favorite team in the 11th round of the 2004 draft and played for Seattle

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Delino DeShields is known for his speed, stealing 101 bases in 2012 in the minors, not for his power.DeShields homered in the seventh inning to break a tie and the Texas Rangers defeated the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Sunday.DeShields, who was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Round Rock, walked and doubled before leading off the seventh with his third home run. DeShields hit a 2-1 pitch from Luke Hochevar out to left.It so happened that today I was the guy that got us the go-ahead run, DeShields said. I was just trying to hit the ball hard. I wasnt looking for anything specific. I wanted to get on base. Before I had gotten on base in every at-bat.With the game tied and if I get myself in scoring position, theres a good chance for me to touch home plate. I got into it pretty good and got it over the fence, but the main focus was just putting the barrel on the ball and try to get on base.The loss dropped the Royals to 48-49, the first time the World Series champions have been below .500 since May 15 when they were 18-19. The Royals have lost 13 of 19 games in July.Left-hander Alex Claudio (2-1) picked up the win, pitching a scoreless sixth.Hochevar (2-3) took the loss and has allowed six runs in 6 1/3 innings in July.It was a four-seam fastball and it just took off and ran back over the plate, Hochevar said of DeShields home run. Trying to go down and away with that and it just ran middle.Rangers relievers Claudio, Keone Kela, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson held the Royals scoreless the final four innings.Dyson earned his 20th save in 22 opportunities, but not before allowing two singles and taking Paulo Orlandos liner off his right shoulder.After stranding runners at third base in the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Rangers broke through with a clutch hit in the sixth when Mitch Morelands two-out single scored Adrian Beltre, who began the inning with a single.Royals starter Edinson Volquez left after six innings and 91 pitches, allowing one run and seven hits, while walking three and striking out three. It was Volquezs fifth straight start pitching at least six innings and he has a 2.87 ERA in that span.There were scouts watching Volquez, who is eligible for free agency after this season and could be traded at the deadline.He pitched in and out of trouble all day long, a fantastic job, Royals manager Ned Yost said.Rangers right-hander A.J. Griffin left after allowing four hits in five innings, including Kendrys Morales home run in the fourth inning. Morales had three of the Royals seven hits.I tried to keep them off balance as well as I could, Griffin said. Its a good team win. Delino had a great day. I think it was good step forward for the whole team and something to build on.The Rangers won back-to-back games for the first time since June 27-28.PEREZ RESTEDC Salvador Perez was not in the Royals lineup for the first time since July 3 with Drew Butera behind the plate with a day game after a night game. Perez was in a 2-for-23 skid with eight strikeouts and no walks over six games before delivering a pinch single in the ninth.RETURNING HOMEThe Rangers wrapped up a nine-game, 10-day trip Sunday and play their next seven at Globe Life Park. They have played only four home games in the past 28 days from June 27 to July 24.RANGERS SIGN BRESLOWLeft-hander Craig Breslow, who was released Monday by the Marlins, has signed a minor league contract with the Rangers and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. Breslow, 35, is 22-29 with a 3.35 ERA in 539 games in the majors with San Diego, Boston, Cleveland, Minnesota, Oakland, Arizona and Miami.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: General manager Jon Daniels said he anticipates LHP Derek Holland and RHP Colby Lewis will return to the rotation on Aug. 20 and 21, the dates they are eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list.Royals: OF Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring strain) ran before the game. Hes making progress, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Well evaluate it tomorrow.UP NEXTRangers: LHP Martin Perez, who has lost his past three starts, will start against the Athletics at Arlington.Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who starts the series opener against the Angels, allowed four home runs in a Wednesday loss to the Indians and is tied with teammate Chris Young in allowing a major league-high 26 homers. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys China . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-texas-rangers-jerseys/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Custom Nike Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Custom Baseball Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Every Little Leaguer dreams of making it to the big leagues. A total of 45 players have reached both the Little League World Series and MLB, including these 11 current pros who first hit it big on the fields of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.Christian BethancourtSan Diego Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt began playing baseball at age 5. As a third baseman, Bethancourt had a tendency to stray from his position. Every time a batter hit a ball, even if it was toward right field, he would run after it. So his parents convinced him to move behind the plate but telling him that abandoning his post could lead to his team giving up a run.The younger Bethancourt became a catcher and star pitcher for the Panama City, Panama, squad that reached the 2004 Little League World Series -- but that experience exploring other positions would eventually come in handy. Although Bethancourts Panama team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, he didnt have to wait long to reach an even bigger stage. He was signed as a non-drafted international free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 2008 and began his minor league career at the age of 16. After two seasons in Atlanta, he was traded to San Diego in December. This year, in addition to serving as the Padres backup backstop, Bethancourt has pitched and logged plenty of time in the outfield.?Todd FrazierBefore he became a hometown Home Run Derby champ -- and the first Little League World Series alum to win the Derby -- Chicago White Sox?led his Toms River, New Jersey, team to the 1998 LLWS championship. As the leadoff hitter, the 13-year-old hit a grand slam in the third inning to put his team up 6-4 in Game 2 of the U.S. Central vs. U.S. East matchup. He also hit a homer and went 4-for-4 in the 12-9 victory over Kashima, Japan, in the championship game and was the winning pitcher.Adam LoewenAs a 12-year-old, Loewen tossed a three-hit shutout in the 1996 Canadian Little League championships to propel the Kennedy team from Surrey, British Columbia, past Toronto and on to the LLWS. The left-hander (above, in Williamsport) was the teams best pitcher as well as its top hitter. Kennedy lost two of three games it played in Williamsport, but the experience led Loewen to choose baseball over hockey. I always loved hockey more, he told The Morning Call. But I remember that summer [playing in the LLWS] being the most fun I ever had.Loewen -- who became the fourth Canadian selected in the first round of the draft when the Baltimore Orioles took him fourth overall in 2001 -- pitched for the Orioles from 2006-08 before becoming a position player and seeing time at all three outfield positions as well as first base for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. Loewen switched back to pitching for stints with the?Philadelphia Phillies. He earned his first win with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who called him up from Triple-A on July 30, on Aug. 6.Lance LynnOnly a dozen people in baseball history have played in both the Little League World Series and the actual World Series, and only five of those 12 have played multiple times in baseballs Fall Classic. Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is one of those five.Lynn helped lead Brownsburg, Indiana, Little League to the Little League World Series in 1999. In Williamsport, the 12-year-old, who was then 5-foot-9 and 169 pounds, threw eight innings, posting a record of 0-1 with an ERA of 4.09 -- and also saw time at first base. In seven LLWS at-bats, he had three hits and scored a run for a .429 batting average.Pitching against the U.S. South team from Alabama -- a squad that included Colby Rasmus, who would be his Cardinals teammate briefly in 2011 -- Lynn had a shutout through four innings, but allowed a run in the fifth and then gave up a game-ending grand slam in the sixth. Brownsburg lost 5-4 and finished the World Series tournament 0-3, but 12 years later Lynn made his way back to the grand stage. As an MLB rookie, Lynn won the 2011 World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a key contributor out of the bullpen for the NL champions, including a perfect eighth inning in the Game 7 victory over the Texas Rangers.Jurickson ProfarProfar played in the 2004 Little League World Series as an 11-year-old and helped Pabao Little League win the first championship for the island of Curacao. He was a force both on the mound and at the plate for Pabao, going 2-0 with a save over 12 1/3 innings and striking out 19 while also batting .313 (5-for-16) with a double and five RBIs. Profar returned to the LLWS in 2005, when his team reached the international title game. That year, he hit .389 (7-for-18) with seven hits, five runs scored, three walks and two RBIs. He also pitched 13 innings in three games, giving up seven hits and four runs, striking out 26 and walking eight, earning a 1-0 record and a 1.85 ERA.In his first game for the Rangerss on Sept.dddddddddddd 2, 2012, Profar homered in his initial major league at-bat. After missing two season because of a shoulder injury, Profar was called up to replace Rougned Odor in May and made the most of it, earning a regular roster spot as a utility player.Yusmeiro PetitThe Washington Nationals reliever is a winner. As a 10-year-old -- and backup second baseman -- Petit (No. 3, right-center, above) helped his team from Coquivacoa Little League in Maracaibo, Venezuela, win the 1994 Little League World Series title. It was the first time a Venezuelan team had won the championship and the first title for a Latin American team since Mexico won in 1958. When Petit and the San Francisco Giants?won a championship in 2014, he became the only player to win both the Little League World Series and the MLB World Series.Colby RasmusHouston Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus led the Phenix City, Alabama, National Little League to the 1999 Little League World Series. Phenix City battled back through the losers bracket and beat Toms River East American Little League (3-2) to win the U.S. title but lost the championship game 5-0 to Hirakata Little League from Osaka, Japan. Rasmus went 5-for-10 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs -- and also recorded seven strikeouts over the course of the tournament.Rasmus was also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic baseball team and was selected 28th overall in the 2005 amateur draft by the Cardinals. He finished eighth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 and has since played for the Blue Jays and Astros, but was relegated to the 15-day DL on Aug. 7.Cory RasmusLos Angeles Angels pitcher Cory Rasmus took a back seat to his older brother during the 1999 LLWS. Nonetheless, he followed his sibling to the big leagues in 2013, where the two faced off in a rare fraternal matchup. Just 10 days into his rookie season, Cory (then with the Atlanta Braves) faced Colby, then with Toronto. It marked the first time one brother had pitched to another in MLB since June 13, 2010. Big bro had the upper hand once again, as Colby lined a double to left field.Michael SaundersSaunders grew up playing baseball in British Columbia and going to Seattle Mariners games at the Kingdome. Like many Canadian kids, he played hockey too, but a run to the Little League World Series in 1999 as a 12-year-old with the Gordon Head Little League convinced Saunders that baseball was the sport for him. I think playing in an international competition [at that age] and then getting a chance to play with the national team and travel the world really made me fall in love with the game, said Saunders, who was drafted by his favorite team in the 11th round of the 2004 draft and played for Seattle from 2009-14.The Mariners traded him to Toronto in December 2014, but missed the 2015 season after stepping on a sprinkler head during spring training. Saunders returned strong this year, becoming the first Canadian player to hit three homers in a game for a Canadian team and an first All-Star for the first time.Jonathan SchoopOrioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop made back-to-back trips to the LLWS, playing for the Pabao Little League from Curacao that represented the Caribbean Region in 2003 and 2004. He and his team lost in the semis in 2003 and won the whole thing the next year. Schoop, then 11 and all of 5-foot-3, went 10-for-19 with a .526 batting average, with three doubles, seven runs scored and four RBIs.Schoop, who batted third, and played shortstop and pitcher, shared his favorite memory of the LLWS with ESPN.coms Eddie Matz:?In the semifinals in 2004, we were losing to Chinese Taipei 8-4 in the last inning, and came back. I got a base hit to tie the game, said Schoop. Then I came on in extra innings to pitch. I struck out all three batters, and then the next inning I got another base hit to win the game. That was the best.Devon TravisLong before he homered in his major league debut (with the Blue Jays on April 6), Devon Travis went deep in the Little League World Series, propelling his Boynton Beach, Florida, team past Saugus, Massachussets, and on to the 2003 world championship game against Japan. And even after Travis and his team lost 10-1 in the LLWS finale against Tokyos Musashi-Fuchu All-Stars, they celebrated on the field with their opponents. We were just little boys playing the game we loved, Travis, Boyntons second baseman and catcher, told the Palm Beach Post in 2013.Travis led off his major league career with similar enthusiasm -- and success. He was named the AL rookie of the month for April after batting .325/.393/.625 with 6 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBIs for the month before shoulder injuries relegated him to the DL. ' ' '