Jay Gibbons has struck another harmonious chord for Independent Baseball with his splashy re-entrance into the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A longtime Baltimore Orioles outfielder (2001-2007), the left-handed Gibbons emerged from a brush with being named in the infamous Mitchell Report to start cleansing his reputation with the Long Island (NY) Ducks in the Atlantic League in ’08, and did all of his playing in ’09 with the Newark (NJ) Bears.
Then, after auditioning his still-potent batting skills in winter ball and at Triple-A Albuquerque (.347-19-83), he made an impressive National League debut with a run-scoring pinch single on Sunday, the day he joined the Dodgers. After a day off and a cross-country flight, the 33-year-old broke out with a three-RBI game (homer and two singles in four at-bats plus an outstanding catch) as LA swamped Philadelphia, 15-9. He only played the first 5 ½ innings.
“Right now, it’s all about winning games,” Dodgers Manager Joe Torre ...
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