Rinku Singh
Encyclopedia
Rinku Singh is a left-handed baseball
pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates
organization.
er and cricket
player, Singh was accepted to a sports school but did not attend, and was considered lazy by his family and village of Holepur.
to find the individual in the country who could throw the fastest and most accurate baseball. Having never heard of baseball before, Singh won the contest out of over 37,000 participants after throwing 87 miles per hour. The grand prize for the contest was $100,000.
After winning the contest, Singh and runner-up Dinesh Patel
travelled to Los Angeles
where they trained with University of Southern California
pitching coach Tom House
, who trained pitchers such as Nolan Ryan
and Randy Johnson
. On their first day in the United States the two attended their first baseball game at Southern California. They continued to learn the game from House and Bernstein, as well as learning English.
teams in November 2008, and Singh's pitches reached 92 miles per hour (41.1 m/s). Reports from Pittsburgh Pirates
scouts Joe Ferrone and Sean Campbell led to general manager Neal Huntington
signing both to contracts with the organization. With the deal, the pair became the first Indians to sign American major league baseball contracts. (The Bernhardt family from the Dominican Republic now in its second generation in baseball is of partly Indian descent.) After training, the two returned to visit their families in India before entering Pirates training camp in Bradenton, Florida
.
Singh, along with Dinesh Patel
, began the 2009 baseball season with the Pirates' Gulf Coast League (GCL) Affiliate.
On July 13, 2009, Singh became the first Indian-born pitcher to win a professional baseball game in America, striking out the only batter he faced. He finished the season with a 1-2 record and a 5.84 ERA in 11 games, allowing just one run on three hits in his final six appearances.
Singh went 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA over 13 games with the Pirates GCL affiliate in 2010. At the end of August, Singh was promoted to the Pirates Class A Short-Season affiliate, the State College Spikes
. Singh played for the Canberra Cavalry
of the Australian Baseball League
for the competition's inaugural 2010-11 season, going 1-0 with a 3.94 ERA in 16 innings pitched.
at a White House's Heritage Month event on May 24, 2010.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
is believed to have bought the rights to the story of Singh
and Patel
in 2009 to make a Hollywood movie based on their journey.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organization.
Early Life in Bhadoni
Singh's family grew up in poverty; his father, a truck driver for 35 years, earned roughly $25 per week. Of the family's seven children, two of the four boys serve in the Indian military. Another earned a scholarship to a sports school. A former javelin throwJavelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
er and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
player, Singh was accepted to a sports school but did not attend, and was considered lazy by his family and village of Holepur.
Million Dollar Arm
In early 2008, Singh entered an Indian reality television show, "The Million Dollar Arm". The contest was created by American sports agent J.B. BernsteinJ.B. Bernstein
J.B. Bernstein is co-founder of Pro Access, Inc. and Seven Figures Management, LLC. Bernstein has been the official marketing agent to some of the top athletes in the world including Barry Bonds, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith...
to find the individual in the country who could throw the fastest and most accurate baseball. Having never heard of baseball before, Singh won the contest out of over 37,000 participants after throwing 87 miles per hour. The grand prize for the contest was $100,000.
After winning the contest, Singh and runner-up Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel is a right-handed baseball pitcher that played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Along with Rinku Singh, he is the first Indian national ever to sign a contract with a major American sports club....
travelled to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where they trained with University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
pitching coach Tom House
Tom House
Thomas Ross House is a former left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, as well as an author and a pitching coach.-Player:...
, who trained pitchers such as Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
and Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
. On their first day in the United States the two attended their first baseball game at Southern California. They continued to learn the game from House and Bernstein, as well as learning English.
Professional Baseball Career
The pair tried out in front of scouts from 20 Major League BaseballMajor 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...
teams in November 2008, and Singh's pitches reached 92 miles per hour (41.1 m/s). Reports from Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
scouts Joe Ferrone and Sean Campbell led to general manager Neal Huntington
Neal Huntington
Neal Alden Huntington is the 12th person to serve as General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball organization...
signing both to contracts with the organization. With the deal, the pair became the first Indians to sign American major league baseball contracts. (The Bernhardt family from the Dominican Republic now in its second generation in baseball is of partly Indian descent.) After training, the two returned to visit their families in India before entering Pirates training camp in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
.
Singh, along with Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel is a right-handed baseball pitcher that played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Along with Rinku Singh, he is the first Indian national ever to sign a contract with a major American sports club....
, began the 2009 baseball season with the Pirates' Gulf Coast League (GCL) Affiliate.
On July 13, 2009, Singh became the first Indian-born pitcher to win a professional baseball game in America, striking out the only batter he faced. He finished the season with a 1-2 record and a 5.84 ERA in 11 games, allowing just one run on three hits in his final six appearances.
Singh went 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA over 13 games with the Pirates GCL affiliate in 2010. At the end of August, Singh was promoted to the Pirates Class A Short-Season affiliate, the State College Spikes
State College Spikes
The State College Spikes are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the New York – Penn League. The Spikes play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park located on the main campus of Pennsylvania State University located in University Park, Pennsylvania. Medlar Field is...
. Singh played for the Canberra Cavalry
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra UberGlobal Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team is based in the city of Canberra, Australia...
of the Australian Baseball League
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
for the competition's inaugural 2010-11 season, going 1-0 with a 3.94 ERA in 16 innings pitched.
Miscellaneous
Singh met with US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
at a White House's Heritage Month event on May 24, 2010.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
is believed to have bought the rights to the story of Singh
Singh
Also see SinhaSingh is a common title, middle name, or surname in Northern India and South India used by sikhs warriors and kings. eg. Man Singh I, Maharana Pratap Singh. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Siṃha meaning "lion and used by Ahir kings of Nepal". It is also used in Sri Lanka by...
and Patel
Patel
Patel is a surname of Indian origin, originally meaning "headman" or"village chief". Patels are socially, economically and politically the most dominant caste in Gujarat Patels are basically Kurmis or Kunbis and are found in various geographical locations. The Kunbi are an Indian subcaste...
in 2009 to make a Hollywood movie based on their journey.