champions Category:Ohio Bobcats baseball players Category:People from Dayton, Ohio Category:Philadelphia Phillies broadcasters Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Reading Phillies players

es:Mike Schmidt fr:Mike Schmidt ko:마이크 슈미트 ja:マイク・シュミット pt:Mike Schmidt

Name	Enos Cabell
Position	Third baseman / First baseman / Outfielder
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	October 08, 1949
Birth place	Fort Riley, Kansas
Debutdate	September 17
Debutyear	1972
Debutteam	Baltimore Orioles
Finaldate	September 29
Finalyear	1986
Finalteam	Los Angeles Dodgers
Stat1label	Batting Average
Stat1value	.277
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	1647
Stat3label	Runs Batted In
Stat3value	596
Teams	Baltimore Orioles (-) Houston Astros (-) San Francisco Giants () Detroit Tigers (-) Houston Astros (-) Los Angeles Dodgers (-)
Highlights	Led NL in at-bats in 1978 with 660 }}

Enos Milton Cabell, Jr. (pronounced "ca-BELL", born October 8, 1949 in Fort Riley, Kansas) is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.

Cabell was traded from Baltimore to Houston on December 3, 1974 for 1B Lee May. On December 8, 1980, Cabell was then traded to San Francisco for P Bob Knepper and OF Chris Bourjos.

On February 28, 1986, Cabell and six others were suspended for the entire season for admitting during the Pittsburgh drug trials that they were involved in cocaine abuse. The suspensions for all seven were avoided after agreeing to large anti-drug donations and community service.

In December 2008, Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young filed suit against Cabell and two others for applying for a trademark to use Young's initials and "Invinceable" nickname to sell products without Young's permission in 2006. The suit claims that their use of Young's name has damaged endorsement deals for Young; he is asking the court to give him the exclusive rights to use the initials and nickname. Cabell denies any wrongdoing.

Currently, he serves as a special assistant to Astros General Manager Ed Wade.

See also

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

Sources

External links

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:African American baseball players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Baseball players from Kansas Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Category:Bluefield Orioles players Category:Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs players Category:Detroit Tigers players Category:Houston Astros broadcasters Category:Houston Astros players Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Major League Baseball first basemen Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from Geary County, Kansas Category:Rochester Red Wings players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Stockton Ports players

no:Enos Cabell

Name	Al Oliver
Position	Outfielder / First baseman
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
Birth date	October 14, 1946
Birth place	Portsmouth, Ohio
Debutdate	September 23
Debutyear	1968
Debutteam	Pittsburgh Pirates
Finaldate	October 5
Finalyear	1985
Finalteam	Toronto Blue Jays
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.303
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	2,743
Stat3label	Home runs
Stat3value	219
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,326
Teams	Pittsburgh Pirates (–) Texas Rangers (–) Montreal Expos (–) San Francisco Giants () Philadelphia Phillies () Los Angeles Dodgers () Toronto Blue Jays ()
Highlights	7× All-Star selection (1972, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983) World Series champion () 3× Silver Slugger Award winner (1980, 1981, 1982) }}

Albert Oliver, Jr. (born October 14, 1946 in Portsmouth, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player. Over the course of his 18-year career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968–77), Texas Rangers (1978–81), Montreal Expos (1982–83), San Francisco Giants (1984), Philadelphia Phillies (1984), Los Angeles Dodgers (1985) and Toronto Blue Jays (1985). Nicknamed "Scoop", Oliver batted and threw left-handed.

Oliver was a center fielder who also played left and right as well as first base. He was signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1964. From 1970-76 he played on five Pirates division champions, including the team that defeated the Orioles in the 1971 World Series.

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates (1968-77)

Oliver was called to the Major Leagues on September 14, 1968, which was the day his father, Al Oliver, Sr., died. He appeared in 4 games that season. In his official rookie season, Oliver batted .285 with 17 home runs and drove in 70 runs, placing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, 1970, Oliver hit .270 and was fifth in the NL with seven sacrifice files. He also finished second in the league with the 14 times he was hit by a pitch (the previous year he was plunked 12 times, fourth in the league). The Pirates won the National League East title for their first trip to the postseason since winning the 1960 World Series. However, they lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.

On September 1, 1971, the Pirates fielded what is believed to be the first all-black lineup in the history of the league. Oliver played first base, joining second baseman Rennie Stennett, center fielder Gene Clines, right fielder Roberto Clemente, left fielder Willie Stargell, catcher Manny Sanguillén, third baseman Dave Cash, shortstop Jackie Hernández and pitcher Dock Ellis in the starting lineup. Oliver ended the season with a .282 average, including 31 doubles (8th in the NL), seven triples (10th), 10 sacrifice flies (2nd), and five hit-by-pitches (good for 9th in the league). After beating the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS, the Pirates won the World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games with Oliver as their regular center fielder.

In 1972 Oliver raised his batting average to .312, good for sixth in the league. He hit 12 home runs with 89 RBI (10th in the NL). He scored 88 runs (8th in the league) and totalled 176 hits, which was also 8th in the NL. Oliver was named to his first All-Star game while finishing seventh in the NL MVP voting. Oliver hit 20 home runs and drive in 99 runs (7th in the NL) while batting .292. Again he was among the league-leaders in hits (191, fifth in the NL), total bases (303, fifth in NL), doubles (38, second in NL), triples (7, eighth in NL), sacrifice flies (nine, 3rd in NL) and extra-base hits with 65, which put him in the top ten for the first of his five times in the league's top ten in that category. The Pirates won their third consecutive NL East title, however they lost to the Reds 3 games to 2 in the NLCS. The Pirates offense led the National League in batting average with a .274 average and led the NL with 1505 hits.

In 1974, Oliver hit .321 with 198 hits which were second and fourth in the National League respectively. He also hit 38 doubles and 12 triples which were both second best in the NL. Oliver was seventh in NL MVP voting for the second time in three years. About Oliver, Willie Stargell said, "When it came to hitting . . . all he ever did was crush the ball. Al was the perfect number three hitter because you knew he was going to make contact". He had a 23-game hitting streak in 1974 and another streak of 21 games where he got at least one hit. The Pirates won the NL East but lost to the Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the NLCS. The Pirates offense, known as the "Pittsburgh Lumber Company" again led the NL in hitting with 1560 hits and a .274 team batting average.

Oliver's 90 runs in 1975 was tenth in the NL as he hit .280 with 18 home runs and 84 RBI and played in the All-Star game for the second time. He tied a personal mark with 65 extra base hits which was good for 5th in the NL, 39 of which were doubles which put him third in the NL in that category. He was named as an outfielder on The Sporting News 1975 NL All-Star Team. The Pirates won the NL East again, but were swept by the Cincinnati Reds 3 games to none in the NLCS.

In Oliver hit .323; this was his first of nine straight .300+ seasons. He played in the All-Star game once again, batting .360 at break, but an inner ear infection sidelined him in the second half, and prevented him from finishing in the top 10 in batting categories. He was voted the National League Player of the Month for June. In 1977, as part of the so-called "Pittsburgh Lumber Company", Oliver hit .308 (tenth in the NL) with 19 home runs and 82 RBI. His 175 hits were 10th in the NL. he also stole a career-high 13 bases, although he was thrown out 16 times along the way. His 8 sacrifice flies were fifth in the league as well.

Texas Rangers (1978-81)

On December 8, 1977, he was traded as part of a 4-team trade by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Nelson Norman to the Texas Rangers. The Atlanta Braves sent Willie Montanez to the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers sent Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs, and Eddie Miller to the Atlanta Braves. The Texas Rangers sent a player to be named later and Tom Grieve to the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers sent Bert Blyleven to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Mets sent Jon Matlack to the Texas Rangers. The New York Mets sent John Milner to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Texas Rangers later sent Ken Henderson to the New York Mets to complete the trade.

In 1978 Oliver was second in the AL with a .324 batting average and his 170 hits here good for eighth in the league and his 35 doubles were sixth in the league. The next season, 1979, Oliver hit .323, good for fifth in the league (the fifth time he had finished among his league's top ten in batting.

Wearing the number 0 on his uniform, Oliver played in all of Texas's 163 games in , and reached career highs in hits (209, fourth in the AL), doubles (43, second in the AL) and RBI (117, fourth in the AL) while batting .319, which was eighth in the American League. He was voted to the AL All-Star team for the first time. Oliver was the outfielder on The Sporting News 1980 AL Silver Slugger Team. On August 17 at Tiger Stadium, he established an American League record with 21 total bases in a doubleheader (four home runs, a double and a triple).

In 1981 Oliver was ninth in the AL with a .309 average, sixth in hits with 130, second in doubles with 29 while playing in the All-Star game (his 5th). He also won his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter at his position, which in 1981 was designated hitter.

Montreal Expos (1982-83)

On March 31, 1982, after he became the Rangers' all-time leading hitter (.319) and reached the club's top ten in virtually every offensive category he was traded to the Montreal Expos for Larry Parrish and Dave Hostetler.

In 1982 with the Expos, Oliver hit a career-high .331 batting average to win the National League batting crown. He also led the NL in hits (204), doubles (43), extra bases (67), and total bases (317), and tied with Dale Murphy for the RBI lead with 109. His doubles tied his 1980 career-high and his 67 extra base hit was also a career-high as well has his 22 home runs, breaking his 1973 personal best. In addition to playing in his sixth All-Star game he was 3rd in the NL MVP voting and won his 3rd consecutive Silver Slugger Award, this time as a first baseman. He was also the first baseman on The Sporting News NL All-Star Team.

In 1983 Oliver led the NL in doubles with 38 and was fourth in the NL in hits with 184. He hit .300 once again and topped the 2500 career hit level (August 10, 1983, off Mets' pitcher Carlos Diaz). and Oliver was selected for his seventh All-Star game, starting at first base in the 1983 Classic.

Giants, Phillies, Dodgers, Blue Jays (1984-85)

On February 27, 1984, Oliver was traded San Francisco Giants for Fred Breining and Max Venable. The San Francisco Giants later sent Andy McGaffigan to the Montreal Expos to complete the trade. Later that same year, on August 20, 1984, he was again traded, this time with Renie Martin to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley.

In the offseason, Oliver was traded by the Phillies to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Pat Zachry. Then, on July 9, 1985, he was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Toronto Blue Jays for Len Matuszek. With the Blue Jays, Oliver delivered two game-winning hits in the first four games of the 1985 American League Championship Series against Kansas City. However, the Royals rallied to win the last three games. (In the seventh and deciding game, the lefty Oliver started as the DH against right-hander Bret Saberhagen. But after pitching three scoreless innings, Saberhagen departed the game in favour of lefty Charlie Leibrandt, thus giving the Royals the platoon advantage. Right-handed batter Cliff Johnson pinch hit for Oliver, and struck out, ending a Blue Jays rally. Oliver was caught by TV cameras angrily scowling in the dugout, knowing his night—and as it turned out, his season and career—were over.) Oliver batted .375 for the series.

Oliver claims that due to baseball collusion he was forced to retire. Courts did prove that there was collusion among baseball owners in the mid-1980s to suppress baseball salaries, but it has not been shown that it had a direct effect on Oliver. Several players, including Kirk Gibson, were allowed to file for free agency a second time because of the court order based on the "collusion" finding. Andre Dawson said, "Al, as a lifetime .300 hitter after 18 seasons, I feel is deserving of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. There is no question in my mind had he not been forced out of the game by collusion, had he been given an all out honest attempt to achieve 3,000 hits, he would have done it. He was pushed out of the game when he was still a .300 hitter. I feel he deserves a place in baseball today."

Highlights

Al Oliver was a career .303 hitter with 219 home runs and 1326 RBI in 2368 games. He batted .300 or more eleven times and retired with 2,743 hits (45th on the all-time list). He also ranks among all-time top 50 in games played (2368), total bases (4083), RBI (1326) and extra-base hits (825). He was among the league's top ten in doubles nine times and among the league's top ten in hits nine times as well and finished in the top ten in batting average nine times. Five times he was among the league's top ten in total bases and four times he was in the top ten in RBIs. Because of these feats, his name has been mentioned more than once as a possible inductee into the Baseball Hall Of Fame.

Notes

Oliver hit the last home run ever hit at Forbes Field. His shot came off Milt Pappas in the sixth inning of the last game played at the stadium, the second game of a June 28, 1970, doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.

Oliver also drove in the first run ever scored at Three Rivers Stadium. His first-inning double off Gary Nolan drove in Richie Hebner in that stadium's inaugural game, on July 16 of that same 1970 season. However, the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pirates 3-2 . Oliver asked to be intentionally benched for the final two games of the 1983 season to maintain his .300 batting average. Oliver's son Aaron Oliver was a member of the 1998 Big 12 Championship Football Team at Texas A&M; University. He lettered 4 years and was a 3 year starter. His son also caught the first touchdown pass in Big 12 Conference history Branndon Stewart to Aaron Oliver, Texas A&M; 57 yards on 2nd-and-9 from the Texas A&M; 43-yard line (9:55, 2nd Quarter) against Brigham Young University. Now Aaron is a teacher at a prestigious charter school, KIPP TRUTH Academy, located in Dallas, Texas.

See also

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter

NL Silver Slugger Winners at First Base

AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

List of Major League Baseball RBI champions

List of Major League Baseball batting champions

List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame: Oliver a Hit With All His Teams

2007 Hall of Fame candidate profile at the Internet Archive

BaseballLibrary

Baseball Page

Al Oliver homepage

Aaron Oliver's Work Place ( KIPP TRUTH Academy)

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball players from Ohio Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:Major League Baseball left fielders Category:Major League Baseball designated hitters Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Montreal Expos players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:Toronto Blue Jays players Category:National League All-Stars Category:American League All-Stars Category:National League batting champions Category:National League RBI champions Category:People from Portsmouth, Ohio Category:African American baseball players

fr:Al Oliver ja:アル・オリバー