15 Dec 2014

Baseball veteran to represent US in Samoa

12:23 pm on 15 December 2014

A former professional baseball player has been confirmed as the United States' new ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa

58 year old Mark Gilbert played for the Chicago White Sox for a short stint in the 1980s.

On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Mr Gilbert's nomination.

The State Department says he is the first major league veteran to serve in the capacity of ambassador..