92-575: Darryl Andrew Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher . He pitched from 1991 to 2002 for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, primarily for the Houston Astros . Kile was known for his sharp, big-breaking curveball . He died at the age of 33 of coronary artery disease in 2002 in Chicago, where he and the St. Louis Cardinals were staying for
184-543: A 16–1 loss against the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 American League Division Series . The only regulation game in which both pitchers of record were position players occurred on May 6, 2012, when the Baltimore Orioles' designated hitter Chris Davis was the winner in a 16-inning game against Boston while Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald took the loss. The pitcher's duty does not cease after he pitches
276-585: A 3.09 ERA that season, despite having an injured shoulder which required surgery after the Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs. He spent the offseason rehabilitating and was ready for the start of the 2002 season. In 12 seasons as a major league pitcher, Kile never went on the disabled list. On June 18, Kile pitched in an interleague game against the Anaheim Angels , scattering six hits over 7 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings, allowing one run. He exited
368-439: A barbell. The emphasis on the workout should be on the legs and the core. Other body parts should be worked on but using lighter weights. Over lifting muscles, especially while throwing usually ends up in a strain muscle or possibly a tear. Other than the catcher, pitchers and other fielders wear very few pieces of equipment. In general the ball cap, baseball glove and cleats are equipment used. Pitchers may also keep with them at
460-572: A black base: the primary "A" cap, the teal-trimmed "snake" cap (paired exclusively on the teal alternates), and the sand-trimmed "snake" cap with red brim (paired exclusively on the Sedona Red alternates). The Nike swoosh logo is also placed on the right chest near the shoulder. In 2022, the Diamondbacks introduced a red "A" cap with black brim. In 2021, the Diamondbacks were one of seven teams to wear Nike "City Connect" uniforms. The design
552-523: A catcher for their team. The pitcher catcher combination results in many throws and may increase the risk of injury. 8) If a pitcher complains of pain in their elbow, get an evaluation from a sports medicine physician. 9) Inspire youth to have fun playing baseball and other sports. Participation and enjoyment of various activities will increase the youth's athleticism and interest in sports. To counteract shoulder and elbow injury, coaches and trainers have begun utilizing "jobe" exercises, named for Frank Jobe ,
644-408: A coach in the bullpen so as to be ready to come in and pitch whenever the manager wishes to pull the current pitcher. Having a reliever warm up does not always mean he will be used; the current pitcher may regain his composure and retire the side, or the manager may choose to go with another reliever if strategy dictates. Commonly, pitching changes will occur as a result of a pinch hitter being used in
736-433: A defensive play. At that point, the pitcher has several standard roles. The pitcher must attempt to field any balls coming up the middle, and in fact a Gold Glove Award is reserved for the pitcher with the best fielding ability. He must head over to first base , to be available to cover it, on balls hit to the right side, since the first baseman might be fielding them too far to the baseman's right to reach first base before
828-491: A few days between starts. A team's roster of starting pitchers are usually not even in terms of skill. Exceptional pitchers are highly sought after and in the professional ranks draw large salaries, thus teams can seldom stock each slot in the rotation with top-quality pitchers. The best starter in the team's rotation is called the ace . He is usually followed in the rotation by 3 or 4 other starters before he would be due to pitch again. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances,
920-448: A few days. The act of throwing a baseball at high speed is very unnatural to the body and somewhat damaging to human muscles; thus pitchers are very susceptible to injuries, soreness, and general pain. Baseball teams use two strategies to address this problem: rotation and specialization. To accommodate playing nearly every day, a team will include a group of pitchers who start games and rotate between them, allowing each pitcher to rest for
1012-587: A forfeit (the latter typically only happens in extra-inning games). Cliff Pennington of the Toronto Blue Jays , who pitched 1 ⁄ 3 of an inning in game 4 of the 2015 American League Championship Series en route to a 14–2 loss, was the only documented position player to pitch during the postseason , until Austin Romine of the New York Yankees pitched the ninth inning of Game 3 in
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#17327939387641104-675: A hanger, to the celebration on the field. The Cardinals honored Kile by placing a small "DK 57" sign in the home bullpen. This sign was carried over to the new Busch Stadium and remains today. The team wrote "DK 57" on their hats. The team put chalk and markers in the Busch Stadium concourses so fans could write similar messages on their caps. In the All-Star Game , Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris wrote DK 57 on his hands and held them up when they announced his name in honor of his fallen teammate and close friend. Since Kile's death,
1196-577: A member club of the National League (NL) West Division . The franchise was established on March 9, 1995, and began play in 1998 as an expansion team . The team plays its home games at Chase Field . Along with the Tampa Bay Rays , the Diamondbacks are one of the newest teams in the MLB and are the youngest team to win a World Series . After a fifth-place finish in their inaugural season,
1288-487: A memorial plaque that hangs along the left field wall at Minute Maid Park under the 1997 Central Division Championship banner, the last season Kile played for Houston before signing with Colorado. A "DK 57" sign currently sits among the wall in left-center field. The Rockies have a memorial near the bullpens. It is circular, says "DK 57", and is on pinstripes. In 2003, the Darryl Kile Good Guy Award
1380-455: A motion to decline its contract with the Diamondbacks as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy . As a result, Major League Baseball assumed production of the Diamondbacks' regional telecasts (maintaining staff such as commentators), and distributed them via local television providers and MLB.tv . As of 2024, these games are branded as DBacks.TV . Games air on the following cable providers and networks: The primary television play-by-play voice for
1472-436: A pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is one who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed. Generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts . A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks. Nearly all action during a game is centered on the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitcher's particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence
1564-543: A prayer for the Cardinals' family." The game was rescheduled and made up later in the year on August 31, a 10–4 Cardinal defeat. Jason Simontacchi , who pitched for the Cardinals, was visibly emotional during the game since Kile was a mentor to him. Later that season, when the Cardinals clinched the Central Division championship in a game against the Astros, teammate Albert Pujols carried Kile's number 57 jersey, on
1656-416: A series. Teams have additional pitchers reserved to replace that game's starting pitcher if he tires or proves ineffective. These players are called relief pitchers , relievers , or collectively the bullpen . Once a starter begins to tire or is starting to give up hits and runs a call is made to the bullpen to have a reliever start to warm up. This involves the reliever starting to throw practice balls to
1748-409: A snake's head. The team also kept the "D" logo, which was slightly altered and put on an all-red cap to be used as their game cap. They kept the "A" logo with the new colors applied to it, with a solid black cap used as the alternate cap. Arizona's updated color scheme bore a striking resemblance to the Houston Astros ' color scheme (brick red, sand and black) that the Astros used until 2012, as well as
1840-652: A weekend series against the Chicago Cubs . He was the first active major league player to die during the regular season since 1979, when the New York Yankees ' Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. Kile was born on December 2, 1968, in Garden Grove, California , near Angel Stadium . He attended Norco High School in Norco, California , where his awkward frame and low pitch velocity — his four-seam fastball topping out at 78 mph (126 km/h) — meant that he
1932-752: A young age, a practice that has been criticized by many coaches and doctors, with some citing an increase in Tommy John surgeries in recent years. Fleisig lists nine recommendations for preventative care of children's arms. 1) Watch and respond to signs of fatigue. 2) Youth pitchers should not pitch competitively in more than 8 months in any 12-month period. 3) Follow limits for pitch counts and days of rest. 4) Youth pitchers should avoid pitching on multiple teams with overlapping seasons. 5) Youth pitchers should learn good throwing mechanics as soon as possible: basic throwing, fastball pitching and change-up pitching. 6) Avoid using radar guns. 7) A pitcher should not also be
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#17327939387642024-457: Is a throw from the outfield to third base, he has to back up the play to third base as well. The physical act of overhand pitching is complex and unnatural to the human anatomy. Most major league pitchers throw at speeds of 70 to 100 mph (110 to 160 km/h), putting high amounts of stress on the pitching arm. Pitchers are by far the most frequently injured players and many professional pitchers will have multiple surgeries to repair damage in
2116-406: Is all-purple, while the road cap is black with a teal brim. They also wore a cream cap with purple brim, and a teal cap with purple brim. All designs featured the primary "A" logo. In 1999, the road cap became all-black and contained the alternate "D-snake" logo rendered in copper. Also, the teal and cream alternate caps were dropped. The left sleeve of all four uniforms contained the snake logo with
2208-521: Is also the play-by-play radio voice for ASU women's basketball. Mike Ferrin served in the same role for six years before parting ways with the team, and he was replaced by Chris Garagiola in December 2021. The flagship Spanish language radio station is KHOV-FM 105.1 with Oscar Soria, Rodrigo López , and Richard Saenz. Games were televised in Spanish on KPHE-LP —with Oscar Soria and Jerry Romo as
2300-400: Is primarily sand and has "Serpientes" in black script lettering emblazoned in front. The first "S" in "Serpientes" was shaped to resemble a rattlesnake . The right sleeve has the flag of Arizona patch recolored to the Diamondbacks' red, sand and black scheme, and the left sleeve has the "A" logo recolored to black and sand. Numerals are in red. The cap is primarily sand with black brim and has
2392-405: Is rare as these players are not truly trained as pitchers and risk injury. (For instance, in a 1993 game, Jose Canseco suffered a season ending arm injury after pitching 2 innings.) Plus, they tend to throw with less velocity and skill. For these reasons, managers will typically only use a position player as a pitcher in a blowout loss, or if they have run out of available pitchers in order to avoid
2484-435: Is seen as the cut-off between the starting staff and the bullpen . A team may have a designated 5th starter, sometimes known as a spot starter or that role may shift cycle to cycle between members of the bullpen or Triple-A starters. Differences in rotation setup could also have tactical considerations as well, such as alternating right- or left-handed pitchers, in order to throw off the other team's hitting game-to-game in
2576-420: Is used to condition game balls before pitchers use them. A skilled pitcher often throws various pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well. The most basic pitch is a fastball , where the pitcher throws the ball as hard as possible. Some pitchers are able to throw a fastball at a speed over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h; 150 ft/s), ex., Aroldis Chapman . Other common types of pitches are
2668-587: The 2000 NLDS against Atlanta, but suffered two losses in the NL Championship Series , which the Cardinals lost to the Mets in five games. Kile went 16–11 in 2001, and the Cardinals made the playoffs again, losing to the eventual world champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS . Kile was the starting pitcher for Game 3 and received a no-decision. Kile threw 227 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings and compiled
2760-568: The NHL 's Phoenix Coyotes , whose adoption of those colors predated the Diamondbacks by four years. The white home uniform featured "D-Backs" in red with sand and black trim. The road gray uniform featured "Arizona" in red with sand and black trim. Player names were red with black trim while numbers were black with red trim. The alternate red uniform contained "D-Backs" in sand with red and black trim, with player names in sand with black trim and numbers in black with sand trim. There were two versions of
2852-473: The curveball , slider , changeup , cutter , sinker , screwball , forkball , split-fingered fastball , slurve , knuckleball , and vulcan . These generally are intended to have unusual movement or to deceive the batter as to the rotation or velocity of the ball, making it more difficult to hit. Few pitchers throw all these pitches, but most use a subset or blend of the basic types. Some pitchers release pitches from different arm angles, making it harder for
Darryl Kile - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-408: The middle reliever , the setup man , and/or the closer . In abbreviating baseball positions, P is used as a general designation for pitchers. SP and RP are sometimes used to differentiate starting and relief pitchers, respectively, while LHP and RHP are sometimes used to indicate if a pitcher is left-handed or right-handed, respectively. In Major League Baseball , baseball rubbing mud
3036-488: The starting pitcher , relief pitcher , middle reliever , lefty specialist , setup man , and the closer . Traditionally, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with the American League and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter , a cause of some controversy. The National League adopted
3128-406: The strike zone , swings the bat at the ball and misses it, or hits the ball poorly (resulting in a pop fly or ground out). If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it is called a strike if any part of the ball passes through the strike zone and a ball when no part of the ball passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, but then stops the swing short. If
3220-443: The "A" logo in black and sand; the regular batting helmet is used with the uniform. Initially, the Diamondbacks wore white pants with this uniform, but has since switched to sand pants. Before the 2023 season, the Diamondbacks promoted the alternate white uniform with teal accents to its primary home uniform and retired the previous Sedona Red white uniform. This is due to a new Nike rule that limits teams to four regular uniforms plus
3312-399: The "A" logo on the right chest, while letters were purple with white trim and numbers were teal with white and purple trim. A zigzag pattern of teal, copper and purple was featured on the sleeves. In 2001, the uniform was changed to feature "Arizona" in front. The letters became purple with white and copper trim. The Diamondbacks initially wore four different cap versions. The primary home cap
3404-529: The "A" logo, and its all-black counterpart is worn with both the home and black alternate uniform. The road cap is black with Sedona red trim and featured the return of the "D-snake" logo and is worn with both the road and alternate Sedona red uniform. The all-Sedona red alternate cap shared the same features as the road cap and is worn with the Sedona red uniform. On July 18, 2023, a federal bankruptcy court granted Bally Sports' parent company Diamond Sports Group
3496-568: The "City Connect" uniform. Coming off their second World Series appearance in 2023 , the Diamondbacks unveiled refreshed uniform designs starting in 2024. Turquoise returned full-time as an accent color on all uniforms along with Sedona red and black, but sand was removed except on the "City Connect" uniform. The home uniform is now a cream base with black piping, featuring the "A" logo on the left chest. The road grey uniform with black piping featured "Arizona" in Sedona red with teal and black outlines. The alternate black uniform with teal piping shared
3588-555: The 2013 season. On October 18, 2012, the team announced that Bob Brenly would return as a broadcaster to replace Grace and that he would be joined by then- ESPN personality Steve Berthiaume . The English language flagship radio station is KTAR . Greg Schulte was the regular radio play-by-play voice, a 25-year veteran of sports radio in the Phoenix market, also well known for his previous work on Phoenix Suns , Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State University (ASU) broadcasts. It
3680-673: The 22-year-old rookie's arm. Kile's breakthrough year came in 1993 when he went 15–8 with a 3.51 earned run average and made the All-Star team. On September 8, Kile pitched a no-hitter against the New York Mets . He pitched seven seasons with the Astros, mostly as a starter. Another strong season was 1997, when he went 19–7, compiled a 2.57 ERA, made the All-Star team again, threw a career-high 255 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings , and pitched four shutouts . He finished fifth in voting for
3772-661: The Arizona Diamondbacks returned to the World Series for the first time since 2001 – against the Texas Rangers on October 27, 2023. They lost the series 4–1 at home in Arizona on November 1, 2023. The Diamondbacks' original colors were purple, black, teal and copper. Their logo was an italicized block letter "A" with a diamond pattern, with the crossbar represented by a snake's tongue. This period saw
Darryl Kile - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-564: The Astros and Cardinals, respectively. Kile was given an exemption by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and placed on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 . With seven votes, he was eliminated from future BBWAA ballot consideration. Pitcher In baseball , the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with
3956-450: The Astros have not assigned number 57 to another player. The Cardinals were the first of Kile's former teams to re-issue the number, doing so in 2021, giving it to pitcher Zack Thompson during spring training. Thompson wore the number during his major league debut in 2022, nearly twenty full years after Kile's death. The Rockies kept the number 57 out of the rotation until it was issued to Tommy Doyle in 2023. The Astros honored Kile with
4048-488: The D-backs trail in late innings. Former Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace and knuckleballer Tom Candiotti were the Diamondbacks primary color analysts for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Former Diamondbacks third baseman Matt Williams also did color commentary on occasion, as did Cardinals and NBC broadcast legend Joe Garagiola , a longtime Phoenix-area resident and father of Joe Garagiola Jr. ,
4140-653: The Diamondbacks have won two Wild Card Series , five NL West division titles, two NL pennants, and the 2001 World Series . They later became the fastest expansion franchise in baseball history to win a World Series. The Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees in Game 7 during the 2001 postseason. After beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4–2 in Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia,
4232-490: The Diamondbacks made several off-season acquisitions, including future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson , who won four consecutive Cy Young Awards in his first four seasons with the team. In 1999 , Arizona won 100 games and their first division championship. In 2001 , they won the World Series over the three-time defending champion New York Yankees, becoming the fastest expansion team in major league history to win
4324-596: The Diamondbacks to call games with his father for the Reds beginning in 2007, signing a four-year deal. On November 1, 2006, the team announced that the TV voice of the Milwaukee Brewers since 2002, Daron Sutton , would be hired as the Diamondbacks primary TV play-by-play voice. Sutton was signed to a five-year contract with a team option for three more years. Sutton's signature chants included "let's get some runs" when
4416-413: The Diamondbacks wear several uniform combinations. At home, the Diamondbacks wore cream uniforms with purple pinstripes. The primary sleeved uniform, worn from 1998 to 2000, featured the full team name ("Diamond" and "Backs" stacked together) in front and chest numbers. The alternate sleeveless version contained the "A" logo on the right chest, and was paired with purple undershirts. Before the 2001 season,
4508-634: The NL Cy Young Award . Kile made his first postseason appearance in Game 1 of the 1997 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves , giving up only two hits but suffering a hard-luck 2–1 loss. Atlanta swept Houston in the best-of-five series. In 1998, Kile signed with the Colorado Rockies as a free agent. Kile suffered control problems, allowing hitters to lay off his curveball. After two seasons in which he
4600-480: The World Series and the first and only men's major professional sports team in the State of Arizona to win a championship. 22 years later , they would return to the World Series , only to lose to the Texas Rangers in five games, thus earning the Diamondbacks their first World Series loss in team history. From 1998 to 2024, the Diamondbacks had an overall record of 2,087–2,185 (.489). On March 9, 1995, Phoenix
4692-410: The ace is usually the pitcher that starts on Opening Day. Aces are also preferred to start crucial games late in the season and in the playoffs; sometimes they are asked to pitch on shorter rest if the team feels he would be more effective than the 4th or 5th starter. Typically, the further down in the rotation a starting pitcher is, the weaker he is compared with the others on the staff. The "5th starter"
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#17327939387644784-504: The afternoon's game versus the Cardinals had been cancelled, though he did not give a specific reason. Girardi tearfully gave the news at 2:37 pm CDT , broadcast regionally on Fox : "Excuse me. I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say
4876-684: The alternate black uniform. One design has the alternate "A" logo on the right chest, while the other has "Arizona" written in red with black and sand trim. The latter was introduced in 2013 as a tribute to the victims of the Yarnell Hill Fire . On both uniforms, player names were sand with red trim, and numbers in red with sand trim. Before the 2016 season, the Diamondbacks reincorporated teal into its color scheme while keeping Sedona Red, Sonoran Sand and black. They also unveiled eight different uniform combinations, including two separate home white and away grey uniforms. One major difference between
4968-413: The ball safely into fair play. The type and sequence of pitches chosen depend upon the particular situation in a game. Because pitchers and catchers must coordinate each pitch, a system of hand signals is used by the catcher to communicate choices to the pitcher, who either vetoes or accepts by shaking his head or nodding. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select
5060-423: The ball. Unlike the other fielders, a pitcher and catcher must start every play in a designated area. The pitcher must be on the pitcher's mound , with one foot in contact with the pitcher's rubber , and the catcher must be behind home plate in the catcher's box . Once the ball is in play, however, the pitcher and catcher, like the other fielders, can respond to any part of the field necessary to make or assist in
5152-500: The baseball season. The family also owned a home in Englewood, Colorado , where they lived during the offseason, though at the time of Kile's death, the family was in the process of moving to San Diego for the offseasons. On June 22, 2002, during pregame warmups for what would have been a day game in Chicago against the rival Cubs , team personnel noted Kile's absence. Hotel staff entered his room and discovered him in his bed, under
5244-443: The batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball. There are two legal pitching positions , the windup and the set position or stretch . Either position may be used at any time; typically, the windup is used when the bases are empty, while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed. A balk can be called on
5336-399: The batter to pick up the ball's flight. (See List of baseball pitches .) A pitcher throwing well on a particular day is said to have brought his "good stuff." Pitchers use several distinct throwing styles. The most common style is a three-quarters delivery in which the pitcher's arm snaps downward with the ball's release. Some pitchers use a sidearm delivery in which the arm arcs laterally to
5428-417: The batter-runner can. Except for the first baseman, the pitcher ordinarily has the shortest run to first base of anyone, and is the second-most-likely person to make a putout at first base by retrieving a fielded ball thrown by an infielder (typically a first baseman). On passed balls and wild pitches , he covers home-plate when there are runners on. Also, he generally backs up throws to home plate. When there
5520-424: The covers, dead of a heart attack. His death, which came four days after that of longtime Cardinal broadcaster Jack Buck , was ruled to be from natural causes; an autopsy found that Kile had an enlarged heart , two of his coronary arteries were 90% blocked, and there was a blood clot in one artery. Kile's father had died from a blood clot in 1993, aged 44. Cubs catcher Joe Girardi announced at Wrigley Field that
5612-478: The designated hitter in 2022; as of 2024, the Japanese Central League is the highest level of competition to not use the designated hitter position. In most cases, the objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through
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#17327939387645704-428: The dynamics of the game and can often determine the victor. Starting with the pivot foot on the pitcher's rubber at the center of the pitcher's mound, which is 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) from home plate , the pitcher throws the baseball to the catcher , who is positioned behind home plate and catches the ball. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the batter's box at one side of the plate, and attempts to bat
5796-407: The elbow and shoulder by the end of their careers. As such, the biomechanics of pitching are closely studied and taught by coaches at all levels and are an important field in sports medicine . Glenn Fleisig, a biomechanist who specializes in the analysis of baseball movements, says that pitching is "the most violent human motion ever measured." He claims that the pelvis can rotate at 515–667°/sec,
5888-477: The first GM of the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks announced in July 2007 that for the 2008 season, all regionally broadcast Diamondbacks TV games would be shown exclusively on Fox Sports Arizona (now Bally Sports Arizona ) and a few could possibly be shown on the national MLB on Fox telecasts. Bally Sports Arizona is seen in 2.8 million households in Arizona and New Mexico. The previous flagship station since
5980-509: The full team name until the 2004 season, when it became exclusive to the road black uniform. The franchise unveiled new uniforms and colors of Sedona red, Sonoran sand and black on November 8, 2006. The red shade is named for the sandstone canyon at Red Rock State Park near Sedona , while the beige (sand) shade is named for the Sonoran Desert . A sleeve patch was added featuring a lowercase "d" and "b" configured to look like
6072-502: The game in the eighth inning to a standing ovation. Kile and the Cardinals won the game, 7–2, and moved into first place in the NL's Central Division , a spot they held for the rest of the 2002 season. Kile proposed to his wife, Flynn, in 1991, when they were both 22 years old. They were married on January 11, 1992, and had three children. He and his family lived in Clayton, Missouri , during
6164-421: The goal of retiring a batter , who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk . In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum . There are many different types of pitchers, such as
6256-426: The inaugural 1998 season was KTVK (Channel 3), a popular over-the-air independent station (and former longtime ABC affiliate) in Phoenix. From 2009 to 2012, Grace and Sutton were tagged as the main broadcasters of the Diamondbacks with pre-game and postgame shows on Fox Sports Arizona, being hosted by Joe Borowski . On June 21, 2012, Sutton was suspended indefinitely amid rumors of insubordination. On August 24,
6348-423: The late innings of a game, especially if the pitcher is in the batting lineup due to not having the designated hitter. A reliever would then come out of the bullpen to pitch the next inning. When making a pitching change a manager will come out to the mound. He will then call in a pitcher by the tap of the arm which the next pitcher throws with. The manager or pitching coach may also come out to discuss strategy with
6440-465: The mound a bag of powdered rosin . Handling the bag applies a small layer of the rosin to the pitcher's fingers in order to increase his grip on the ball. Currently there is a new trend of introducing a pitcher helmet to provide head protection from batters hitting line drives back to the pitcher. As of January 2014 , MLB approved a protective pitchers cap which can be worn by any pitcher if they choose. San Diego Padres relief pitcher, Alex Torres
6532-411: The need for several days of rest between appearances. Relief pitchers are typically pitchers with "special stuff", meaning that they have very effective pitches or a very different style of delivery. This makes the batter see a very different way of pitching in attempt to get them out. One example is a sidearm or submarine pitcher. Position players are eligible to pitch in a game as well, this however
6624-664: The pioneer of the Tommy John procedure. Jobes are exercises that have been developed to isolate, strengthen and stabilize the rotator cuff muscles. Jobes can be done using either resistance bands or lightweight dumbbells. Common jobe exercises include shoulder external rotation, shoulder flexion, horizontal abduction, prone abduction and scaption (at 45°, 90° and inverse 45°). In addition to the Jobes exercises, many pitching coaches are creating lifting routines that are specialized for pitchers. Pitchers should avoid exercises that deal with
6716-409: The pitcher, but on his second trip to the mound with the same pitcher in the same inning, the pitcher has to come out. It is considered proper etiquette for the pitcher to wait on the mound until the manager arrives, whereby he then hands the manager the ball, and only then he is allowed to leave the field. Relief pitchers often have even more specialized roles, and the particular reliever used depends on
6808-411: The same features as the home uniform. The alternate Sedona red uniform incorporated the full "Diamondbacks" wordmark in black with teal and Sedona red outlines, along with teal numbers trimmed in black on the left chest. All uniforms featured the snake head alternate logo on either sleeve, with the sponsor logo ( Avnet since 2023) on the other sleeve. The home cap is Sedona red with black brim and featured
6900-600: The situation. Many teams designate one pitcher as the closer , a relief pitcher specifically reserved to pitch the final inning or innings of a game when his team has a narrow lead, in order to preserve the victory. More recently, teams began experimenting with an opener , a relief pitcher who starts a game but only pitches at least the first inning. Other relief roles include set-up men , middle relievers , left-handed specialists , and long relievers . Generally, relievers pitch fewer innings and throw fewer pitches than starters, but they can usually pitch more frequently without
6992-478: The sleeved uniform was changed to feature the "A" logo. In all three uniforms, player names were teal with purple trim, and numbers were purple with white with teal trim. The Diamondbacks' primary road gray uniform also had purple pinstripes. The first version featured "Arizona" in purple with white and teal trim along with black drop shadows, with chest numbers added. Player names were in purple with white trim, and numbers were teal with white and purple trim. In 2001,
7084-425: The starting catcher for a particular game based on the starting pitcher. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery . Although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins the game, and he may be followed by various relief pitchers , such as the long reliever , the left-handed specialist ,
7176-474: The starting pitchers for each team; however, a reliever can win, and the starter would then get a no-decision. Pitching is physically demanding, especially if the pitcher is throwing with maximum effort. A full game usually involves 120–170 pitches thrown by each team, and most pitchers begin to tire before they reach this point. As a result, the pitcher who starts a game often will not be the one who finishes it, and he may not be recovered enough to pitch again for
7268-416: The teal-trimmed grey uniforms were retired. The team also reverted to a standard grey uniform after wearing a darker shade on the previous set. Two home white uniforms remain in use: the primary Sedona Red and the alternate teal. They would also wear two black uniforms: one with the primary "A" logo on the left chest and the other with "Los D-Backs" trimmed in teal. Three cap designs were also unveiled, all with
7360-450: The team announced that Grace had requested an indefinite leave of absence after being arrested for his second DUI in less than two years. Grace was later indicted on four DUI counts. ) For the remainder of the 2012 season, Sutton was replaced by Greg Schulte (Jeff Munn replaced Schulte on the radio broadcast) and Grace was replaced by Luis Gonzalez. At the end of the 2012 season, the team announced that neither Sutton nor Grace would return for
7452-413: The team's first nine seasons of play was Thom Brennaman , who also broadcast baseball and college football games nationally for Fox Television . Brennaman was the TV announcer for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds (along with his father Marty Brennaman ) before being hired by Diamondbacks founder Jerry Colangelo in 1996, two years before the team would begin play. In October 2006, Brennaman left
7544-437: The torso. Some pitchers use a submarine style in which the pitcher's body tilts sharply downward on delivery, creating an exaggerated sidearm motion in which the pitcher's knuckles come very close to the mound. Effective pitching is vitally important in baseball. In baseball statistics , for each game, one pitcher will be credited with winning the game, and one pitcher will be charged with losing it. These are not necessarily
7636-1053: The trunk can rotate at 1,068–1,224°/s, the elbow can reach a maximal angular velocity of 2,200–2,700°/s and the force pulling the pitcher's throwing arm away from the shoulder at ball release is approximately 280 pounds-force (1,200 N ). The overhead throwing motion can be divided into phases which include windup, early cocking, late cocking, early acceleration, late acceleration, deceleration, and follow-through. Training for pitchers often includes targeting one or several of these phases. Biomechanical evaluations are sometimes done on individual pitchers to help determine points of inefficiency. Mechanical measurements that are assessed include, but are not limited to, foot position at stride foot contact (SFC), elbow flexion during arm cocking and acceleration phases, maximal external rotation during arm cocking, horizontal abduction at SFC, arm abduction, lead knee position during arm cocking, trunk tilt, peak angular velocity of throwing arm and angle of wrist. Some players begin intense mechanical training at
7728-446: The two sets is that the non-teal uniforms feature a snakeskin pattern on the shoulders, while the teal-trimmed uniforms include a charcoal/grey snakeskin pattern on the back. Arizona also kept the throwback pinstriped sleeveless uniforms from their 2001 championship season for use during Thursday home games. Starting with the 2020 season, the Diamondbacks made slight redesigns to their uniforms. The snakeskin patterns were removed while
7820-463: The uniform became sleeveless with black undershirts, and the lettering scheme was changed to purple with white, copper and black accents. The alternate home purple uniform featured "Arizona" in teal with white and copper trim and black drop shadows. The letters were rendered in teal with copper and white trim, but were changed to copper with teal and white trim after only one season. This set was worn until 2002. The alternate road black uniform featured
7912-471: Was a combined 21–30 and posted ERAs of 5.20 and 6.61, Kile was traded to the Cardinals. In his first season with St. Louis, Kile went 20–9, becoming the first Cardinal pitcher since John Tudor and Joaquín Andújar in 1985 to win 20 games in a season. He made his third All-Star team and again finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. He earned the first playoff victory of his career in Game 2 of
8004-534: Was announced in February 2023 that he would be retiring after the 2023 MLB season. He would call games with analyst Tom Candiotti. Jeff Munn served as a backup radio play-by-play announcer until 2016; he served as the regular public address announcer at Chase Field in the early days of the franchise. He previously served as the public address announcer for the Suns in the 1990s at what became Footprint Center . He
8096-554: Was awarded an expansion franchise to begin play for the 1998 season. A $ 130 million franchise fee was paid to Major League Baseball and on January 16, 1997, the Diamondbacks were voted into the National League. The Diamondbacks' first major league game was played against the Colorado Rockies on March 31, 1998 , at Bank One Ballpark. The ballpark was renamed Chase Field in 2005, as a result of Bank One Corporation 's merger with JPMorgan Chase & Co. Since their debut,
8188-576: Was established and is presented annually to the Astros player and Cardinals player who best exemplify Kile's traits of "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man". The winners are selected, respectively, by the Houston and St. Louis chapters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The first recipients of the award were Jeff Bagwell and Mike Matheny of
8280-584: Was mostly overlooked by college recruiters and scouts . In 1987, after graduating from Norco, Kile enrolled at Chaffey Junior College in Rancho Cucamonga, California , and joined their college baseball team as a walk-on . Between his freshman and sophomore year of college, Kile underwent a growth spurt that took him from 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), helped him gain 20 pounds (9.1 kg), and added 13 mph (21 km/h) to his fastball. Kile
8372-541: Was selected by the Houston Astros in the 30th round of the 1987 Major League draft . Having been successful with the Tucson Toros , the Astros' AAA club in the Pacific Coast League , Kile entered the majors in 1991, going 7–11 in 22 starts. In his first major league start on April 24, 1991, Kile had a no-hitter going when he was lifted after six innings by manager Art Howe , who wanted to protect
8464-684: Was the first player in MLB to wear the protective cap. One style of helmet is worn on top of the ballcap to provide protection to the forehead and sides. In softball , a full face helmet is available to all players including pitchers. These fielder's masks are becoming increasingly popular in younger fast pitch leagues, some leagues even requiring them. Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
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