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Ashburn was the one who took over Harry ‘The Hat’ Walker’s position as the center fielder in 1948. He was known for his speed as he batted .333 and stolen bases with 32 and an amazing leadoff man. He may not have extreme power at all times, but he has a very keen eye which made him earn a lot of walks. He was traded to Chicago Cubs in the 1959 season and in 1962 became the original member of New York Mets.

It was in 1962 when he turned out to become a broadcaster for the Phillies and was a sports columnist for the Philadelphia newspaper from 1974 to 1991. He passed away due to a heart attack in New York.

Photo via hickoksports.com

Adrian Constantine Anson or more popularly known as Cap Anson was a professional player of baseball in both the Major League and the National Association. He was able to play for a total of 27 seasons and was hailed to be one of the greatest baseball players of his time.

He managed the New York Giants after his retirement as a player and left the Colts. He ran a few businesses in Chicago which included a billiards hall which ran a semi-professional baseball team called as Anson’s Colts. A lot of his business plans failed though which led him to bankruptcy.

He was included in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Photo via brittanica.com

Known to be the legendary baseball manager, Sparky is one of the most popular managers in the entire baseball history. He started with the Cincinnati Reds and ended up with Detroit Tigers, all these from 1970 to 1995. Regardless of how tough the going was, he was able to lead these two teams to heights of success.

He was the only baseball manage to have won the World Series in the American League and the National League. He was also the first to win a hundred games in one season for both leagues. He is the ambassador for baseball and also a world renowned speaker.

Sparky is a philanthropist and the founder of CATCH, a charitable institution for underprivileged kids in Detroit. He started this in 1987.

Photo via baseballguru.com

Alston was just a boy when he discovered he was a pitcher and the nickname Smokey was what he earned for all his fastballs. He grew up very fond of basketball and baseball all throughout his educational years from gradeschool to college.

It was in 1954 when Smokey was promoted to become manager of the Dodgers. The Dodgers under Smokey’s management won the International League twice and finished in second place for the following year. From then on, success made up Alston’s trademark. He was voted manager of the year in years 1955, 1959 and 1963.

He died in Oxford, Ohio on October 1, 1984.

Photo via Britannica.com

Born In Mobile, Alabama, this former all time home run king of the baseball world, played as an outfielder for a total of 23 years for the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers. He is a world record holder for various baseball accomplishments including 2,297 batted runs, 1,477 extra base hits, 6,856 total bases and with more than thirty home runs. He also belongs in the list of top 5 career runs and hits.

His record for the most career home runs which reached 755 was beaten by Barry Bonds with 756 home runs on August 7 of 2007. In year 1999, in commemoration of the 25^th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s record being beaten by Hank, the Hank Aaron Award was presented by the Major League Baseball – a prestigious award that was given yearly by the best hitter in every league. In 2002, Hank Aaron was given the honor to be awarded with the Presidential Medal Freedom.

Photo via hankaaronbiography.com

Here is a baseball pitch grip generally thought of as a movement pitch, or somewhat similar to cut fastball, a cutter or sinker. The two seam fastball is a pitch that requires a slightly tight grip and deeper in the throwing hand compared to the four-seamer.

In pitching a two-seam fastball, the position of your index and middle fingers are kept directly on top of the narrow seams of the baseball. (See above photo).

Then, keep your thumb on the bottom side of the baseball and on the silky leather in between the narrow seams.

The two seam fastball pitch requires a firm grip to give essential friction; And this is a good advantage to cause the baseball to change direction, it can “back up” or “run in” to the throwing hand side of the plate. It slightly reduces the speed of the pitch as well, which is slower than four-seam fastballs.

(Photo via thecompletepitcher.com)

Chan Ho Park, who pitched for the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies out of the bullpen last season, has made a one year deal agreement with the New York Yankees. This announcement was made Monday at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea. Although the Yankees have not confirmed the signing and even the team’s General Manager Brian Cashman has not disclosed if the deal was really approved and finalized. There were some talks between Park’s agent Jeff Borris and Cashman, and according to Brian Cashman, the deal is not yet over.

It was said that the offered package is worth US$1.2 million with an additional $300,000 in performance bonuses if Park decides to join the Yankees. And this is exactly what Chan Ho Park agreed to when he announced in the news conference his decision to join the New York Yankees. The 36-year old right-hander went 3-3 with a 4.43 earned-run average in 45 games with the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies last year. Park also made 3 1-3 scoreless innings against the Yankees in the World Series.

Park has a career record of 120-95 with a 4.35 ERA over 16 big-league seasons with the Phillies, Rangers, Dodgers, Padres and Mets. And the first South Korean to play in the Major League

(Photo via zimbio.com)

Lou Gehrig aka “Iron Horse”, won the Triple Crown in 1934, leading the American League in batting average (.363), home runs (49), and runs batted in (RBIs; 165).

Lou sacrificed many body injuries to play the consecutive MLB games.  Not as popular as his teammate, Babe Ruth. Lou was a tremendous baseball player; from 1926 to 1938 he hit at least 100 runs for 13 straight seasons,.  He made an American League record of 184 RBIs and hit 493 home runs in 1931.

Unfortunately, in 1938, Lou Gehrig was too ill to play baseball.  He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a deadly disease that affects the central nervous system.  Lou Gehrig has no choice but to retire from baseball. He was the first player to have the honorable rite of retiring his uniform number, 4 presented by the Yankees. Lou Gehrig was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.  And 2 years later, Lou Gehrig died of ALS at the age of 37.  A movie was made in memory of the great player, his life story entitled “The Pride of the Yankees”.

(Photo via repairstemcell.wordpress.org)

Another common breaking ball grip that combines a bit of beginners curve and knuckle curve, it’s called the overhand curveball or popularly known as the straight curveball.

Learning the straight curve requires good skill in throwing a beginners curveball, because both grips are somehow similar in principles. Working on the beginners grip is a stepping exercise towards the straight curve pitch. As mentioned, both pitching grips are almost the same except for the position of the index finger. It should be placed on the baseball contrary to beginners curve where the index finger is pointed at a target.

To do this pitch, the thumb action goes upward. It rotates up while the middle and index fingers rotate down. The arm movement must be a little short at the end. The position of your pitching arm elbow must be to the opposite hip. This makes a short follow through while giving a real snap off the pitch.

(Photo via completepitcher.com)

Playing the game of baseball is thrilling and fun, but without the proper safety gears, its make no difference engaging in dangerous sports like boxing, skateboarding, or cycling. Seeing a ball pitch from a distance may not seem detrimental, but combining the weight and overwhelming speed of the ball will surely cause a fatal damage if the batter gets accidentally hit. If it wasn’t for Roger Bresnahan, who got struck on the head during the game, the batting helmet would not exist.

A batting helmet is similar to a headgear worn by skateboarders as a protective shell for the head, it covers the back, top and side which are called earflaps. It is meant to protect the batter’s ear from wayward pitches thrown by the pitcher. Helmets with left earflaps are meant for right handed batters while the ones with the right earflaps are for the left handed. Although, there are batting helmets that cover both ears and these are mandatory in amateur level baseball.

So, it is crucial to wear a batting helmet in baseball games or even in practice, because a batter who is “hit by pitch”, due to an unintentional wild pitch may end up fatally injured.

(Photo via goprostock.com)