Грегори Лузински: Звезда Филадельфии и обладатель премии Роберто Клементе

American baseball player (born 1950)

Gregory Michael Luzinski (born November 22, 1950), nicknamed "the Bull", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left fielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies where he was a four time All Star player and was a member of the 1980 World Series winning team. Luzinski was the National League (NL) RBI champion and, in he was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for his involvement in local community affairs. He ended his career playing for the Chicago White Sox. In 1998, Luzinski was inducted into the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame.

Born in Chicago, Luzinski attended Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 11th overall pick in the 1968 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut on September 9, 1970, at age 19, pinch hitting for the Phillies in a loss to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

At 6 feet (2 m) and weighing , Luzinski was a well liked Phillie. He was a poor defensive left fielder but a feared slugger with a good batting average despite frequent strikeouts. He hit .300 or better for three consecutive seasons during the prime of his career, and was a career .276 hitter, with 307 home runs, and 1,128 RBIs. Luzinski was selected to be a National League (NL) All Star every year between 1975 and 1978, highlighted by the home run he hit off Jim Palmer in the 1977 All Star Game. In 1978, Luzinski was the top NL All Star vote getter. He was also the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) runner up in 1975 when he led the National League with 120 RBIs and 322 total bases; and in 1977, when he posted career highs in batting average (.309), home runs (39), and RBIs (130). He hit safely in every postseason game — and had at least one home run in each of the three National League Championship Series (NLCS)—played by the Phillies from 1976 to 1978, though Philadelphia did not advance to the World Series in any of those years. In the ninth inning of pivotal Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS, Luzinski misplayed a two out Manny Mota fly ball, trapping the ball against the left field wall and allowing the inning to continue. The Dodgers scored three runs in the inning and won the game, and eventually won the series. One of the first Phillies to buy seats at games for impoverished children, Luzinski was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award in 1978.

G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG FLD% 1821 7518 6505 880 1795 344 24 307 1128 845 1495 .276 .363 .478 .975

From his retirement from professional baseball in 1985 until 1992, Luzinski was the head baseball coach, and later head football coach, at Holy Cross Academy in Delran Township, New Jersey. Still a fan favorite in Philadelphia, he started "Bull's Barbecue" in Section 104 at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies opened the new stadium in 2004. The barbeque stand was inspired by "Boog's BBQ" at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and Luzinski can usually be found there until after the seventh inning for all Phillies home games. He lives in Bonita Springs, Florida. His son, Ryan, was the first round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. Ryan was a promising power hitter when he spurned a letter of intent with the University of Miami to sign with the Dodgers. However, he bounced around the team's farm system until a trade to the Baltimore Orioles in 1997. In eight minor league seasons, he hit .265 with 49 home runs and 296 RBI but could never make the move from AAA to the Majors.

The Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a Major League Baseball player who demonstrates sportsmanship and community involvement, was presented to Luzinski in 1978. In 1989, Luzinski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.