44-761: Fredric Michael Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly with the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels . He was the first player to win MLB's Rookie of the Year Award and Most Valuable Player Award in the same year, which he accomplished in 1975 with the Red Sox. Lynn
88-524: A Gold Glove Award for his defensive play. Lynn won both the Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year Award , becoming the first player to win both in the same season; the feat was later duplicated by Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. In a game on June 18 at Tiger Stadium , Lynn hit three home runs, had 10 RBIs , and 16 total bases in one game. Lynn and fellow rookie outfielder Jim Rice were dubbed
132-528: A 3–1 lead with a two-run homer by Gorman Thomas in the second and a run scored by Paul Molitor on a groundout in the third. But the Angels took back the lead for good in their half of the third with a four-run rally highlighted by Baylor's two-run triple. Baylor capped off a five-RBI game with a two-run single in the fourth, and the Angels got another run in the fifth when eventual series MVP Fred Lynn homered. California starter Tommy John , who lent his name to
176-610: A Boston loss to the Milwaukee Brewers . He appeared in 15 games through the end of the season, batting 18-for-43 (.419). Lynn had an outstanding 1975 season; in 145 games with the Red Sox, he batted .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs. He led the American League (AL) in doubles , runs scored , and slugging percentage , finished second in batting ( Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins hit .359), and won
220-559: A career .988 fielding percentage at centerfield, his primary position. In 15 career postseason games, Lynn batted 22-for-54 (.407) with two home runs and 13 RBIs. Lynn was a nine-time All-Star, batting an overall 6-for-20 (.300) in All-Star Games with four home runs and ten RBIs, including the first (and to date, only) grand slam in All-Star Game history, which he hit in the 1983 game. His four home runs in All-Star Games
264-459: A free agent. In December 1989, Lynn signed with the Padres, his first and only National League team. He played 90 games during the 1990 season, batting .240 with six home runs and 23 RBIs at age 38. After the season, he again became a free agent. He was not invited to spring training by any team in 1991, and although he kept in shape in case an opportunity to join a team arose, he did not play in
308-595: A losing team to be so honored. Lynn batted an astounding .611 (11 hits in 18 at-bats), with a home run and 5 RBI's. Lynn was an All-Star in his first three seasons with the Angels, bringing his total number of selections to nine; he was the MVP of the 1983 All-Star Game . Overall, in his four seasons with the Angels, Lynn appeared in 473 games, batting .271 with 71 home runs and 270 RBIs. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Lynn in their book, The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time . A free agent following
352-674: A member of the Red Sox family. "I'm a Red Sock. I didn't want to leave the Red Sox," said Lynn, further noting, "I came up with them and from 1973 to 1980 I was their property. I thought I'd end up spending my entire career in Boston. It was tough, even though I was going to a great team [the Angels] and playing for a great owner in Gene Autry ." Lynn worked as a baseball color analyst for ESPN from 1991 to 1998, doing some College World Series games and some west coast MLB games. He has also been
396-541: A pennant, and for being the first time a team came from a 2–0 deficit to win the series. This was the first ALCS not to feature the Athletics, Orioles, or Yankees. Milwaukee won the series, 3–2. Tuesday, October 5, 1982, at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California The Angels jumped to a 1–0 lead in the first when Brian Downing scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Don Baylor . Milwaukee came back to take
440-447: A sacrifice fly by Ted Simmons . The Angels made it 2–1 in the third on an RBI single from Fred Lynn , and stretched the lead to 3–1 in the fourth on a run-scoring single from Bob Boone . Milwaukee cut the lead to 3–2 in the bottom of the fourth on Ben Oglivie 's homer. In the 5th inning, the Angels nearly threatened again, until Reggie Jackson was thrown out trying to reach third on a Fred Lynn single. The score remained unchanged until
484-621: A seventh-inning homer, this one over the fence. Brewers starter Don Sutton pitched strongly for the first seven innings but tired in the eighth, yielding three runs on a Bob Boone homer and doubles by Fred Lynn and Don Baylor . Pete Ladd came out of the Milwaukee bullpen to get the final four outs for the save. Saturday, October 9, 1982, at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Brewers again staved off elimination and evened
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#1732776436948528-547: A spokesman for Gillette and MasterCard , and occasionally entertains clients at Red Sox games from the Legends Skybox at Fenway Park . Lynn has raised thousands of dollars through charity work for Childhaven , a home for abused and neglected children, and FACE Foundation, an animal charity. He has been a frequent participant in the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game , held annually since 2001 in
572-496: A two-run homer by Brouhard in the bottom of the inning to put the game away and level the series 2–2. Sunday, October 10, 1982, at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Game 5 proved to be the most dramatic of the series. The Angels got a quick 1–0 lead in the first on a double by Brian Downing and a single by Fred Lynn . But Milwaukee tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Paul Molitor doubled and eventually came home on
616-705: Is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since
660-545: Is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in
704-402: Is second only to Stan Musial with six. Lynn's career was hampered by some injuries caused by fearless play, such as a broken rib from crashing into an outfield wall, or knee injuries from breaking up double plays , and playing all-out defensively. He never played more than 150 games in a season, and only topped 140 games four times. Lynn played for five different teams, but considers himself
748-649: The 1984 season, Lynn defied expectations that he would continue his career with a West Coast team by accepting the best offer and signing a five-year $ 6.8 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles on December 11 . His signing, along with that of Lee Lacy and Don Aase , cost the ballclub three of its top five picks in the 1985 MLB Draft and was part of Edward Bennett Williams ' ill-fated attempt to buy championships which only resulted in last-place finishes in 1986 and 1988 . Lynn's time in Baltimore
792-486: The 3-1 series comeback . It would not be until 2002 when the Angels won their first pennant , on their way to their first World Series in franchise history . On the 1986 Angels roster was Don Sutton , who was traded from Milwaukee to Oakland in 1985 . He nearly retired upon being traded to Oakland, but continued pitching and was later traded to the California Angels at the 1985 trade deadline. Coming into
836-504: The China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with
880-757: The College World Series in 1971, 1972, and 1973. He represented the United States at the 1971 Pan American Games , where he won a silver medal. He was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 1973 MLB draft , with the 41st overall pick. Lynn played in Boston's minor league system during 1973 (with the Double-A Bristol Red Sox ) and during 1974 (with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox ). Lynn made his major league debut on September 5, 1974, in
924-602: The " Gold Dust Twins ". In the 1975 World Series , which Boston lost in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds , Lynn batted 7-for-25 (.280) with a home run and five RBIs. Lynn won three more Gold Gloves (1978, 1979, and 1980), and in 1979 won the AL batting title with a .333 average and finished fourth in MVP voting. He was elected to the All-Star team each season from 1975 through 1980 with Boston. On May 13, 1980, he hit for
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#1732776436948968-700: The 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues,
1012-651: The 1986 season, Sutton had 295 career victories. He struggled early in the season, but earned his 300th career win on June 18 that year, pitching a complete game against the Texas Rangers , in which he allowed only three hits and one run while striking out Gary Ward for the final out of the game. Sutton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. This was the Milwaukee Brewers last and only AL pennant, as they moved to
1056-506: The 9th with a runner on second, and Rod Carew at the plate. Pete Ladd got Carew to ground out to Robin Yount, and the Brewers took home the franchise's first and only American League pennant and its only World Series appearance to date. 1982 ALCS (3–2): Milwaukee Brewers over California Angels 1982 would not be the closest the Angels came to winning a pennant in the 1980s. In 1986 ,
1100-492: The Angels were up 3-1 in the AL Championship Series, leading 5-2 in ninth inning, and within one strike of their first-ever AL pennant. Dave Henderson of the opposing Red Sox caught hold of a Donnie Moore forkball and launched a home run into the left field seats to give the Red Sox a momentary, 6-5 lead on the top of the ninth inning. The Red Sox would go on to win the game 7-6 in eleven innings and complete
1144-408: The Angels, and Jim Gantner singled home Mark Brouhard for the Brewers. Brouhard, who only appeared in 40 regular season games, was subbing for Ben Oglivie. Brouhard contributed 3 hits, 4 runs and 3 RBI's in this, the only postseason appearance of his career. California rallied for four runs in the eighth on a grand slam by Don Baylor to cut Milwaukee's lead to 7–5. But the Brewers bounced back with
1188-521: The Angels, batting .299 in 138 games during 1982, .272 in 117 games in 1983, and .271 in 142 games in 1984. His .299 average in 1982 would be the closest he would come to batting .300 again. In 1982, Lynn and the Angels won the AL West division and made the playoffs, but lost in the 1982 ALCS to the Milwaukee Brewers in 5 games. Even so, Lynn was selected as MVP of the ALCS, becoming the first player from
1232-487: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ")
1276-430: The bottom of the seventh, when disaster struck the Angels. Milwaukee loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Cecil Cooper then cracked the series-winning hit, a two-run single that put the Brewers ahead 4–3. The Milwaukee bullpen kept the Angels off the board in the final two innings, helped by a spectacular catch by reserve outfielder Marshall Edwards , robbing Don Baylor of extra bases. The Angels threatened again in
1320-431: The cycle . In seven seasons with the Red Sox, Lynn batted .308 with 124 home runs and 521 RBIs in 828 games played. In January 1981, Lynn and Steve Renko were traded to the Angels for Frank Tanana , Jim Dorsey , and Joe Rudi . Lynn was limited to 76 games in his first year with the Angels, 1981, due to a knee injury. For the season, he batted just .219 with five home runs and 31 RBIs. He played three more seasons with
1364-887: The days leading up to the MLB All-Star Game . Lynn was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 1994, and was selected by fans to the Red Sox' All-Fenway Team in 2012. While in high school, Lynn met a fellow student named Diane May Minkle, a cheerleader who went by the name "Dee Dee". The two married in February 1974, and went on to have two children, son Jason and daughter Jennifer. Fred and Dee Dee later divorced. Lynn has three grandchildren through his first marriage. In 1986, Lynn married second wife Natalie Cole. As of 2014, Lynn resided in Carlsbad, California , with his wife. Professional baseball Professional baseball
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1408-490: The famous surgical procedure, settled down after the third and gave the Brewers little over the final six innings on his way to a complete-game victory. Wednesday, October 6, 1982, at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California California got off to a 4–0 lead in Game 2 and never looked back. The Angels got two in the second on an RBI single from Tim Foli and a squeeze bunt by Bob Boone . California's Reggie Jackson homered in
1452-441: The first two games of the series and were trailing late in the final game, and the series was the first League Championship Series where the home team won every game. The series was noteworthy as being the first to feature a matchup between two "expansion" teams (i.e., franchises not included among the 16 operating in the major leagues for most of the first half of the 20th century), for featuring two teams that had never before won
1496-548: The franchise's first trip to the World Series. Friday, October 8, 1982, at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The series moved to Milwaukee and produced the Brewers' first win. Milwaukee opened the scoring in the fourth with three runs on an RBI double by Cecil Cooper , who would eventually get the series-winning hit, and sacrifice flies by Gorman Thomas and Don Money . Paul Molitor got two more runs for Milwaukee with
1540-449: The major leagues again. In his 17-year career, Lynn batted .283 with 1,111 RBIs, 1,960 hits, 1,063 runs, 306 home runs, 388 doubles, 43 triples, and 72 stolen bases in 1969 games. From 1982 to 1988, he had seven consecutive seasons of hitting more than twenty home runs (his totals were 21-22-23-23-23-23-25). His 306 career home runs place him, through the end of the 2017 seasons, in 13th place among center fielders. Defensively, Lynn recorded
1584-733: The major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at a black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. 1982 American League Championship Series The 1982 American League Championship Series
1628-570: The other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly
1672-408: The series in a rather sloppy but high-scoring Game 4. The teams combined for five errors to allow three unearned runs. Milwaukee built a 6–0 lead with three-run rallies in the second and fourth. The Brewers got a lot of help from two California errors and three wild pitches by Angels starter Tommy John , who took the loss. The teams traded runs in the sixth: Fred Lynn doubled home Reggie Jackson for
1716-432: The third to make it 3–0, and Boone plated the Angels' fourth run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The Brewers made a game of it in the fifth on Paul Molitor 's two-run inside-the-park homer, but could get no closer the rest of the way against the strong pitching of Bruce Kison . Those complete-game efforts helped produce the snappy 2:06 time of game. California was now up 2–0 in the series and needed only one more win for
1760-454: Was a semifinal matchup in Major League Baseball 's 1982 postseason played between the Milwaukee Brewers and the California Angels from October 5 to 10, 1982. Milwaukee won the series three games to two to advance to the franchise's first World Series , where they would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals , four games to three. The 1982 ALCS was marked by a dramatic comeback by the Brewers, who lost
1804-504: Was completed by the deadline, the player did not need to physically "report" to his new team before the deadline. The controversy later proved to be moot, as Detroit finished one game behind Boston in the AL East . Lynn appeared in 27 games with Detroit through the end of the 1988 season, batting .222 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. In 1989, he appeared in 117 games, batting .241 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. In November 1989, Lynn became
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1848-886: Was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Lynn was born in Chicago , and graduated from El Monte High School located in Los Angeles County in 1969. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3rd round in the 1970 amateur draft but he chose to attend the University of Southern California , where he was a member of the USC Trojans baseball teams that won
1892-640: Was most noted for his complaints about the Orioles' caps which he called "the hat with the funny little duck on it" due to the smiling cartoon bird on the front. Lynn played for the Orioles from the start of the 1985 seasons through August 1988, appearing in a total of 434 games while batting .265 with 87 home runs and 232 RBIs. On August 31, 1988, the Orioles traded Lynn to the Detroit Tigers for Chris Hoiles , Cesar Mejia, and Robinson Garces. Detroit traded for Lynn for their 1988 pennant drive, and there
1936-512: Was some initial controversy about his postseason eligibility. His acquisition was made on the day of the MLB trade deadline , and Lynn did not arrive in Chicago (where the Tigers had played that day) until after the deadline had passed; he was initially declared ineligible for postseason play. MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth later overruled this decision, declaring that as long as the transaction
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