Ernie Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ernie Young |
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Young with the USA Baseball in 2019
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| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: July 8, 1969 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||||
| MLB: May 17, 1994, for the Oakland Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
| NPB: June 7, 2002, for the Yokohama BayStars | |||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||||
| NPB: September 15, Yokohama BayStars | |||||||||||||||||
| MLB: September 24, 2004, for the Cleveland Indians | |||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .225 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 90 | ||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Ernest Wesley Young (born July 8, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and is now a coach for the United States national baseball team. Ernie played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight seasons with five different teams. He was mostly known for his time with the Oakland Athletics.
Ernie also played one season in Japan for the Yokohama BayStars. A big highlight of his career was winning a gold medal with the United States baseball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. As a player, Ernie was about 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed around 190 pounds. He batted and threw with his right hand. In 2013, he was honored and added to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.
Playing Baseball in the Major Leagues
During his time in Major League Baseball, Ernie Young played in 288 games. He made 179 hits, hit 27 home runs, and helped his team score 90 runs (called RBIs). He also stole 10 bases and had a .225 batting average.
One exciting moment happened when he played for the Oakland Athletics. In a game against the Detroit Tigers, Ernie made an amazing leaping catch in center field. This catch helped start a rare play called a triple play, which is when three players are put out in one continuous action.
Coaching in Minor League Baseball
After he stopped playing baseball in 2007, Ernie Young became a coach. He started as a hitting coach for a rookie-level team called the Great Falls Voyagers.
Later, in 2008, he became the manager for the Kannapolis Intimidators. In 2011, Ernie was chosen to manage the West Michigan Whitecaps, a team connected to the Detroit Tigers. He managed them for two seasons.
Playing and Coaching for Team USA
Ernie Young had a very successful international career playing for the Team USA. As a player, he won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. This was a huge achievement for him and his team.
After his playing days, Ernie continued to be involved with Team USA as a coach and manager. He managed the national team in 2011 for the 2011 Baseball World Cup and the 2011 Pan Am Games. The team finished fourth in the World Cup and won a silver medal in the Pan Am Games.
In 2019, Ernie became a national team coach for the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament. In 2021, he was again named a coach for the national team as they tried to qualify for the baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The team successfully qualified, and Ernie served as the hitting coach and first base coach during the Olympics. Team USA won a silver medal, losing to Japan in the final game.
