centerfield maz

Noel Fernando Salas was born May 30th, 1985 in Sonora, Mexico. The six foot two right hander, grew up in Mexico watching baseball there & not much MLB action. He began pitching in the Mexican League for former big leaguer Sid Monge. Monge taught him to be a better pitcher & four years later. he told Salas that he was ready for America & the big leagues. In 2010 he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinlas & invited to Spring Training. That year he got into 27 games, finishing off eleven games for St. Louis in relief. In 2011 he became the Cards closer, replacing Ryan Franklin & saved 24 games in 68 appearances. The next year he started out at 0-3 with an ERA over six & was sent down to the minor leagues. He suffered from a kidney stone & returned later in the season. Post Season: Salas made three appearances in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies & then four games in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. In the Cards 12-6 Gam...

Amos Wilson Rusie was Born on May 30, 1871 in Mooresville, Indiana. The tall six foot one right handed fastball pitcher, was known as "The Hoosier Thunderbolt" & became one of the most dominant pitchers of the 1890’s. After one season at Indianapolis he came to the New York Giants in 1890. In those days the distance between home plate & the pitcher’s mound was only 50 feet, & Rusie's fastball was frightening to batters. They were scared of the speed but even more so of his control issues. He would lead the league in walks five straight seasons & set the all time single season base on balls mark 1890 (290). That season he also, led the league with 36 wild pitches. Rusie is seventh on the all time list with 1707 walks & 33rd with 153 wild pitches. In his first season with the Giants he won 29 games, but also led the league in losses with 34. He would win 30 games or more over the next four seasons, posting winning records every year. To go al...

Joseph Salvatore Altobelli was Born on May 26, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. Altobello was son to Italian immigrant parents. In the early fifties Altobelli, known as Alto, was a Detroit All City high school player. At the next level, he set a record in the Florida State League with a 36 game hit streak. He was a slugging prospect, hitting 47 HRs for the Rochester Red Wings from 1963 to 1966. He only played for three seasons at the major league level, with the Cleveland Indians & Minnesota Twins. He would never hit above .221 posting five HRs 28 RBIs & eight doubles for the 1961 expansion Twins. He was a versatile fielder playing all outfield positions, as well as first base, making only three errors in 98 games, posting a .989 fielding percentage. In 1966 he began a successful eleven year minor league managerial career in the Orioles farm system. In six years at Rochester from 1971-1976, his team finished first four times, and made the playoffs each year. The 1971 tea...

Gabriel (Gomez) Ynoa was born on May 26th 1993 in La Vega, Dominican Republic. The six foot two right handed pitcher was signed by the New York Mets out of high school in 2009 as an amateur free agent. He pitched winter ball in 201 & then for the Mets in the Rookie League in 2011. By 2012 he was in Brooklyn with the A ball Brooklyn Cyclones going 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA. In 2013 he was promoted to the Savannah Sand Gnats, where he went 15-4 with a 2.72 ERA 7 struck out 106 batters. Topps named him the South Atlantic Player of the Year and he was also the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher. He began 2014 at St. Lucie going 8-2 getting promoted to AA Binghamton where in 11 games he went 3-2. Overall he was 11-4 with 106 strike outs combined with both teams. In 2015 he was an even 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA. In 2016 he started for Frank Viola & Wally Backman at AAA Las Vegas. Pitching in the known hitters ballpark, he went 12-5 with a 3.97 ERA. He is not known as a big stri...

Collin Brannen Cowgill was born May 22nd, 1986 in Lexington, Kentucky. The five foot nine right hand hitting, left hand throwing outfielder, attended the University of Kentucky. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008. He hit 12 HRs at A ball in 2008 & then followed with 16 at AA Mobile in 2010. In 2011 he tore up the Pacific Coast League at AAA Reno, hitting .354 with 13 HRs in just 98 games, earning him a call up to the big leagues. Cowgill made his MLB debut on July 26th, 2011 going 0-4 in a 6-1 win over the Padres in San Diego. He saw action in 36 games batting .239 hitting his first career HR off San Diego's Erik Hamren on Augsut 28th. He got two at bats in the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers getting one hit. In December 2011 he was traded to the Oakland A's along with Jarrod Parker & Ryan Cook in exchange for Craig Beslow & Trevor Cahill. He made the A's club out of Spring Training and hit .271 through June with a HR & 9 RBIs. He...

Edward Leslie Grant was born on May 21, 1883, Franklin, Massachusetts. Edward Grant graduated from Harvard University in 1905, earning the future nickname “Harvard Eddie”. He often annoyed his less educated teammates by refusing to yell the traditional, "I got it," when a fly ball was hit, using the more grammatically correct, "I have it." Grant began his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians in 1905, and then spent 1906 in the minors. He returned with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1907, and became their every day third baseman until 1910. The quick third baseman batted leadoff and was known for his base stealing & fine fielding. His best years were the 1909 & 1910 seasons. In 1909 he led the league in at bats (631) plate appearances (700) & played in every game of the season. His 170 hits were second in the league; he scored 75 runs stole 28 bases, hit 18 doubles with one HR & 37 RBIs. At third base he posted the league’s second best fi...

Louis Peo Chiozza was born on May 17, 1910 in Tallulah, Louisiana. The six foot left handed hitting Chiozza, was raised in Memphis Tennessee becoming an all around athlete in high school. He played baseball, basketball, football, handball, ran track & was also a boxer. He was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1933, getting his MLB debut the next year. He became the Phillies main second baseman also playing third base & a bit of outfield. In his rookie year he batted .304 with a .357 on base %, 0 HRs 28 doubles 5 triples 34 walks & six hit by pitches (3rd in the league). He became known as one of the fastest men in the game at that time. He stole nine bases which don’t seem like much now, but it put him the league’s top ten back in the 1934 season. In the first ever night game in baseball history on May 24th, 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a button from the White House which lit up Crosley Field, in Cincinnati. Chiozza made history as he stepped up...

In 2011 Dillon Gee began the year pitching  three games at AAA Buffalo before getting back to the Mets pitching staff. In his first outing on April 17th, he pitched into the 6th inning, allowing just one run on five hits as he beat Tommy Hanson & the Atlanta Braves 3-2 at Turner Field. The Mets offense was led by Josh Thole who had two RBI singles. Gee followed with his second start on April 23rd at Citi Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won that one 6-4, pitching six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out five. In the Mets 3rd inning Jason Bay & Ike Davis had back to back HRs. Bay would drive in three runs on the night & Daniel Murphy had two hits with two RBIs as well. After three relief appearances & two no decisions Gee went on a roll winning five straight games, bringing some excitement to a dull Mets season. On May 19th he pitched into the 8th inning, allowing just two hits, shutting out the Washin...

Frank Peter Seminara was born on May 16, 1967 in Brooklyn, New York. The local boy attended Columbia University, learning finances & becoming the star pitcher for their baseball team. He was the last MLB pitcher to be drafted out of Columbia University where he received a B.A. in history. In 1988 he was signed in the 12th round by the local A.L. New York club. The six foot two right handed pitcher, was eventually drafted away by the San Diego Padres (Rule V) in 1990. He went 16-8 at A ball Prince William, earning the Carolina Leagues Pitcher of the Year Award that same year. The next season he was 15-10 at AA Wichita, making the Padres big league staff by 1992. He went 9-4 that season in a solid rookie debut, posting a 3.68 ERA striking out 61 batters in 100 innings as the Padres number five starter. The following season he dropped to 3-3 and was demoted to the Padre’s bull pen as a reliever, making just 17 appearances on the year. In December of 1993 he was traded to th...

Takashi Kashiwada was born on May 14th 1971 in Tokyo Japan. The five foot eleven left hander, was signed by the Yomiuri Giants in 1990 but spent most of his career there in their minor league system. In 1997 he arrived with Giants pitcher Koichi Taniguchi in what was described as an educational exchange. Taniguchi never pictched in the major leagues but Kashiwada had his contract purchased by the New York Mets. He was another Japaneese player given a chance by Mets manager Bobby Valentine. He debuted on May 1st, pitching the 8th inning of relief of Dave Milicki & Barry Manuel in a 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium. On May 18th he allowed a HR to the Colorado Rockies Andres Galarraga but ended up with his first win in America, when the Mets scored six runs in the 8th inning. He got credit for another win on June 22nd, in an extra inning game at Shea against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That year he got to wear the white Mets cap when they experimented with that rid...