|
Kenneth "Kenny" Lofton (born May 31, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1994–1999), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993–1996), and at retirement, was ranked fifteenth among all-time stolen base leaders with 622.〔(【引用サイトリンク】accessdate=October 29, 2012 )〕 During his career, he played for the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians (three different times), Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers. Lofton attended the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship. The Wildcats made it to the Final Four in 1988. He did not join the school's baseball team until his junior year. Lofton made 11 postseason appearances, including World Series appearances in 1995 and 2002 with the Indians and Giants, respectively. From 2001 to 2007, Lofton did not spend more than one consecutive season with a team. For his career, the Indians were the only team he played with for longer than one season and the only franchise he played for more than once. Lofton played seasons with the Indians, helping the organization win six division titles. In 2010, he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame. During his professional baseball career, Lofton's single-season stolen base count led the MLB on three occasions and twice the American League (AL). In 1994 he led the American League in hits. Lofton broke Rickey Henderson's record of 33 career post-season stolen bases during the 2007 post-season. Of his base running, Frank White said, "Lofton has out-thought a lot of major-league players" and later, "a smart, complete baseball player." ==Early life== Lofton was raised by his widowed grandmother, Rosie Persons, in "the slums" of East Chicago, Indiana. His mother, Annie, had Lofton while she was in high school and he weighed just three pounds (1.4 kg) at birth. His mother moved to Alabama after she graduated and lost contact with Lofton. Of his father, Lofton said, "We, as a family, don't even talk about it."〔 Persons had glaucoma and because of her failing eyesight was unemployed. She refused to go on welfare but did collect Social Security as a result from her husband's death in 1960 (of bronchial pneumonia). When Lofton made the majors he built a new home in East Chicago for his grandmother and other family members. Lofton attended Washington High School in East Chicago and played on the school's baseball team as a pitcher and center fielder. He was an all-state basketball player.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kenny Lofton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|