Jason Giambi

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Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi on May 13, 2013.jpg
 - No. 72
Designated hitter / first baseman
Born: January 8, 1971
West Covina , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Strikes: Left Throws: Right
Debut in Major League Baseball
May 8,  1995  with the  Oakland Athletics
MLB stats
(until September 16, 2014)
Batting average    , 277
Hits    2.010
Home runs    440
Runs Batted In    1,441
Slugging percentage    , 517
Teams

Awards

Jason Gilbert Giambi (born January 8, 1971 in West Covina , California ) is an American , former baseball player . He made his MLB debut for the Oakland Athletics on May 8, 1995.

biography

Jason Giambi, 2007

Jason Giambi already showed exceptional athletic achievements in baseball, basketball and American football during his school days . He was named his high school MVP in baseball and basketball, and an all-league quarterback in his school 's league football class. After finishing school he played for a year with the Alaska Goldpanners in Fairbanks , Alaska in the Alaska Baseball League . In college , Giambi played at California State University, Long Beach .

Giambi made his major league debut on May 8, 1995. Until Mark McGwire moved to the St. Louis Cardinals , Giambi played either as first baseman , third baseman or outfielder , after which he had secured 1st base as a regular position. In addition to the field position, Giambi also took on the leadership role in the Athletics team, which McGwire had previously held.

Until 2000, the left-handed batsman constantly improved his offensive performance. With 43 home runs , 137 RBI , a batting average of .333, he won the American League MVP title ahead of Frank Thomas . Similar numbers gave him the 2nd place behind Ichirō Suzuki in the 2001 election . In the play-offs of these two years, the Athletics failed twice in the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees .

After the 2001 season, Giambi became a free agent and signed a seven-year deal with the Yankees that earned him $ 120 million. After the two play-off defeats against the Yankees, the Oakland fans took the move angry and are still outraged against Giambi at games of the Yankees in Oakland. With 41 home runs in 2002 and 2003, he also delivered outstanding statistical values ​​in the Yankees' jersey. On July 30, 2004, Giambi was diagnosed with a benign tumor , had to be treated and failed until September 14, 2004. In 2005 he was able to improve his offensive performance after his illness and was voted American League Comeback Player of the Year . On July 31, 2005, he hit his 300th home run against Esteban Yan of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim . In the 2005 season, Giambi was also voted MLB Comeback Player of the Year .

Giambi was also involved in research into the use of steroids in baseball. Like his brother Jeremy, he confessed to not only taking steroids between 2001 and 2003, but also growth hormones and testosterone . However, due to the lax doping regulations in baseball at the time, this had no sporting consequences.

In the 2004 season, Giambi had to skip half of the season due to intestinal parasites. In addition, his team suffered a shocking defeat in the final series of the American League when they lost a lead of three games against the Boston RedSox.

After the 2008 season, Giambi's contract was not renewed by the New York Yankees. From 2009 he plays again for his old club, the Oakland Athletics.

In the 2009 season he moved again from the Athletics to the Colorado Rockies , for which he played for 3 years. In 2013 and 2014 he was under contract with the Cleveland Indians . On February 16, 2015 , he announced his retirement as a player after 20 years.

Web links

Commons : Jason Giambi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Mark Fainaru-Wada, Lance Williams: Giambi admitted taking steroids ( English ) San Francisco Chronicle Hearst Communications Inc. December 2, 2004. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  2. Associated Press : Report: Jeremy Giambi admits he used steroids ( English ) USA Today . March 13, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  3. Steve Adams: Report: Jason Giambi Retires ( English ) MLB Trade Rumors. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.