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Kenny Rogers (born November 10, 1964 in Savannah, Georgia as Kenneth Scott Rogers) is a left-handed American Major League Baseball pitcher who has played for six Major League Baseball teams since his rookie year in 1989. Previously lauded only for his fielding and perfect game, he is currently the possessor of 23 consecutive shutout innings in postseason baseball. His career 207 -139 win-loss record gives him a winning percentage (.598) far superior to that of at least a half-dozen Hall of Fame inductees.

He is nicknamed "The Gambler" as a play on country music star Kenny Rogers' trademark single The Gambler.

Biography

Rogers grew up on a 15-acre strawberry farm in Dover, Florida. Upon meeting his future wife as a teenager, he told her that he would become a farmer if his baseball career did not pan out. His goal was to play in the majors for three years. He is currently in his 18th season, the first of a two-year, $16 million contract.

Signed to the Texas farm team in the 39th round for $1000 when he was only seventeen years old, he graduated from Plant City High School in Florida in 1982, where he played baseball only during his senior season, hitting .375 as a right fielder (he played shortstop in his senior league). He was converted into a pitcher on the strength of his throwing arm and left-handedness. Rogers spent seven years in the minor leagues before making it to the Rangers in 1989 as a reliever. He became a starting pitcher for the club in 1993.

During his career, he has played for the Texas Rangers (1989–95, 2000–02, 2004–05), the New York Yankees (1996–97), Oakland Athletics (1998–99), the New York Mets (1999), the Minnesota Twins (2003), and the Detroit Tigers (2006).

He, his wife Rebecca Lewis, daughter Jessica Lynn, and son Trevor reside in Munhall, Pennsylvania during the off-season. He enjoys golf, fishing, and building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Accomplishments

Perfect Game

• Rogers became the fourteenth major leaguer to pitch a perfect game on July 28, 1994 with the Rangers against the California Angels. Soon after his feat, he appeared on ABC's Good Morning America on July 29, 1994, and on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on August 1, 1994. He also met and appeared with Country Western music star Kenny Rogers at a function in Arlington, Texas on August 13, 1994.

Gold Gloves

• Known as one of the finest fielding pitchers in baseball, along with having one of the best pick-off moves, Rogers has won four Gold Glove Awards at pitcher with the Rangers in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2005.

200 Career Wins

• On Sunday June 18, 2006 Kenny Rogers won his 200th game (against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field), during which Detroit set a club record with eight home runs. With the 12-3 victory, Rogers (10-3) became the ninth active pitcher with at least 200 wins.

All-Star Game Appearances

• He is the only left-handed pitcher selected for each of the last two All-Star Games before this year. It was announced on 2 July 2006 that he had been selected for the 2006 AL squad, and was American League manager Ozzie Guillen's pick for starting pitcher. In his first All-Star Game start, he pitched two innings and gave up three hits and one run -- a solo home run to David Wright.

2006 Playoffs

• On October 6, 2006, Rogers pitched his way to his first postseason win pitching 7 /₃ scoreless innings, with 8 strikeouts in a 6-0 Tigers victory against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. At 41 years and 330 days old, he became the oldest starting pitcher to earn his first career postseason win.

• A week later on October 13, Rogers retired nine batters in a row, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics, allowing only two hits and two walks in 7 /₃ scoreless innings, while striking out six and pacing the Tigers to a 3-0 victory, leaving the Tigers one win away from their first World Series since 1984.

• During Game 2 of the World Series, FOX cameras caught a dark substance on the left hand of Rogers in the first inning. Rogers, who later said it was dirt mixed with rosin from the rosin bag, wiped it off and pitched 8 scoreless innings to extend his streak to 23 shutout innings. Examination of images from previous games has revealed a nearly identical patch on his hand in at least two other games.

In the news

2005

Rogers had refused to talk to local media during the 2005 season after they published a report saying Rogers was having trouble trying to get the Rangers to give him a contract extension, and that he would retire if he didn't get one.

• On June 29, 2005, after walking out onto Ameriquest Field for a pre-game warmup against the Los Angeles Angels, Rogers shoved two cameramen, knocking a camera to the ground. One of the reporters then resumed filming and Rogers shoved him again, this time kicking the camera after it had been knocked to the ground a second time. He had to be restrained and was sent home. Larry Rodriguez of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex' Fox Network affiliate KDFW was taken to a local hospital, complaining of shoulder, arm and leg pain. While in the hospital, Rodriguez made an official complaint of assault against Rogers.

• On July 1, 2005, Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Rogers for 20 games and fined him $50,000. While an appeal of his suspension was pending, Rogers appeared at the 2005 All-Star Game in Detroit.

• On July 18, 2005, Rogers was charged with a Class A misdemeanor assault charge with regard to Rodriguez and a Class C misdemeanor assault charge with regard to FSN Southwest cameraman David Mammeli. Rogers was cited and released on $1,500 bond.

• On July 22, 2005, Selig heard Rogers' appeal of his suspension; on July 27, Selig upheld the suspension. However, on August 9, 2005, independent arbitor Shyam Das ruled that Selig's actions exceeded his authority and Rogers was reinstated effective the next day. Das also ruled the $50,000 fine be converted to a charitable contribution. In all, Rogers' suspension lasted 13 games.

• On August 11, 2005, Rogers returned to the mound against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. Rogers allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings, on the way to a 16-5 Boston victory. He finished 2005 with a 3.46 ERA in 195 1/3 innings. Shortly after the regular season ended, the Rangers announced Rogers would not return to the team.

• On October 5, 2005, Rodriguez filed a civil suit against Rogers and the Rangers, seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages.

• On March 26, 2006, Rogers reached an agreement with the prosecution; that if he completed an anger management course within four months, the Class A misdemeanor would be reduced to a Class C misdemeanor.

Signing with Detroit

• On December 8, 2005, Rogers signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. As of 2006, Rogers ended his regular season at 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA.

"We've needed a guy like that for a long time. I'm glad we went out and got him. ... He means a lot to our team and to guys like me." -- Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman, on Kenny Rogers

Rogers, on his first year in Detroit: "There's a lot of benefits here, by far, that you wouldn't know as a visiting player, and for me, I've been around quite a while, but I appreciate the town, the city, the people. The travel for a baseball player is very hard, but here it's not that difficult. It lends itself to being able to relax on certain days that you could get off. There's just more benefits, especially when you have the quality of people here like Dombrowski and like we have in Mr. Ilitch, those things that you can't take for granted. You add in Jim Leyland and the coaching staff here, and I just got lucky to choose this place. ... Right when I went in the door and met them, I knew. I knew where I was going to end up."

External links

Articles

• Rogers draws Tigers even in Game 2
• Kenny Rogers press conference (October 21, 2006)
• Re-inventing Kenny Rogers
• Series win is last stop in great ride
• Tigers have the most important ingredient for a title -- pitching
• Rogers morphs from postseason dud to stud at 41
• Brilliant Rogers has Tigers one game away
• At 41, Rogers tastes playoff champagne
• Kenny The Conqueror
• Rogers worth every penny to Tigers
• Rangers gambled on Rogers; 190 wins later, he's a Tiger
• Old-school vets thriving
• Cameras can distort the truth
• Kenny Rogers in the New York Times
• Questions linger over substance on Rogers' hand

Profiles

• Official Player Page on Detroit Tigers -- MLB.com
• Template:Espn mlb
• Career statistics from Baseball Reference
• Kenny Rogers at Yahoo MLB Sports
• Kenny Rogers at IMDb

• 1964 births
• Living people
• 1995 American League All-Stars
• 1996 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team
• 2004 American League All-Stars
• 2005 American League All-Stars
• 2006 American League All-Stars
• Detroit Tigers players
• Gold Glove Award winners
• Major league pitchers
• Major league players from Florida
• Major league players from Georgia
• Major league players from Texas
• Minnesota Twins players
• MLB pitchers who have pitched a perfect game
• New York Mets players
• New York Yankees players
• Oakland Athletics players
• People who have had Tommy John surgery
• Texas Rangers players