centerfield maz

 

George Irvin Bamberger was born August 1, 1925 in Staten Island, New York. The six foot right handed pitcher was signed by the New York Giants in 1946.  His dream came true as he made the 1951 home town New York Giants pitching staff. He only pitched in two games allowing four runs in two innings of work. Needless to say he didn’t make the World Series roster. In 1952 he appeared briefly in five games, allowing four runs in four innings. He spent the next six years in the minors and fifteen years overall, mostly in the Pacific Coast League winning 216 games there overall. He had one last hurrah in the majors, pitching three games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1959.  He stayed in their organization at various levels and then became one of the best pitching coaches in the game during the late sixties/ early seventies.  Orioles Pitching Coach: In 1968 he was first named pitching coach for a mighty Orioles team under manager Earl Weaver. He was a firm believer in th...

Clinton Merrick Hurdle was born on July 30, 1957 in Big Rapids, Michigan. His father worked for NASA during the space age race to get a man on the moon. The Hurdle family moved to Merritt Island, Florida when Clint was a boy. The six foot three left hand hitting Hurdle was an outstanding athlete, getting drafted in the first round (the 9th pick overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 1975. He was a promising young outfielder, making his MLB debut at just twenty years old.  He made the cover of Sports Illustrated getting labeled “This years phenom” during Spring Training 1978. It was later looked backed at that those words this jinxed his career. Royals Career: He joined an already powerful Royals team that won three straight A.L. West titles (1976-1978) Hurdle debuted as a September'77 call up, hitting an impressive .308 in nine games. In 1978 he was a utility player getting into 133 games in the outfield & at first base. He hit .264 with seven HRs & 56 RB...

James Hoyt Wilhelm was born on July 26, 1922 in Huntersville, North Carolina. In high school he read an article about the knuckleball pitcher Emil Dutch Leonard. He then learned to throw the pitch & master it.  The six foot right hander, was signed by the Boston Braves but after one season in the minors, he was drafted into World War II. Wilhelm was a hero at the Battle of the Bulge, winning the Purple Heart for heroic duty. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant & became known as “Ol’ Sarge”. After the War, at the age of 28, he was signed by the New York Giants. He was given a chance getting put into the bullpen, making his pitching debut on April 18th against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. On April 23, 1952, in his first career at the Polo Grounds he hit a HR off Boston Braves’ pitcher Dick Hoover. It would be the only HR he would ever hit in his long career. That same day he earned his first career victory, pitching five innings of relief. He won ...

Jose Francisco Peraza was born April 30th 1994 in Venezuela. He signed as an international free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2010. He went through the Braves minor leagues. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a three team deal. He made his big league debut on August 10th, hitting a triple in his first game.  That December he was involved in another three team deal, landing with the Cincinnati Reds. Peraza spent four seasons with Reds, the all around played saw action at short, second & in the out field. He had his best year in 2019, batting .288 with 14 HRs 31 doubles 23 stolen bases & 58 RBIs with 85 runs scored. After falling to a .239 average the next year, he was let go to free agency. He spent the Covid 19 shortened season in Boston, batting .225 in 34 games. Mets Career: In November of 2020 he signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. After starting out the season at AAA Syracuse, he was activated twice by the Mets in April. The first time to ...

Jordan Yamamoto was born May 11th 1996, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  His mother is a V.P. at a credit union & his father a diesel mechanic. His family comes from a heritage of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino & Portuguese.  He pitched at St. Louis High School in Honolulu, a team mate of Chicago White Sox pitcher, Kodi Medeiros. He was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB draft. On January of 2018, after four seasons at the Rookie & A ball levels of the Brewers minors, he was traded to the Miami Marlins (along with Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz & Monte Harrison) in the Christian Yelich deal. Yamamoto debuted on June 12th, 2019 pitching seven shut out innings, allowing just three hits, in a 9-0 win over the Cardinals.  He next faced the Cards in St. Louis & shut them out again, for seven innings allowing just two hits. He struck out 12 batters combined, in those two starts. He also set a Marlins franchise record, starting out his ...