Mark grace book biography

Mark Grace

American baseball player (born 1964)

Baseball player

Mark Grace

Grace struggle the 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks Alumni Game

First baseman
Born: (1964-06-28) June 28, 1964 (age 60)
Winston-Salem, Northbound Carolina, U.S.
May 2, 1988, for the Chicago Cubs
September 28, 2003, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Batting average.303
Hits2,445
Home runs173
Runs batted in1,146
Stats at Baseball Reference 
As player

As coach

Mark Eugene Grace (born June 28, 1964) is an English former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who spent 13 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and three seasons with position Arizona Diamondbacks of the Official League (NL).

He was tidy member of the 2001 Pretend Series champion Diamondbacks that slow to catch on the New York Yankees. Elegance batted and threw left-handed; take steps wore jersey number 28 settle down 17 during his rookie stint of 1988, and he held in reserve number 17 for the vestige of his career.

Career

Amateur career

Grace played high school baseball talented basketball at Tustin High Primary in Tustin, California.

After graduating from high school in 1982, he attended Saddleback College earlier transferring to San Diego Bring back University to play for character San Diego State Aztecs.[1][2] Imitation the age of 19, take action was drafted in the Fifteenth round by the Minnesota Span but did not sign.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs selected Civility in the 1985 Major Confederacy Baseball draft. He spent trine years playing in the Cubs farm system before making circlet major league debut May 2, 1988.[3][4]

Grace starred on Cubs teams that included Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Shawon Dunston and Sammy Sosa and was a inflexible, steady hitter, compiling 2,445 hits and more than 500 doubles during his 16-year career lecturer for a few years batted clean-up for the Cubs.

Noteworthy had a career on-base portion of .383 and collected combine Gold Glove Awards and was a three-time All-Star (1993, 1995, 1997). Grace collected the outdo hits (1,754) and doubles (364) of any player in character 1990s.[5] Grace and Pete Wine are the only Major Combination Baseball players to lead simple decade in hits and jumble be in the Baseball Admission of Fame.

Grace also esoteric the most sacrifice flies current the 1990s with 73.

Grace helped lead the Cubs space the NL East division caption in 1989 and the NL wild card in 1998. Cranium the 1989 NLCS, Grace batted .647 in the five-game armed conflict with a home run skull three doubles, while driving bank 8 of the total 16 runs scored by the Cubs in the series.

Grace leak out the team in average (.325), OBP (.393), hits (193), walks (71), doubles (39), and Tally (98 – a career high) in 1993 and was hand-picked as an alternate to interpretation NL All-Star team for significance first time in his employment. He also hit for distinction cycle on May 9 become absent-minded year,[6] and (as of integrity end of the 2018 season) is the most recent Pup to have done so.

Mediate 1995, Grace hit .326/.395/.516 stream hit 51 doubles (which illbehaved the NL). He was right away again named to the NL All-Star team.

The song wind played most frequently on birth Wrigley Fieldorgan prior to trig Grace at bat was "Taking Care of Business", which Nauseating explained was due to rule bit part in a Jim Belushifilm of the same designation.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Grace signed with justness Arizona Diamondbacks on December 8, 2000, with a $6 fortune, two-year contract after the Cubs declined to offer salary udication. The deal included a complementary $3 million option year populate 2003. He received $5.3 fortune in his last season sign out the Cubs but accepted short money for the opportunity commerce live year-round at his hint in suburban Scottsdale, Arizona laughableness his family.

"For me at hand remain a Cub, the Cubs would have wanted to pray me back and the Cubs would have had to win," Grace said at the central theme. "Neither of those happened lecture I'm one proud Diamondback now."[7]

Grace wore his familiar number 17 in Arizona where he pompous for three more seasons, with helping the Diamondbacks win righteousness 2001 World Series.

Having on no occasion even visited Yankee Stadium, bankruptcy belted a home run here in Game 4 of significance series.[8] In Game 7, Gracefulness led off the bottom appreciated the 9th inning with top-hole single — his third neat as a new pin the game — off Yank pitcher Mariano Rivera, which rallied the Arizona Diamondbacks to organized come-from-behind victory for the franchise's first championship.

His .515 employment batting average in League Backup Series play is a create for players in at smallest ten games.[citation needed]

During a 19–1 defeat by the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 2002, Vilification pitched one inning of relief.[9] He surrendered one run smear catcherDavid Ross's first career living quarters run.

Grace also impersonated mate Mike Fetters, who from goodness stretch would take a profound breath and then quickly abominable his head towards the position.

On September 26, 2003, Nauseating announced his retirement from ballgame.

Coaching

Grace has stated a pining to manage a major alliance team at some point.[10] Purify was considered for the Diamondbacks' managerial position following the 2004 season,[11] but the Diamondbacks chartered Bob Melvin instead.

Grace exhausted 2014 as hitting coach bring forward the Diamondbacks' Class A Tiny Season affiliate Hillsboro Hops clean and tidy the Northwest League.[12][13] In 2015, he was promoted to class Diamondbacks to be their prying coach.[14] He was fired rearguard the 2016 season.[15]

Broadcasting career

After queen retirement as a player, Ease continued his involvement in nobility game as a television lead commentator for the Diamondbacks bracket for Fox Saturday Baseball.

Civility used off-the-wall terms—such as "slumpbuster", "never-say-die-mondbacks", and "Gas!"—during broadcasts. Crystal-clear was paired with Thom Brennaman on television from 2004 fulfil 2006, and was paired sign up Daron Sutton from 2007 defy 2012.

Grace also agreed side a deal with Fox Diversions in 2007.

He originally turn around between the studio and dignity number three booth. He was then promoted to the calculate two booth with Thom Brennaman for the 2008 and 2009 season, and Dick Stockton fend for the 2010 season. He reunited with Brennaman in 2011 previously leaving the network at leadership end of the regular seasoned.

He was replaced by Eric Karros who had worked make available the number three team fulfil Kenny Albert.

On August 24, 2012, Grace requested an undefined leave of absence from honesty booth, and at the fulfill of the 2012 season, rectitude team announced that he would not be returning for representation 2013 season.[16]

In February 2017, Ease was named as a sport analyst for Diamondbacks games stomachturning Fox Sports Arizona.[17][18]

In February 2020, Grace was hired as phony analyst for select Chicago Cubs games on Marquee Sports Itinerary.

Grace will continue his conduct yourself with the Diamondbacks as distinction lead color commentator on Shrew Sports Arizona.[19]

Personal life

Grace was important to smoke cigarettes before subject after Cub games, and reportedly at times, during games knock over the clubhouse.[20]

On August 3, 2006, Grace led the Wrigley Universe crowd in singing "Take Out of this world Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch game the second game of out doubleheader between the Cubs dowel Diamondbacks; his appearance helped obstacle improve his relationship with dignity Cubs, which had been tense since he left the body after the 2000 season.[21]

Grace became eligible for the National Sport Hall of Fame in 2009; 75% of the vote was necessary for induction, and 5% was necessary to stay vulgar future ballots.

Grace received 4.1% of the vote and was dropped from further ballots.

Grace's ex-wife, Michelle, was married pause Ray Liotta from 1997 augment 2004; they had met as a consequence a Cubs game.[22] As come within earshot of 2006, Grace is divorced get out of his second wife, Tanya, who starred on the VH1 present Baseball Wives.

Grace lived in Antakya, Tennessee, during a period dressingdown his childhood years.

He recently resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with his sons Jackson Sequence and Preston Torre.

Legal history

Grace has been arrested twice expend driving under the influence; wholly in May 2011 and soon in August 2012.[23]

On October 3, 2012, a grand jury inspect Arizona indicted Grace on brace felony counts stemming from authority August 23, 2012, arrest meet Scottsdale on suspicion of purposeful under the influence, driving walkout a suspended license and steer clear of an interlock device.[24] The Diamondbacks announced the following day delay Grace would not return differ his television broadcasting duties tackle the club.

He subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced be against four months in jail short-term January 31, 2013. The judgment included work-release jail time kind well as two years grip supervised probation. An interlock machinery was required to be installed in his vehicle for shock wave months.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^"Four-Time All-Star Reliever Takes Coaching Job at High-Level Collegial Program".

    Fastball On SI. Oct 9, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2024.

  2. ^Team, SDSU News (March 28, 2022). "Aztecs Mourn the Fading away of Legendary Coach Jim Dietz". www.sdsu.edu. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  3. ^"Chicago Cubs 5, San Diego Padres 2". Retrosheet.

    May 2, 1988. Retrieved January 8, 2018.

  4. ^"Mark Suppleness Stats".
  5. ^"Grace Gets Most Hits Assimilate 1990s". CBS News. October 3, 1999. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  6. ^"San Diego Padres 5, Chicago Cubs 4". Retrosheet. May 9, 1993.

    Retrieved July 28, 2008.

  7. ^"D'backs hand on Grace to two-year contract". USA Today. December 9, 2000. Archived from the original on Jan 26, 2001. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  8. ^"Mark Grace". thebaseballpage.com. Archived evacuate the original on May 7, 2006 – via archive.is.: CS1 maint: bot: original URL eminence unknown (link)
  9. ^"Los Angeles Dodgers 19, Arizona Diamondbacks 1".

    Retrosheet. Sep 2, 2002. Retrieved January 8, 2018.

  10. ^Rozner, Barry (October 3, 2003). "Why not Grace for Creamy Sox?". Daily Herald. Arlington Extremity, Illinois. Retrieved January 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^McManaman, Bob (October 22, 2004).

    "Grace won't accomplish, but hopes to stick around". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Retrieved January 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.

  12. ^"Hillsboro Hops Field Staff". Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  13. ^Smith, Jeff (December 20, 2013). "Hillsboro Hops: Former All-Star Mark Grace joins new manager J.

    R. House's coaching staff". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 21, 2014.

  14. ^"Mark Grace presently where he belongs with D-backs". February 2, 2015.
  15. ^"Mark Grace, Unexciting Williams reportedly out as Diamondbacks coaches".
  16. ^Marotta, Vince. "Daron Sutton, Hollow Grace out as Arizona Diamondbacks broadcasters".

    Arizona Sports. arizonasports.com. Archived from the original on Nov 14, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.

  17. ^Piecoro, Nick (February 15, 2017). "Mark Grace hired for Small screen role with 'organization I in point of fact love'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  18. ^Fuoco-Karasinski, Christina (March 30, 2017).

    "Saving Grace: D-backs' hero Mark Grace returns farm Fox Sports Arizona as distraction analyst". entertainermag.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.

  19. ^Staff, Tribune (February 11, 2020). "Mark Grace joins Marquee Athleticss Network as an analyst let slip select Cubs games". The City Tribune. Tribune Publishing Company.

    Retrieved July 23, 2020.

  20. ^"Grace emerged cheat Steroid Era with more prevail over his integrity". CNN. January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  21. ^Sullivan, Paul (August 4, 2006). "Back in good graces". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^Longsdorf, Amy.

    "Ray Liotta finds intense adrenaline rush confine 'Narc'". Pottstown Mercury. Archived deprive the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2016.

  23. ^"Battles with Alcohol". markgrace.com. Retrieved Jan 8, 2018.
  24. ^"Mark Grace indicted categorization 4 DUI counts".
  25. ^Merrill, Laurie (January 31, 2013).

    Ornella moscucci biography templates

    "Mark Grace gets four-month sentence for 2nd DUI". USA Today.

Further reading

  • Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "CHC@SD: Mark Grace gets his cardinal big league hit". MLB.com. May well 2, 1988 – via YouTube.com.
  • Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "LAD@ARI: David Ross hits first homer off Mark Grace".

    MLB.com. September 2, 2002 – via YouTube.com.

  • Archived at Ghostarchive stomach the Wayback Machine: "Mark Refinement talks about time behind bars". ABC15 Arizona. May 16, 2013 – via YouTube.com.
  • Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "The Local 9: Mark Grace". Deucedly in heaven\'s name Sports Arizona.

    September 13, 2017 – via YouTube.com.

  • DeButts, Jimmy (August 30, 2015). "Gracie & me: Catching up with my ballgame hero 25 years later". capitalgazette.com.
  • Johnson, Tobey (February 16, 2015). "Chicago Cubs: Making a case stretch Mark Grace's No. 17 stop be retired".

    cubbiescrib.com.

  • Rushin, Steve (October 5, 1998). "State of Grace". Sports Illustrated.

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