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in previous editions.
There s always a measure of satisfaction in finishing what you ve started a good book, an ambitious project or, in the case of the pitchers on this list, a baseball game. Right-hander Steve Sparks experienced that satisfaction many times. He tossed his last Minor League frame in 2005, but remains ahead of anybody who s taken the hill in this millennium with 44 completed starts across 12 Minor League seasons with 10 different clubs.
The native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, notched at least one complete effort in all but one of those years 2005, his final season in pro ball. That year he made 14 combined starts between Triple-A Portland and Triple-A Sacramento and posted a 7-5 mark with a 5.92 ERA. He was limited to just three starts with the Beavers for the first half of that season because of injury.
A legendary Negro Leagues pitcher inspired a researcher from Fairport
A half-century ago this week, a seed was planted in the mind of a 6-year-old white kid from suburban Rochester who knew not a lick about Negro Leagues baseball. Doug Brei was an inquisitive lad, and already a voracious reader of newspaper sports sections, but when he came across the story that legendary pitcher Satchel Paige had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown by a special committee of Negro League experts, he didn’t understand its historical significance.
“I asked my dad about it, and he explained to me that, in the days before Jackie Robinson, African-Americans weren’t allowed to play in the major leagues, and had their own, very successful league, in which Satchel was its biggest star,’’ Brei recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, now I get it.’ And that really was my introduction to the Negro Leagues.’’
UpdatedMon, Feb 8, 2021 at 4:17 pm ET
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ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez speaks with Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun before the 2015 Major League All-Star Game. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLA. Miami native and longtime ESPN baseball reporter Pedro Gomez died unexpectedly at his Arizona home Sunday night, sending shock waves through the sports media community and around the game Gomez covered for more than two decades.
ESPN announced that Gomez, 58, has died but did not indicate what caused his death. In a statement from his family, Gomez was remembered as far more than a media personality. He was a dad, loving husband, loyal friend, coach and mentor, Gomez s family wrote in the statement released by ESPN Sunday night. He was our everything and his kids biggest believer.
Hit: Torkelson, Hayes, Jung (60)
Torkelson produced a .337 average at Arizona State and batted .340 in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Jung posted a .316 average while reaching Class A Hickory during his 2019 pro debut after batting .348 during his three-year stay at Texas Tech. Hayes raked at a .376 clip and recorded a 55.4 percent hard-hit rate with an average exit velocity of 92.8 mph in 24 big league games last season.
Power: Torkelson (70)
A combination of physical strength and bat speed allows Torkelson to generate massive power from line to line including elite raw power to his pull side. He showed that he could get to that power when he hit 25 home runs to shatter Barry Bonds’ ASU freshman record and then led the Pac-12 in home runs (23) as a sophomore. Overall, Torkelson went deep 54 times in 129 college games.