In baseball and softball,the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball,causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball,power curveball,and the knuckle curve. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to pitcher.
William Arthur "Candy" Cummings was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
In baseball,a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight as it approaches the batter;it will have sideways or downward motion on it,sometimes both. A breaking ball is not a specific pitch by that name,but is any pitch that "breaks",such as a curveball,slider,or screwball. A pitcher who primarily uses breaking ball pitches is often referred to as a junkballer.
In Major League Baseball,the 300-win club is the group of pitchers who have won 300 or more games. Twenty-four pitchers have reached this milestone. This list does not include Bobby Mathews who won 297 in the major leagues plus several more in 1869 and 1870 before the major leagues were established in 1871. The New York Gothams/Giants/San Francisco Giants are the only franchise to see three players reach the milestone while on their roster:those players are Mickey Welch,Christy Mathewson,and Randy Johnson. Early in the history of professional baseball,many of the rules favored the pitcher over the batter;the distance pitchers threw to home plate was shorter than today,and pitchers were able to use foreign substances to alter the direction of the ball. Moreover,pitchers started games far more frequently than modern pitchers do;in the second half of the 1884 season Old Hoss Radbourne started every other game. The first player to win 300 games was Pud Galvin in 1888. Seven pitchers recorded all or the majority of their career wins in the 19th century:Galvin,Cy Young,Kid Nichols,Tim Keefe,John Clarkson,Charles Radbourn,and Mickey Welch. Four more pitchers joined the club in the first quarter of the 20th century:Christy Mathewson,Walter Johnson,Eddie Plank,and Grover Cleveland Alexander. Young is the all-time leader in wins with 511,a mark that is considered unbreakable. If a modern-day pitcher won 20 games per season for 25 seasons,he would still be 11 games short of Young's mark.
Midre Almeric Cummings is an American former professional baseball outfielder,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1993-1997),Philadelphia Phillies (1997),Boston Red Sox,Minnesota Twins (1999-2000),Arizona Diamondbacks (2001),Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004),and Baltimore Orioles (2005). He spent 2006 with the La New Bears of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).
The 1999 Minnesota Twins season was the 39th season for the franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota,their eighteen season at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the 99th overall in the American League. They began their season on a positive note,with Brad Radke getting the win in a 6–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. However,they finished the season in last place,with a 63–97 record.
In baseball statistics,bases on balls per nine innings pitched or walks per nine innings is the average number of bases on balls,given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by multiplying the number of bases on balls allowed by nine,and dividing by the number of innings pitched. It is a measure of the bases on balls ability of a pitcher.
The 2000 Minnesota Twins was the last Twins team in a consecutive-string record of eight losing seasons. The team finished with a 69–93 record,with weak hitting but slightly better pitching. One would not have suspected that this team,led by Manager Tom Kelly,would contain the nucleus of Ron Gardenhire's team that will reach the postseason only two years later.
Coming off a World Series victory,the 1992 Minnesota Twins continued the team's winning spree. The team finished in second place to the Oakland Athletics and did not make it to the postseason. This would be the team's last winning season until 2001.
Fredrick Elroy Goldsmith was a right-handed pitcher in 19th-century professional baseball in both the U.S. and Canada. In his prime,Goldsmith was six-foot-one-inch tall and weighed 195 pounds.
The 1990 Minnesota Twins,three years after their World Series title in 1987,fell to the bottom of the AL West once again. However,the season was not completely bad,as there were some bright spots that included pitchers Rick Aguilera and Scott Erickson. Aguilera converted from starter to closer and recorded 32 saves,while Erickson was promoted to the Twins in June from AA and went 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA. During Fan Appreciation Day on October 3,Outfielder Dan Gladden made a prediction saying that even though we finished in last place this season,we're going to improve next season and if we did,they could potentially bring another World Series championship to Minnesota. That prediction proved accurate the next year.
John Cummings may refer to:
The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks,in their fourth year of existence,looked to improve on their 2000 season. They had to contend in what was a strong National League West Division.
The 1999 Boston Red Sox season was the 99th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses,four games behind the New York Yankees,who went on to win the World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card,and defeated the American League Central champion Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. The Red Sox then lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The 2000 Boston Red Sox season was the 100th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses,2+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees,who went on to win the 2000 World Series. The Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason,as the AL wild card went to the Seattle Mariners,who had finished second in the American League West with a record of 91–71.
The 1996 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 107th for the franchise in Major League Baseball,and their 39th season in Los Angeles,California. The Dodgers were atop the standings for a substantial part of the season,albeit under two managers. Longtime manager Tommy Lasorda suffered a heart attack in mid-season and had to step down. Bill Russell,Lasorda's bench coach and a former Dodger player,was chosen to manage the rest of the season.
The 1992 Major League Baseball season was the 111th season in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their 106th in the National League. This was their 23rd season at Three Rivers Stadium. For the third consecutive season,the Pirates won the National League East Division Title with a record of 96–66. They were defeated four games to three by the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 National League Championship Series. The Pirates would not have another winning season or postseason berth again until 2013,and have not won a division title since.
Steven Brent Cummings is an American former professional baseball player. A pitcher,Cummings played Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1990 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 1939 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 17 to October 8,1939. The Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees were the regular season champions of the National League and American League,respectively. The Yankees then defeated the Reds in the World Series,four games to none. The Yankees became the first team to win the World Series four years in a row.
