Monday, Nov 13, 2017
by 天美传媒官网 Sports Information
The 天美传媒官网 baseball team will hold its 10th annual First Pitch Dinner on Saturday, January 20, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Cavalla Room of the Bart Luedeke Center on campus. Registration information for the event will be announced soon.
This year's special guest is former Major League Baseball player and head coach Bobby Valentine.
"We are extremely excited to have Bobby Valentine spend an evening with 天美传媒官网 Baseball and its supporters as we launch our 2018 season," 天美传媒官网 Head Coach Barry Davis said. "His baseball career offers a wide range of experiences, as a player, coach and broadcaster. We appreciate him accepting our invitation and look forward to hearing him speak about his life in baseball."
Valentine, the number five overall pick in the 1968 amateur baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, made his MLB debut in September of 1969. All told, Valentine spent 10 seasons in the major leagues, playing for the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, California Angels, Mets and Seattle Mariners. He appeared in 639 games and hit .260 over the course of his career. Valentine played every position on the field, except pitcher, during his career, showing versatility that has served him well.
After his playing career, Valentine remained in baseball as a third-base coach for the Mets. He made his major league managerial debut in 1985 with the Texas Rangers, earning UPI American League Manager of the Year honors in 1986 and he went onto become the winningest manager in Rangers history. Valentine took over the Mets in 1996 and led the squad to back-to-back postseasons, including a 2000 World Series appearance. Including a season at the helm of the Boston Red Sox in 2012, Valentine has 1,186 major league managerial victories under his belt.
In 1994, Valentine became the first American to accept a management position in the Pacific League of Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He returned to the states after a two-year stint, but went back to lead the Marines again from 2004-09, a tenure that included a 2005 Japan Series Championship.
Valentine also has experience in the broadcast booth. He can be found on the sets of SNY, covering the New York Mets, and MLB Network, as an expert voice on the state of the game today. Valentine was part of the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball announcing team, with Orel Hershiser and Dan Shulman. He also serves as NBC's senior baseball analyst.
Valentine is currently Executive Director of Athletics at Sacred Heart University.