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27-579: Thomas Marian Paciorek ( / p ə ˈ tʃ ɔːr ɛ k / pə- CHOR -ek ; born November 2, 1946) is an American former outfielder and first baseman who spent 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1970–1975), Atlanta Braves (1976–1978), Seattle Mariners (1978–1981), Chicago White Sox (1982–1985), New York Mets (1985) and Texas Rangers (1986–1987). He appeared twice in

54-596: A Nationals outfielder that season: " Eelfahnso Soriaahno ". In 1992, Paciorek was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame . In the spring of 2002, Paciorek told the Detroit Free Press that priest Gerald Shirilla had molested him and three of his four brothers while working as a teacher at St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck in the 1960s. "I was molested by him for

81-723: A curveball broke. Wills was suspended for two games and fined $ 500; he was fired on May 6. While in Arlington in late May to play the Texas Rangers , the Mariners' uniforms were stolen. For the May 30 game against the Rangers, Seattle wore their batting practice jerseys, Milwaukee Brewers ' caps, and Rangers' batting helmets. The Mariners purchased the Brewers caps at the Rangers' souvenir-stand;

108-575: A fourth outfielder and pinch hitter . He contributed to the Dodgers' 1974 team that reached the World Series , but struggled during the 1975 season, finishing with a .193 batting average, a single home run, and 5 RBI in 62 games. On November 17, 1975, Paciorek was traded to the Atlanta Braves as part of a trade for Dusty Baker . He hit .290 with four home runs and 36 RBI in 111 games while playing in

135-406: A period of four years," Paciorek said. "I would refer to them as attacks. I would say there was at least a hundred of them." Paciorek said he didn't tell anyone because no one would have believed him, saying "When you're a kid, and you're not able to articulate, who's going to believe you?" and "The church back then was so powerful, there's nothing that a kid could do." In 2016, Paciorek was named to

162-475: A platoon role for Atlanta in 1976 . However, he struggled to duplicate those numbers the following year , batting .239 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 72 games. The Braves released Paciorek after spring training in 1978 , but re-signed him just a week later. However, after six weeks and only nine at bats (with three hits), the Braves gave him his release a second time in May. On May 31, 1978, Paciorek signed with

189-528: A record for most hits in a game by a non-starting player which still stands. On July 16, 1985 , Paciorek was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for infielder Dave Cochrane . He spent his final two seasons with the Texas Rangers . Tom was one of three brothers to play in the majors. His younger brother Jim played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987, while older brother John played one game for

216-473: A unanimous vote of consent on January 29. On April 25, Mariners' manager Maury Wills advised the Kingdome groundskeepers to enlarge the batter's box by a foot (0.3 m), and A's manager Billy Martin noticed. He showed umpire Bill Kunkel that the batter's box was seven feet (2.1 m) in length (instead of six). Martin felt that batters being able to move up a foot in the box could cut at pitches before

243-462: Is often considered the most difficult outfield position, requiring both a good throwing arm and speed. Center fielders on many teams often bat lead off . Players who do not routinely start games, but often substitute as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement in the outfield are referred to as fourth outfielders or even fifth outfielders . These players can usually play any of the three outfield positions. Corner outfielders are outfielders who play

270-592: The 1968 NFL/AFL Draft . In baseball, he was named to the All-Tournament team after the Cougars reached the finals of the 1967 College World Series , and were the national runner-up to Arizona State . Paciorek's number is one of only three to be retired by the Cougars. Paciorek was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round (89th overall) of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft , one of eight players drafted by

297-629: The Houston Colt .45s in 1963. Paciorek played 396 games at first base, 23 games at third base, one game at shortstop, 483 games in left field, 74 games in center field and 281 games in right field. His best position was at first base, recording a .994 fielding percentage . Paciorek served as a broadcaster for several years after retiring as a player, with his most notable stint as the color commentator on White Sox television broadcasts alongside Ken Harrelson , who affectionately called him by his baseball nickname, "Wimpy", on-air. Paciorek broadcast for

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324-583: The National College Baseball Hall of Fame . Outfielder Outfielders named to the MLB All-Century Team are Hank Aaron , Ty Cobb , Joe DiMaggio , Mickey Mantle , Willie Mays , Stan Musial , Pete Rose , Babe Ruth , Ted Williams , Carl Yastrzemski , and Ken Griffey Jr. Players can be characterized as either corner outfielders or a center fielder . Corner outfielders are often slower and have less defensive value than

351-522: The Seattle Mariners , for whom he hit .299 with four home runs and 30 RBI in 70 games. Following two solid years as a platoon player, Paciorek put together a career season with the Mariners in 1981 . Playing full-time for the only time in his career at age 34, Paciorek batted .326 with 14 home runs and 66 RBI in 104 games. His .326 average ranked second in the American League , and he was fourth in

378-410: The center fielder . However, there are some important differences between right fielders and left fielders . Right fielders tend to have the best throwing arms of the outfield so they can make the long throw to third base, but often are not as fast as left fielders. Center fielders are generally the fastest and most athletic of the three, because they have to run the farthest in order to field balls in

405-568: The AL in slugging percentage (.509). He earned his only appearance to an All-Star team at the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was tenth in the AL MVP race. After Paciorek requested increased compensation and a three-year contract, the Mariners traded him to the Chicago White Sox for Rod Allen , Todd Cruz and Jim Essian on December 11, 1981. He hit over .300 his first two years with

432-596: The Dodgers that year to reach the majors. A top prospect, he won The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1972 with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes . Paciorek made his major league debut with the Dodgers on September 12, 1970, finishing the game 1-for-4 in an 8–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants . After making the majors full-time, he spent the 1973 through 1975 seasons as

459-405: The Rangers did not offer Seattle caps for sale. Journeyman Tom Paciorek put together a career season with the M's in 1981. Playing full-time for the only time in his career at age 34, he batted .326, second in the American League , and was fourth in the AL in slugging percentage . Paciorek earned his only appearance to an All-Star team in 1981 and was tenth in the AL MVP race. After

486-581: The Sox, and was part of Chicago's division championship team in 1983 . With the White Sox in 1984 , Paciorek replaced Ron Kittle in left field in the fourth inning of their game with the Milwaukee Brewers on May 8 – a game which went 25 innings, and was the longest game in major league history, as measured by time on the field. When it ended the following day, Paciorek had amassed five hits in nine at bats,

513-530: The White Sox from 1988 to 1999, then called selected games for the Detroit Tigers in 2000 and the Seattle Mariners in 2001 before calling the Atlanta Braves on FSN South from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, he was the color commentator for the Washington Nationals , but his contract was not renewed for 2007. He is fondly remembered amongst Nationals fans for his distinct pronunciation of " Alfonso Soriano ,"

540-478: The ball could possibly be hit to. Many of the best power hitters in baseball play in the outfield , where they do not have as constant involvement in fielding plays as other positions, especially before the institution of the designated hitter . For example, Babe Ruth was moved from pitcher to the outfield. Left fielders and right fielders are more often slow power hitters, and center fielders are usually fast base-runners and good defensive players. Center field

567-521: The corner positions of right field and left field . Corner outfielders often have less speed than center fielders , but make up for this deficiency with their offensive play. The main differences between left and right fielders are, first, that left fielders handle more chances because right-handed pull hitters tend to hit balls to left; second, that right fielders typically have stronger arms; third, that right fielders are frequently (not always) slower and less agile defensively. Many left fielders have had

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594-399: The gaps and back up the other outfielders when balls are hit to them. Outfielders should also be able to read where the ball may be placed based on what the pitcher is throwing. They can tell what the pitcher is throwing by the middle infielders, second base and short stop, in which they show the numbers the catcher is giving to the pitcher behind their back to determine the pitch and tell where

621-456: The postseason, with the National League (NL) champion Dodgers in 1974 and the American League (AL) West -winning White Sox in 1983. Following his retirement as an active player, he worked as a color commentator for various MLB clubs, most notably the White Sox, on whose telecasts he was teamed with Ken Harrelson throughout the 1990s. Paciorek was known by the nickname " Wimpy ," which

648-431: The speed to play center field, but have lacked the throwing ability required. An example of an ultra-fast left fielder is Rickey Henderson ( Ben Oglivie and Lou Brock can fit this description too), whereas the slow-footed but very strong-armed Carl Furillo , "The Reading Rifle", sets a standard for right fielders in the terms specified here. 1981 Seattle Mariners season The 1981 Seattle Mariners season

675-422: Was fired on May 6 with a 6–18 (.250) record, the M's worst start yet; he was succeeded by 36-year-old Rene Lachemann , the manager at Triple-A Spokane . On January 14, 1981, the Mariners' were sold to George Argyros , a California real estate developer , for an estimated $ 12.5 million. The sale of the team, which needed the approval of 10 of 14 owners of American League teams, received

702-526: Was given to him by Tommy Lasorda after a dinner with minor league teammates in which he was the only one to order a hamburger instead of steak . After graduating from St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan , Paciorek played baseball and football for the University of Houston from 1965 to 1968. A defensive back , he was picked by the Miami Dolphins in the ninth round (240th overall) of

729-509: Was their fifth since the franchise creation, and were sixth in the American League West at 44–65 (.404). Due to the 1981 player's strike , the season was split in half, with pre-strike and post-strike results. The Mariners were sixth in the division in the first half at 21–36 (.368), and fifth in the second half at 23–29 (.442). The strike began on June 12 and regular season play resumed on August 10. Manager Maury Wills

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