Kenneth Scott Rogers (born November 10, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher from the United States. The right-hander played for five teams in five seasons, from 1987 to 1991 and 1995. He is best known for his one season with the Texas Rangers, when he went 31-12 with a 3.60 ERA and four complete games.
After playing college baseball at Stephen F. Austin State University, Rogers was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1986 MLB draft. He spent three years with their minor league system before being called up by the Rangers in 1989. That year, he went 11-6 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 games (27 starts). He returned to the Rangers in 1990 and 1991, pitching to a 26-15 record with a 3.83 ERA in 43 appearances (39 starts). In addition to his work with the bat and ball, Rogers has been involved in several sports-related incidents throughout his career. Most notably, he once hit two home runs in an inning against his old team, the Yankees.
In 1992, Rogers signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays. He started 39 games that year, finishing with a 12-7 record and 4.07 ERA.
Rogers, Kenny (baseball) Kenneth Scott Rogers (born November 10, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher from the United States. He threw for six different clubs throughout the course of his 20-year baseball career, from 1989 to 2008. Rogers was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
He made his MLB debut on April 17, 1989, and ended up playing for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Atlanta Braves during his career. In between seasons, he played two years for the Canadian club Toronto Blue Jays in the International League. The first five seasons of his career were very successful, as he went 82-40 with a 3.51 ERA in 227 games (five full seasons plus two postseasons).
However, after the 1992 season, his record fell to 51-50, and it has not been above.500 since then. He also had more than four hundred innings pitched three times during his career.
After his major league career ended, Rogers continued to pitch in Japan for the Yokohama BayStars and Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
He returned to the United States in 2009 to join the Baltimore Orioles organization as a pitching coach in their minor league system. The O's hired him as a consultant when they formed a partnership with the Japanese league team Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
In a Mets jersey, he is most remembered for walking in the series-winning run against the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS, giving the Braves a walk-off win and losing the Mets the series. Rogers signed with the Texas Rangers after the 1999 season. He played one more season before retiring after the 2004 season.
Before the Kenny Rogers Walk-Off Moment became popular on T-shirts and other merchandise, the last game of the 1999 National League Championship Series was also known as the "Nightmare Series." The Los Angeles Dodgers were leading 3 games to 2 against the New York Mets when they came to Shea Stadium for the seventh and final match-up between these two teams.
The Mets had won four straight to take a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning. But the Dodgers tied the game up at three apiece when Kirk Gibson hit a two-run home run off Dennis Cook (1-1) with two outs in the eighth. Then, after failing to score in the bottom of the frame, Mike Piazza struck out looking with the bases loaded to end the inning. This would be the last time he would bat in the game.
In the tenth, Jeff Kent hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line that scored two runs and gave the Dodgers a 4-3 victory and their third consecutive NL pennant.
Perry, Jim (baseball) James Evan Perry, Jr. (born October 30, 1935) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from the United States. From 1959 until 1975, he threw for four different clubs. The right-hander was a member of the Minnesota Twins team that won the 1960 World Series. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants.
He was born in Salem, Oregon, but grew up in Chico, California. As a youth, he showed an interest in baseball, which prompted his parents to buy him a ticket to see Los Angeles Angels outfielder Joe DiMaggio in action. This is where his love for baseball started.
After graduating from Chico High School, Perry attended Stanford University, where he played college baseball for the Stanford Cardinals. In 1957, his first year with the St. Louis Browns, he went 11-6 with a 3.12 ERA. The next season, he improved to 16-9 with a 2.67 ERA. This led to his being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 draft. He was returned to the Browns before the start of the 1959 season. That year, he had a 14-10 record and a 3.38 ERA in 32 appearances (three starts).