Shane Mack (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shane Mack |
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| Outfielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: December 7, 1963 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | ||||||||||||||
| MLB: May 25, 1987, for the San Diego Padres | ||||||||||||||
| NPB: April 7, 1995, for the Yomiuri Giants | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| NPB: October 24, 1996, for the Yomiuri Giants | ||||||||||||||
| MLB: July 30, 1998, for the Kansas City Royals | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .299 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 80 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 398 | |||||||||||||
| NPB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .284 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 42 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 127 | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Shane Lee Mack was born on December 7, 1963. He is a former professional baseball player from America. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB).
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Early Life and College Baseball
Shane Mack grew up in Cerritos, California. He played baseball for Richard Gahr High School from 1978 to 1981. After high school, he earned a scholarship. He went to the UCLA to play for the UCLA Bruins baseball team.
College Achievements
Mack was a star player at UCLA from 1982 to 1984. He had a great batting average of .361. He also hit 29 home runs and had 142 runs batted in. He scored 158 runs and stole 44 stolen bases. In 1983, he was almost the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the Pac-10 Conference. His .419 batting average that year was one of the best ever in the Pac-10. Shane was chosen for the All-Pac-10 and All-American College Baseball Teams in both 1983 and 1984.
Professional Baseball Career
In 1984, Shane Mack was chosen early in the major league draft. After college, he joined the U.S. Olympic baseball team. They won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Major League Baseball Debut
Shane Mack played nine seasons in professional baseball. He started his career with the San Diego Padres. Overall, he had a .299 lifetime batting average. He hit 80 home runs and had 398 RBIs in 923 games. He was also a strong defensive player. He had a .985 fielding percentage playing in all three outfield spots.
Time with the Minnesota Twins
In 1990, the Minnesota Twins picked him in the rule 5 draft. He became a key player for the Twins from 1990 to 1994. A big highlight was helping the Twins win the 1991 World Series championship. In 1992, Mack had his best year. He hit .315, which was fifth best in the American League. He also scored 101 runs and stole 26 bases. He drove in 75 runs and hit 16 home runs that season.
Playing in Japan and Return to MLB
After his time with the Twins, Shane Mack played in Japan. He played for the Yomiuri Giants in 1995 and 1996. Then, he came back to the United States. He played for the Boston Red Sox in 1997. In 1998, he played for the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals before he retired from baseball.
Later Recognition
On October 10, 2002, Shane Mack was honored. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. This is a special place for great athletes from UCLA.
Friendship and Support
Shane Mack was a good friend to his former teammate, Kirby Puckett. In 2006, Kirby Puckett became very ill. Shane Mack flew to Arizona to be with him. Many other former Twins players also came to support their friend.
Family Connections
Shane Mack's brother also played professional baseball. His brother is Quinn Mack, who was also an outfielder in Major League Baseball.
