Paul Bako

Paul Bako
A man in a white baseball uniform faces to the left. He reaches to shake hands with another unseen person. His uniform reads "Bako" in small orange print and "9" in larger orange print on the back, and he is wearing a black batting helmet with an orange-and-black bird on the face.
Bako with the Baltimore Orioles in 2007
Catcher
Born: (1972-06-20) June 20, 1972 (age 52)
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 30, 1998, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 2009, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average.231
Home runs24
Runs batted in195
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Gabor Paul Bako II (/ˈbɑːkoʊ/; born June 20, 1972) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He is an example of a baseball "journeyman",[1][2][3][4] having played for 11 different teams during his 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career. During his playing days, he was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg).[5]

Bako attended high school and college in his home state of Louisiana, winning two conference championships at the University of Southwest Louisiana. After reaching MLB with the American League's Detroit Tigers in 1998, Bako spent seven seasons in the National League, playing with six different teams. He returned to the American League with the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles, then played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies for one season each.

  1. ^ Sullivan, Paul (March 27, 2009). "Deciding on backup catcher—Paul Bako or Koyie Hill—no easy task for Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  2. ^ Gurian-Peck, David (July 11, 2009). "Bako enjoying opportunity with Phillies". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  3. ^ "Phillies Sign Veteran Catcher Bako". Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. May 18, 2009. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  4. ^ Grumling, Darryl (May 31, 2009). "Milner supplies Reading with ammo on military night". Pottstown Mercury. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  5. ^ "Paul Bako Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2009.