Mark Lemke
Encyclopedia
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball
player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves
from to .
twice removed of 1936 Union Party
Presidential candidate William Lemke
.
, 1992
, 1995
, 1996
).
Lemke is the all time record holder for most career plate appearances without being hit by a pitch (3664).
. Lemke decided against attending Purdue University
and spent the next four years in the Braves' minor league
system before making his debut on September 17, 1988 when the Braves called him up from AAA Richmond Braves
when the roster expanded to 40 players. Lemke would split time between the minor and major leagues until .
after the season. On March 26, 1998 he signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox
. While trying to turn a double play in a game against the Chicago White Sox
on May 19, 1998, Lemke was smashed in a collision with Chicago baserunner Chad Kreuter
. He suffered a concussion that finished his season and essentially ended his major league career.
, an independent Northern League team, as a knuckleball
pitcher in 1999. Lemke, who also worked as an infield coach during his stint with the Jackals, was 5-1 with a 6.68 earned run average in 1999. He returned the next season with the Jackals, but was released on June 20, 2000 after being hammered in his first few appearances. In that stint though, he was wild with his knuckleball and threw an independent league record 9 wild pitches in successive at bats.
Currently, Lemke hosts the Braves pregame show on the Braves Radio Network with co-hosts Leo Mazzone
and Buck Belue
on WCNN-AM in Atlanta. Lemke also fills in on radio during spring training
and road games during the regular season as color man, until 2008 with Pete Van Wieren
and presently with Jim Powell
and Don Sutton.
cartoon, when a friend of creators Mike and Matt Chapman
, of Montreal
band member James Huggins
, unfamiliar with baseball terminology incorrectly referred to Lemke as the "home star runner" for the Braves.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
from to .
Biography
Mark is a second cousinCousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
twice removed of 1936 Union Party
Union Party
Union Party may be:* Union Party , a political party of the Faroe Islands* Union Party , a political party of Ukraine* Papua and Niugini Union Pati, a political party of Papua New Guinea...
Presidential candidate William Lemke
William Lemke
William Frederick Lemke was a United States politician.-Life and career:He was born in Albany, Minnesota, and raised in Towner County, North Dakota, the son of Fred Lemke and Julia Anna Klier, pioneer farmers who had accumulated some of land...
.
Early life
Lemke grew up in Utica, NY. He attended the now closed Sacred Heart Elementary Catholic school in West Utica. Mark is also a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Utica, NY.Career
In his 11-year career, Lemke played in 62 post season games and appeared in 4 World Series (19911991 World Series
The 1991 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins of the American League against the Atlanta Braves of the National League. The series was played from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27....
, 1992
1992 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 17, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaBraves fans had plenty to worry about in regard to both starting pitchers. Tom Glavine's post-season career had been less than stellar, including giving up eight runs in the second inning of Game 6 of the NLCS...
, 1995
1995 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta ace Greg Maddux pitched a two-hit complete game victory in his first World Series appearance ....
, 1996
1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...
).
Lemke is the all time record holder for most career plate appearances without being hit by a pitch (3664).
Minor league
Lemke was drafted in the 27th round of the amateur draft by the Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. Lemke decided against attending Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
and spent the next four years in the Braves' minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
system before making his debut on September 17, 1988 when the Braves called him up from AAA Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
when the roster expanded to 40 players. Lemke would split time between the minor and major leagues until .
Boston Red Sox
The sharp fielding Lemke left the Braves1997 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*November 20, 1996: John Smoltz was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.* November 25, 1996: Paul Byrd was traded by the New York Mets with a player to be named later to the Atlanta Braves for Greg McMichael...
after the season. On March 26, 1998 he signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox
1998 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 2nd in the American League East with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses.-Offseason:...
. While trying to turn a double play in a game against the Chicago White Sox
1998 Chicago White Sox season
The 1998 Chicago White Sox season was the White Sox's 99th season. They finished with a record 80-82, good enough for 2nd place in the American League Central, 9 games behind the 1st place Cleveland Indians.-Offseason:...
on May 19, 1998, Lemke was smashed in a collision with Chicago baserunner Chad Kreuter
Chad Kreuter
Chadden Michael "Chad" Kreuter is a former catcher in Major League Baseball and the former head coach of the USC Trojans baseball team....
. He suffered a concussion that finished his season and essentially ended his major league career.
Post major leagues
With his big league career over, Lemke decided to chase a dream and signed with the New Jersey JackalsNew Jersey Jackals
The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Little Falls, New Jersey, in the United States. The Jackals are a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, an independent Northern League team, as a knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
pitcher in 1999. Lemke, who also worked as an infield coach during his stint with the Jackals, was 5-1 with a 6.68 earned run average in 1999. He returned the next season with the Jackals, but was released on June 20, 2000 after being hammered in his first few appearances. In that stint though, he was wild with his knuckleball and threw an independent league record 9 wild pitches in successive at bats.
Currently, Lemke hosts the Braves pregame show on the Braves Radio Network with co-hosts Leo Mazzone
Leo Mazzone
Leo David Mazzone is a former pitcher in minor league baseball and coach in Major League Baseball. He began working with the Atlanta Braves' organization in 1979.-Early life:...
and Buck Belue
Buck Belue
Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12-0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion...
on WCNN-AM in Atlanta. Lemke also fills in on radio during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
and road games during the regular season as color man, until 2008 with Pete Van Wieren
Pete Van Wieren
Pete van Wieren is a former American sportscaster best known for his long career calling play-by-play for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves.-Atlanta Braves:...
and presently with Jim Powell
Jim Powell (sportscaster)
Jim Powell is an American radio and television sportscaster, currently employed with Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves after 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.A native of Roswell, Georgia, Powell was educated at the University of Georgia...
and Don Sutton.
In popular culture
He is credited as the accidental namesake of the popular Homestar RunnerHomestar Runner
Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
cartoon, when a friend of creators Mike and Matt Chapman
The Brothers Chaps
The Brothers Chaps are Michael "Mike" Chapman and Matthew "Matt" Chapman, creators of the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. The brothers are originally from Indiana, but now live in Atlanta, Georgia.-Matthew Chapman:...
, of Montreal
Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
band member James Huggins
James Husband
James Husband is the recording project of James Huggins III, Of Montreal's multi-instrumentalist.-Biography:James Husband is a recording alias for James Huggins III. A former member of the group Of Montreal, James recorded & toured with the band from 1998 to 2010. James is a founding...
, unfamiliar with baseball terminology incorrectly referred to Lemke as the "home star runner" for the Braves.