Elijah Dukes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Washington Nationals — No. 34 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: June 26, 1984 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 2, 2007 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through June 6, 2008) |
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| Batting average | .194 |
| Home runs | 11 |
| Runs batted in | 27 |
| Teams | |
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Elijah David Dukes, Jr. (born June 26, 1984 in Homestead, Florida) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball, who plays for the Washington Nationals.
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[edit] High school years
Dukes attended Hillsborough High School his junior and senior years, after spending his first two years of high school at Jefferson High School, C. Leon King High School, and George D. Chamberlain High School. He was a letterman in football, baseball, basketball, and track lettering four years in the former two sports and two years in the latter two sports. In football, as a junior, he started at both tailback and middle linebacker, was named a Class 3A All-State selection as a linebacker, and rushed for over a thousand yards on offense. His Hillsborough Terriers make the state regional football semifinals during his junior year, and the quarterfinals his senior year. After finishing his high school career, he signed a national letter of intent to play football for North Carolina State University.
[edit] Professional career
Dukes entered the Devil Rays farm system in 2003.
On April 2, 2007, in his first official at bat, Dukes got his first major league hit with a solo home run to center field in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees. Subsequently, in his second game on April 5, he hit his second home run en route to a victory versus the Yankees. Dukes likes to celebrate home runs by simulating a "dump truck" on home plate. On December 3, Dukes was acquired by the Washington Nationals for left hander Glenn Gibson, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 who was ranked among the Nationals' Top 10 prospects according to various baseball sources, including prospect authority Baseball America [1] [2].
[edit] Off-the-field problems
On May 23, 2007 it was reported that his wife filed a restraining order after he threatened to kill her [3]. On June 12, a 17-year-old foster child who was living in the care of a relative of Dukes accused him of impregnating her.[1]Police said the sex was apparently consensual, and no crime was committed, but they were investigating.[1] When the girl confronted Dukes, he allegedly got angry and threw a bottle of Gatorade at her.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Interview on Ron and Ian Radio Show at 620 WDAE-AM.
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