Steve Jeltz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steve Jeltz |
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: May 28, 1959 Paris, France |
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| debut | |||
| July 17, 1983, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 1990, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .210 | ||
| Home runs | 5 | ||
| Runs batted in | 130 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
| June 8, 1989 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Phillies | |||
Larry Steven Jeltz (born May 28, 1959) is a former professional baseball player. He was born in Paris, France, but grew up in America. Steve played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight seasons. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals.
Steve Jeltz mostly played as a shortstop, which is a key defensive position. During his career, he had a batting average of .210. This means he got a hit about 21% of the times he tried to hit the ball. Steve is special because he is one of the few MLB players born in France. He holds many records for players from France in baseball history.
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Steve Jeltz's Early Life and College Baseball
Steve Jeltz was born in Paris because his family was in the military. When he was young, his family moved to Lawrence, Kansas, in the United States. He went to Lawrence High School there.
After high school, Steve went to the University of Kansas. He was a great player in college. He set a school record by stealing 65 bases. Stealing a base means running to the next base without the ball being hit. Steve played college baseball for three years. In 1980, the Philadelphia Phillies picked him in the MLB draft. He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball in 1983.
A Memorable Game: Two Home Runs in One Day
One of Steve Jeltz's most famous games happened on June 8, 1989. He was playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even though he didn't start the game, he hit two home runs! A home run is when a player hits the ball out of the park, allowing them to run around all the bases and score a point.
Steve was a switch-hitter, meaning he could bat from both the right and left sides of the plate. In this game, he hit one home run batting right-handed and another batting left-handed. This was the first time any Phillies player had ever done that in a single game!
Something else amazing happened in that game. The Pirates scored 10 runs in the first inning. A Pirates announcer named Jim Rooker said on TV, "If we lose this game, I'll walk back to Pittsburgh." But the Phillies made an incredible comeback and won the game 15–11! After the season, Jim Rooker kept his promise and walked 300 miles from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh for charity.
Life After Baseball
In 1990, Steve Jeltz played his last season in Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Royals. He didn't play as much that year. After his baseball career, Steve tried different jobs. He worked as a bail bondsman and a bounty hunter for a while. Later, he started working in the construction business. In 2003, he had surgery to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor.
Steve Jeltz holds many records for players born in France. He has the most games played, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, runs batted in, walks, and strikeouts. He is second in home runs, just behind another player named Bruce Bochy. As of 2020, only seven players born in France have ever played in Major League Baseball.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- List of players born in France
- How to score 10 runs in the first inning and lose, an SB Nation video about Steve Jeltz's famous game
