Travis Ishikawa

Travis Takashi Ishikawa (born September 24, 1983) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). He bats and throws left-handed. Previously, he has played for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ishikawa grew up in Washington State. He was drafted in the 21st round of the 2002 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the San Francisco Giants out of high school. He made his Major League debut with the Giants in 2006, but it was not until 2009 that he made it to the major leagues full-time. He started 2009 as the Giants' first baseman but failed to produce offensively and was replaced part of the season by Ryan Garko. However, on defense he was third in the National League (NL) in fielding percentage. In 2010, he served as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement for the Giants and won a World Series ring as the Giants won the 2010 World Series. Ishikawa was designated for assignment at the end of spring training in 2011 and spent the entire season in the minor leagues.

In 2012, Ishikawa signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, who used him mainly as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement. Ishikawa spent most of 2013 in the minor leagues, though he played six games for the Baltimore Orioles and one game for the New York Yankees. In 2014 he made the Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day roster. However his bat wasn't as hot as it was during Spring Training so the Pirates traded for 1B Ike Davis from the New York Mets and Ishikawa was designated for assignment. He was re-signed by his former team the San Francisco Giants in April and started for them in left field during the 2014 playoffs. On October 16, 2014, Ishikawa hit a walk-off three-run home run to give the Giants their third National League pennant in five years by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals.