Craig Counsell
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.jpg/200px-Craig_Counsell_(929748198).jpg) |
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| Milwaukee Brewers — No. 30 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: August 21, 1970 | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 17, 1995 for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through May 26, 2008) |
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| Batting Average | .256 |
| Home Runs | 34 |
| Runs Batted In | 310 |
| Teams | |
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Craig John Counsell (born August 21, 1970 in South Bend, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball infielder who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. He has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Counsell was born in South Bend, Indiana and grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin and went to Whitefish Bay High School, where he played baseball. His father worked for the Milwaukee Brewers. He attended college at the University of Notre Dame.
Counsell has also spent off-seasons coaching middle school basketball at University School of Milwaukee
[edit] Batting Stance
Counsell is particularly known for his unusual batting stance, where he points the bat straight up into the air as high as he can and moves it back and forth in an erratic fashion. While batting, almost his entire back is pointed towards the pitcher, though his feet remain perpendicular with the pitcher's mound. Counsell is also one of very few Major Leaguers not to wear batting gloves.
[edit] Professional career
Counsell won the 2001 National League Championship Series MVP award while on his first tour with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Counsell was on-base for the winning scoring plays of two World Series Game 7's. He scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for the Marlins on an Edgar Rentería single over pitcher Charles Nagy's head, after tying that game in the bottom of the ninth with a sacrifice fly. He was also hit by a pitch by Mariano Rivera to load the bases for Luis Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, after which Gonzalez drove in the winning run for the Diamondbacks, a bloop single over the drawn-in infield which ended the Yankees hopes of four straight World Series titles.
His current theme song that plays before he bats is "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by Mike Hampton |
National League Championship Series MVP 2001 |
Succeeded by Benito Santiago |
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