Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977 in Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic), nicknamed "Fookie", is a shortstop in Major League Baseball who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the ball slightly, so more balls go to the shortstop than any other position. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.

Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman, first baseman, pitcher, or catcher. They cover second when a runner is attempting a stolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting. This is because the chances of a ball being hit to the left side of the infield are almost cut in half. They also must cover third at various times, including the rotation play; that is, when there are runners on first and second and a sacrifice bunt is attempted. Shortstops generally are given precedence on catching pop-ups in the infield as well, so they end up calling off other players many times, although on deep pop-ups they fall back when called off by an outfielder. The shortstop also has to back up a throw from the catcher to the third baseman when the runner is attempting to steal third base. (Normally this action is not done at the major league level because the catcher is better at throwing, the third baseman is better at catching the ball, and the left fielder is there to back up third base. This action is usually performed in Little League Baseball.)

Traditionally, players are selected as shortstops for their fielding prowess, but in recent years more shortstops with excellent hitting have entered the leagues as well. It is an exclusively right-handed position, as a righty can easily throw to first or second without having to physically turn after playing a ground ball, the most common type of hit directed at the shortstop.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, before moving to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. The Dodgers are the current National League West champions.

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field.

The "Braves" name, which was first used in 1912, originates from a term for a Native American warrior. They are nicknamed "the Bravos", and often self-styled as "'Americas Team'" in reference to the teams games being broadcast on the nationally available TBS until the 2008 season, gaining a wide fanbase.

From 1991-2005, the Braves were one of the most successful franchises in baseball, winning their division title an unprecedented 14 consecutive times in that period"Braves have set lofty benchmark", MLB.com, September 13, 2006 (omitting the strike-shortened 1994 season in which there were no official division champions). The Braves advanced to the World Series five times in the 1990s, winning the title in 1995. In their history, the Braves have won 16 divisional titles, nine National League pennants, and three World Series championships?in 1914 as the Boston Braves, in 1957 as the Milwaukee Braves, and in 1995 in Atlanta. The Braves are the only MLB franchise to have won the Series in three different home cities.

One of the National League's two remaining charter franchises (the other being the Chicago Cubs), the club was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in as the Boston Red Stockings (not to be confused with the American League's Boston Red Sox or the NL Central's Cincinnati Reds). The team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in and became the Milwaukee Braves. In , the team moved to Atlanta. The team's tenure in Atlanta is famous for Hank Aaron's breaking of the career home run record in 1974; the new record stood until .