Rinku Singh

About Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh (born August 8, 1988 in Lucknow, India) is a left-handed baseball pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Singh was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization after he won a pitching contest on a 2008 reality television show, Million Dollar Arm. He was the first Indian to play professional baseball and has spent several seasons in the minor leagues, reaching as high as the AA level.He is the subject of the movie Million Dollar Arm.

Personal life:

In 2012, Singh became a vegetarian after he witnessed several men in Bhadohi chasing a chicken in order to kill it. That year, he said that he recites the devotional Hanuman Chalisa and listens to Eminem's "Not Afraid" before he pitches.

Rinku Singh Achievements

Film:

Patel and Singh's story is the basis for the Walt Disney Pictures sports film, Million Dollar Arm, where Singh was portrayed by Suraj Sharma.In 2009, Columbia Pictures purchased the screen rights to the story of Singh and Patel. The project stalled and eventually producers Joe Roth and Mark Ciardi set the film up at Walt Disney Pictures. Upon acquiring Million Dollar Arm, Disney hired Tom McCarthy to write the film.Jon Hamm played J.B. Bernstein.

American Major League Baseball :

Singh, along with Patel, tried out in front of scouts from 20 Major League Baseball teams in November 2008, and Singh's pitches reached 92 miles per hour (148 km/h). Reports from Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Joe Ferrone and Sean Campbell led to general manager Neal Huntington signing both to contracts with the organization. With the deal, the pair became the first Indians to sign American major league baseball contracts.The total signing bonus for the two was $8,000.After training, the two returned to visit their families in India before entering Pirates training camp in Bradenton, Florida

On July 4, 2009, Singh became the first Indian citizen to appear in a professional baseball game in the US.