Antioch Sports Legends museum will be host a lineup of Hall of Famers, who are former Major League Baseball players, as docents on Saturday.
The Antioch natives and baseball greats will be on hand from 1 to 4 p.m. at the museum at 1500 W. Fourth St. to sign autographs and answer questions.
Saturday’s line-up at the free event includes Antioch’s first MLB player Gene “Butch” Rounsaville (ASL-HOF 2007); Antioch’s only World Series Champion, Aaron Miles (ASL-HOF 2014) of the 2006 St Louis Cardinals; and 1987 17th over-all draft pick Alex Sanchez (ASL-HOF 2010).
Each will have cards and photos to sign, so bring the kids. The first 40 attending will given a free hot dog, water and chips.
Rounsaville played three sports in high school and the baseball, football and basketball teams all looked to his leadership – and golden arm-in 1961-62. He was an Antioch quarterback and pitched on the baseball team. He also played basketball, scoring 200 points his senior year. He was named All Nor-Cal and unanimous First Team All-League. The three-sport star was Athlete of the Year at Antioch in 1962.
Rounsaville eventually settled on baseball. In baseball, his ERA of 1.84 became the fourth all-time lowest in 50 years at DVC. He later signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965. In 1968 he led the Eastern league with most wins (14), most shutouts (6), most completed games (14) and an ERA of 1.76. He also was the first Antioch player to break into major league baseball when he made his White Sox pitching debut against Minnesota on April 7, 1970. He won 62 minor league games in his professional career. In 2006, “Big Righty” was named to Reading, Pennsylvania’s “AA” Hall of Fame as one of the best all-time pitchers.
Miles meanwhile was the smallest 12-year-old on the Northern California Championship Little League Team in 1989, but grew up to be the most successful baseball player in Antioch history as second baseman for the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, one of the five teams he played for in more than eight major league seasons. His journey began with playing for the Antioch Fireballs under the tutelage of veteran Little League coach Butch Felix. He played for the Dodgers in the Babe Ruth League, a premonition of three decades later when he would play for the “real” Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Miles spent eight years in the minor leagues working his way up, earning 2002 MVP in Double “A” League and Rookie of the Year in the 2003 Triple “A” International League. The call-up finally came in 2003 from the Chicago White Sox. The multi-tasker, who has played outfield, second, third, shortstop and pitcher, made his Major League Baseball playing debut on Sept. 11, 2003. In 2004 the 5-foot-8 switch-hitter was voted All-Rookie All-Star Second Baseman and placed fourth in the 2004 National League Rookie of the year vote. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies that year and played for two seasons, the first player in Colorado history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, and made key plays for the team in its World Series win.
Although primarily a second baseman, Miles made his pitching debut against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 1, 2007, one of the five games in which he pitched relief in the majors, resulting in an ERA of 3.60. The following year was his best year yet as a hitter in the major leagues, posting a .317 average with the Cardinals. In 2008, he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs as an infielder. He returned to St. Louis for one season in 2010 and hit .281. Aaron’s 2011 season was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, mostly playing third and second base and shortstop, appearing 454 times at bat, hitting .275 and driving in 45 runs, the second highest of his MLB career. The 34-year-old led the National League in 2011 with the highest hitting percentage with runners on base, batting .357. Aaron has already earned a spot in major league history: On April 3, 2009, he became the first batter at the new Yankee Stadium in New York in an exhibition game against the Yankees, and got a base hit.
Miles retired after the 2011 season with the Dodgers. His career stats were 932 games, 2,827 at bats, 793 career hits, 229 RBIs with a career .281 average. On defense, he carried a fielding average of .978.
Sanchez meanwhile set six all-time baseball records at UCLA, but he developed his athletic gifts at Antioch High. His senior year of 1984 was a great prep year for Alex: he was 10-2 with a 1.54 ERA including 89 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. Named first team All-DVAL for three consecutive years and two years as All-East Bay and All-Northern California, he led the AHS Panthers to their North Coast Championship victory against Hayward in the Oakland Coliseum, capping a 23-5 season.
Sanchez was named by USA Today as one of the top 25 pro prospects and drafted by the Chicago Cubs straight out of high school in the 20th round in 1984, but chose to attend college first on a scholarship. The UCLA years were fruitful. Alex still holds the single season all-time record for 16 wins, set in 1986 during his sophomore year and was named co-Player of the Year in the Pac 10 and to Baseball America’s First Team. The 185-pound, hard-throwing right-hander was drafted again in 1987, the #17 overall pick in the first round by the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1989, his best minor league year, he was 13-7 for Syracuse and was named the International League’s Pitcher of the Year.
Sanchez made his major league debut as a starting pitcher against the Minnesota Twins on May 23, 1989. His nine-year pro career included stints with Kansas City, Seattle, San Diego and Oakland’s franchises, accumulating 59 career wins in the minors.
Baseball legend Gene “Butch” Rounsaville will be a docent at the Antioch museum’s Sports Legends hall on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Antioch Sports Legends at the Antioch Museum will host Alex Sanchez, a baseball legend and Anitoch native, at an event on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at the museum.
Source: www.mercurynews.com