Same Name, Same Game: MLB
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I was looking through the box scores a few nights ago, when I stumbled across a name I hadn't heard in a long time: Mark McLemore.
I remembered McLemore as a utility player for the Rangers and Mariners, and I wondered if he was making a comeback, Julio Franco style. I clicked the link to see his profile, only to see that this Mark McLemore was a white, rookie relief pitcher for the Astros.
Same name, different guy.
My next thought, naturally, was how many other pairings of MLB players have shared a name? With a little help from baseball-reference.com, here's the list I came up with. See if you can add to it, with the only limiting criteria being that at least one of the players should still be playing.
- Ramon Martinez - There was the pitcher (Pedro's older brother), and now there is the utility infielder.
- Luis Gonzalez - One will be forever remembered for his 2001 World Series-winning bloop, the other is just commencing what projects to be a decent career with the Colorado Rockies.
- Chris Young - Both of these guys are still going strong. There is the 6'10 Padres pitcher, and there is the Diamondbacks outfielder.
- Joe Smith - You'd think there would be dozens of Joe Smiths down the annals of baseball history, but that's not the case. One is a Mets rookie this season, and the other was a footnote on the 1913 Yankees.
- Randy Johnson - There are three, actually. In addition to the Big Unit that we all know and love, there were two Randy Johnsons in the early 1980s.
- Doug Davis - One is a solid, middle of the rotation pitcher for the Diamondbacks, the other collected one hit in 13 Major League at-bats.
- Jose Reyes - There's the NL MVP candidate, of course, but a player by the same name who had a cup of coffee with the Cubs last season.
- Craig Wilson - The lone remaining Craig Wilson has been a tremendous disappointment to the Yankees and the Braves. The other two were utility men who belted a total of eight homers; one in the late 1980s - early 1990s, and the other in the late 1990s.
- Jarod Saltalamacchia - Just kidding, there's only one! Seriously, though, I think I'm about spent on this game. Anyone else want to try?
This article is also published at All on the Field sports blog.
