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Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team.
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP), also known as on-base average/OBA, measures how frequently a batter reaches base. It is the ratio of the batter's times-on-base (TOB) to their number of plate appearances. OBP does not credit the batter for reaching base on fielding errors, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strikes, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference.
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are represented. An OPS of .800 or higher in Major League Baseball puts the player in the upper echelon of hitters. Typically, the league leader in OPS will score near, and sometimes above, the 1.000 mark.
George William James is an American baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. His approach, which he termed sabermetrics in reference to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), scientifically analyzes and studies baseball, often through the use of statistical data, in an attempt to determine why teams win and lose.
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed The Ryan Express, is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year career that included play in four decades, Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. After his retirement in 1993, Ryan served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Texas Rangers and an executive advisor to the Houston Astros. He is widely considered to be one of the best Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers of all time.
In baseball, a slider is a breaking ball pitch that tails laterally and down through the batter's hitting zone. It is thrown at a speed that is lower than a fastball, but higher than the pitcher's curveball.
The name of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a complicated history. Pittsburgh is one of the few U.S. cities or towns to be spelled with an h at the end of a burg suffix, although the spelling Pittsburg was acceptable for many years and was even held as standard by the federal government from 1891 to 1911.
Larry H. Miller Field is a stadium in Provo, Utah. The field is named for businessman Larry H. Miller, the field is primarily used for baseball and is part of the Larry H. Miller Sports Complex. The ballpark has a capacity of 2,204 people and was opened in 2001. Larry H. Miller Field was previously the home of Provo Angels. It currently hosts the BYU Cougars baseball team. In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the field as the second-best setting and second-most underrated venue in NCAA Division I baseball.
The 1936 New York Yankees season was the team's 34th season in New York and its 36th season overall. The team finished with a record of 102–51, winning their 8th pennant, finishing 19.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers. New York was managed by Joe McCarthy. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the New York Giants in 6 games.
The 1950 New York Yankees season was the 48th season for the team in New York and its 50th overall as a franchise. The team finished with a record of 98–56, winning their 17th pennant, finishing 3 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers. In the World Series, they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 4 games. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
The 1962 New York Yankees season was the 60th season for the team in New York, and its 62nd season overall. The team finished with a record of 96–66, winning their 27th pennant, finishing 5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the San Francisco Giants in 7 games. It was their 20th World Championship in franchise history, and their last until 1977.
The 1975 New York Yankees season was the 73rd season for the Yankees in New York, and the franchise's 75th season overall. The team finished with a record of 83–77, finishing 12 games behind the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees played at Shea Stadium due to the ongoing renovation of Yankee Stadium, which re-opened in 1976.
The Florida Marlins' 1997 season was the fifth season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in the National League. It would begin with the team attempting to improve on their season from 1996. Their manager was Jim Leyland. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium. They finished with a record of 92-70, posting the first winning season in franchise history and winning the NL Wild Card. They got through the National League playoffs and won the World Series over the Cleveland Indians.
The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 106th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 96th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 95-67 during the season and finished first in the National League East Division for the third and last time before moving to the NL Central in 1994. They went on to win the NLCS in seven games over the San Francisco Giants. In the World Series against the Minnesota Twins, after having fallen behind 2-0 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, they won their next three games at home. However, back at the Metrodome, they lost the last two and fell one game short of a World Series title. It would be the Cardinals' last World Series appearance until 2004.
In 1971, the Baltimore Orioles finished first in the American League East, with a record of 101 wins and 57 losses. As of 2016, the 1971 Orioles are one of only two Major League Baseball clubs to have four 20-game winners in a season: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson.
The 1954 Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing eighth in the American League with a record of 51 wins and 103 losses, 60 games behind AL Champion Cleveland in their 54th and final season in Philadelphia, before moving to Kansas City, Missouri for the following season.
The 1975 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds dominated the league all season, and won the National League West with a record of 108–54, best record in MLB and finished 20 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds went on to win the National League Championship Series by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in three straight games, and the World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. The Reds were managed by Sparky Anderson and played their home games at Riverfront Stadium. It was the first World Series championship for Cincinnati since 1940. The 1975 Reds are one of the few teams to consistently challenge the 1927 New York Yankees for the title of the best team in major league history. The Reds went 64–17 at home in 1975, which remains the best home record ever by a National League team. It is currently the second best home record in MLB history, behind the 1961 Yankees, who went 65-16.
The 1991 Atlanta Braves season was the 26th in Atlanta and the 121st overall. They became the first team in the National League to go from last place one year to first place the next, doing so after remaining 9.5 games out of first at the All Star break. Coincidentally, the Braves' last-to-first feat was also accomplished by the 1991 Minnesota Twins, the team they would face in the 1991 World Series. The last Major League Baseball team to accomplish this was the 1890 Louisville Colonels of the American Association. The 1991 World Series, which the Braves ultimately lost, has been called the greatest World Series in history by ESPN.
The 1971 San Diego Padres season was the third season in franchise history.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a hierarchy of professional baseball minor leagues in the Americas that compete at skill levels below Major League Baseball (MLB) and help prepare players to join major league teams. Those teams which are affiliated with MLB teams operate under the Commissioner of Baseball within the scope of organized baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, consist of teams with no affiliation to MLB teams.