centerfield maz

Masato Yoshii was born April 20, 1965, in Osaka, Japan. The tall six-foot two right hander was originally drafted in Japan in 1984. Japan-Nippon Pro Baseball:  Yoshii struggled with high ERAs in his first two seasons pitching for the Kintetsu Buffaloes and earned his first career win in 1987. In 1988 he was the Pacific Leagues Relief pitcher of the Year, winning 19 games while posting 24 saves. He saved twenty more games the next year and eventually converted over to being a starter with the Yakult Swallows in 1993. He won ten or more games the next three years, having a career year in the final year of his contract. He wanted to remain loyal to his team but his agent convinced to shoot for higher salaries with other teams Some in Japan felt he was asking more than he was worth.  His friend Hideo Nomo convinced him to come over & pitch in America. He refused all offers in Japan to sign on with the New York Mets for $200,000 with incentives that would ma...

Michael Alan Pelfrey was born on January 14, 1984, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The six-foot seven right hander known as Big Pelf was a star pitcher at Wichita State University, hiring Scott Boras as his agent entering the 2005 draft. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 9th round & negotiated for six months before settling on a deal.   He began 2006 at A ball in St. Lucie, going 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA, moving up to AA with Binghamton where he went 4-2 with a 2.71 ERA.  Mets Career: He was called up to the Mets staff that July making his debut at Shea Stadium against the Florida Marlins on July 8th. He pitched five innings allowing three runs but got the win with the help of Jose Valentin’s grand slam HR.  On July 18th, in his second start Carlos Beltran’s grand slam helped him earn his second win & he became the first rookie to have grand slams hit for him in his first two games. Pelfrey allowed two runs in seven innings while striking ou...