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Wikipedia

Iván Rodríguez

Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge"[1] and "I-Rod",[2] is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Rodríguez is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in MLB history. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.

Iván Rodríguez
Rodríguez with the Texas Rangers in 2009
Catcher
Born: (1971-11-27) November 27, 1971 (age 52)
Manatí, Puerto Rico
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 20, 1991, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 2011, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
Batting average.296
Hits2,844
Home runs311
Runs batted in1,332
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2017
Vote76.0% (first ballot)
Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Puerto Rico
In office
August 15, 2017 – August 20, 2018
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byLuis Berríos-Amadeo

Rodríguez was awarded the AL MVP award in 1999. He won the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins and played in the 2006 World Series while with the Tigers. In 2009, he set an MLB record by catching his 2,227th game, passing Carlton Fisk. He had the best career caught-stealing percentage of any major league catcher, at 45.68% (versus a league average of 31%), and he had nine seasons with a caught-stealing rate of 50% or higher.[3] Only one major league catcher (Yadier Molina) has more putouts.

In 2017, Rodríguez was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility, receiving 76% of the votes cast.

After retiring from baseball, he served as a Shadow Representative from Puerto Rico.

Early life edit

Rodríguez was born in Manatí, Puerto Rico and raised in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. His father, Juan, worked for a U.S.-based construction company, and his mother, Eva Torres, was an elementary school teacher.[4] Iván's first job involved delivering flyers in the shopping malls in Puerto Rico.[5]

He learned baseball at an early age, his biggest rival being Juan González, whom he often played against in his youth.[4] As a Little League player and just 8 years old, he moved from pitcher and third baseman (his favorite position)[6] to catcher because his father, who was also his coach, thought he was throwing too hard and scaring opposing players with his pitches.[7]

His favorite player growing up was Johnny Bench, even before he was changed to the catcher position. The reason for this was that, according to Rodríguez, the Big Red Machine teams for whom Bench played were constantly on TV in Puerto Rico, and he saw how good Bench was.[8] Rodríguez attended Lino Padron Rivera High School, where he was discovered by scout Luis Rosa. Rosa reported that "He showed leadership at 16 that I'd seen in few kids. He knew where he was going."[4] Rodríguez signed a contract with the Texas Rangers in July 1988, at the age of 16, and began his professional baseball career.[4]

Professional career edit

Minor leagues edit

Rodríguez made his professional debut in 1989 at the age of 17 as catcher for the Gastonia Rangers of the South Atlantic League. In his first game, he went 3-for-3 at the plate against Spartanburg. Playing in the Florida State League in 1990, Rodríguez was selected the best catcher in the league and named to the All-Star team. He placed 15th in the league in batting at .287, and led his team in runs batted in, with 55. He also played in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) over the offseason.[9]

I got my nickname on the very first day of camp. Chino Cadahia, who was a Rangers coach at the time, gave me that name. He saw that I was short and stocky, so, from Day One, he started calling me "Pudge." It caught on, and the rest is history.

— Ivan Rodríguez, in how he got his “Pudge” nickname

At the beginning of the 1991 season, Rodriguez played 50 games with the Tulsa Drillers, a AA team, where he batted .274 in 175 at-bats. He was considered the number one prospect of the Texas League. Before the middle of the season, he was called up to the Texas Rangers, thus bypassing AAA.[10]

Texas Rangers (1991–2002) edit

Making his debut with the Texas Rangers on June 20, 1991, he became the youngest player to catch in a major league game that season at 19 years of age.[11] He immediately established himself as an excellent hitter who was also proficient in throwing out would-be base-stealers. He started many of the Rangers games at the end of the season, including 81 of the last 102. Rodríguez became the youngest player in the history of the Texas Rangers to hit a home run, on August 30, 1991, facing the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Storm Davis. He was named to the Major League Baseball (MLB) Rookie All-Star team by both Topps and Baseball America and finished in fourth place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He also placed first in throwing out runners, catching 48.6 percent of runners attempting to steal.[9]

In 1992, Rodríguez started 112 games behind the plate and was the youngest player in the major leagues for the second year in a row. Playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League, he had a .262 batting average playing in 17 games for Mayagüez.[9] In the 1993 season, Rodríguez batted .273, had 66 runs batted in and hit 10 home runs, ranking fourth, fifth, and fifth on his team respectively. He had a stretch of eight straight hits over two games facing the Kansas City Royals on July 26 and July 28. He played the final month of the regular season in the Puerto Rican Winter league, where he had a .425 batting average and 14 runs batted in for Mayagüez. Rodríguez was named to the Puerto Rican Winter League all-star team and was also the league Most Valuable Player (MVP).[9] In 1994, Rodríguez led the American League in batting average among catchers, at .298. He placed high on his team in many statistics, placing second in batting average (.298), tied for third in doubles (19), and fourth in hits, total bases, runs, home runs, walks, games, and at bats. He also caught Kenny Rogers' perfect game on July 28. Rodríguez played in the Puerto Rican Winter League over the winter, but he suffered a severe knee injury which kept him from playing for the rest of the season.[9]

 
1995 Texas Rangers #7 Ivan Rodriguez home jersey

Playing for the Rangers during the 1995 season, Rodríguez led his team in batting, total bases, and doubles, at .303, 221, and 32 respectively. He was named the Texas Rangers' player of the year. Rodríguez also had his first multi-home run game while playing the Boston Red Sox on July 13, hitting both off All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens. He also played for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League during the offseason.[9]

In 1996, Rodríguez set an MLB record for most doubles by a catcher, amassing 47 over the course of the season. This broke the previous mark of 42, set by Mickey Cochrane in 1930. He also set the major league record for at-bats by a catcher in a single season, with 639, which surpassed Johnny Bench's record of 621 in 1970. He led the Texas Rangers in doubles, at bats, hits, and runs scored. He was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star team that played a series in Japan against the Japanese all-stars after the season was over. He again played in the Puerto Rican Winter League this season.[9] In the 1997 season, Rodríguez also placed first among catchers in many categories in Major League Baseball. These categories were hits, runs, runs batted in, and doubles. He placed second in home runs among catchers, below only Sandy Alomar Jr. of the Cleveland Indians, who had 20 home runs. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on the week of August 4. This marked the fourth time a player from the Texas Rangers had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Rodríguez played in the Puerto Rican Winter League yet again, where he had a .285 batting average, four home runs, and 18 runs batted in over the course of 32 games playing for Caguas.[9]

In the 1998 season, Rodríguez led the Texas Rangers in batting average at .325, which placed eighth in the American League. He also had 75 multi-hit games and 186 hits, finishing seventh and ninth in MLB respectively. He finished second on the Rangers in hits, total bases, triples, and slugging percentage. Rodríguez was third on the team in doubles, home runs, and stolen bases, and fourth in runs batted in. He recorded his 1,000th career hit in a game facing the Cleveland Indians on May 10 of that season. Rodríguez also became the first catcher in the history of Major League Baseball to have two or more seasons with 40 or more doubles. He was selected to the American League All-Star Team again, and he was also named to all-star teams by the The Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Baseball America.[9]

In 1999, Rodríguez was selected as the American League MVP. He set a new American League record for home runs in a single season among catchers with 35. Rodríguez was also the first catcher to have more than 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and 100 runs scored in the history of Major League Baseball. In addition, he holds the distinction of being the first catcher in the history of the league to amass more than 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. From May 8 to June 1, 1999, Rodríguez had a career-high 20-game hitting streak. He had 25 stolen bases, which was fifth most among catchers in the history of the league. He led the league in times grounded into a double play, with 31. Rodríguez was only the ninth catcher in the history of Major League Baseball to win the Most Valuable Player award, and he was the first to win it since Thurman Munson in 1976. He was named on all of the ballots, getting seven first place votes and six second place votes. Rodríguez was the sixth Puerto Rican to win the award, and the fourth player from the Texas Rangers to win it. He also won the Silver Slugger Award for the sixth time in a row and was selected Most Valuable Player by Baseball Digest. He was again named to all-star teams by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Baseball America.[9] While he was hitting home runs, he rarely drew walks. He is one of only six players active in 2009 who have had at least 30 home runs in a season in which they had more homers than walks (34 home runs, 24 walks in 1999). The others are Alfonso Soriano (39–23 in 2002, 36–33 in 2005, 33–31 in 2007), Garret Anderson (35–24 in 2000), Ryan Braun (34–29 in 2007), Joe Crede (30–28 in 2006), and José Guillén (31–24 in 2003).[12]

In 2000, Rodríguez suffered a season-ending injury in a game against the Anaheim Angels. While trying to make a throw to second base, his thumb made contact with the swing of Mo Vaughn's bat. He fractured his right thumb and underwent surgery the next day. This injury caused him to miss the rest of the season. Rodríguez appeared in just 91 games, which was the fewest that he appeared in since his first season in the league, 1991. His nine home runs in April matched a team record that was shared (through 2008) with Alex Rodriguez (2002), Carl Everett (2003), and Ian Kinsler (2007). Even though he was injured, he was still named to the second-team of Baseball America's Major League Baseball All-Star Team.[9]

Rodríguez returned to full action in 2001 and had another all-star season. He was selected to his ninth straight MLB All-Star Game, which tied the all-time record set by Johnny Bench. He also tied Bench's record of ten straight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in a row. He batted .308, making 2001 his seventh straight season with a batting average of over .300. He had 25 home runs, 136 hits, and 65 RBI.[9] He also posted a career-best 60.3% caught stealing rate, in a year when the league average was 29%.

Rodríguez's final year in his first stint with the Texas Rangers came in 2002. His .314 batting average was seventh best among American League players. This was his eighth season in a row with batting average of .300 or above. He also had 32 doubles, two triples, and 60 runs batted in while playing in 108 games for the Rangers. Rodríguez was placed on the disabled list on April 23 after suffering a herniated disk on April 15. The injury did not require surgery, and he rehabilitated while playing for Class-A Charlotte. He later returned to the Rangers and played there for the remainder of the season. After the 2002 season, his contract with Texas expired and he became a free agent.

Florida Marlins (2003) edit

On January 22, 2003, Rodríguez signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Florida Marlins.[13] By then a major-league veteran of over a decade, he helped lead the young team to victory in the World Series.[9] During the 2003 regular season, he set many Marlins single season records for a catcher, such as batting average, at .297, and runs batted in, at 85. On March 31, Rodríguez became the tenth Marlins player ever to hit a home run in the team's first game of the season. On April 8, he set a Marlins single game record by drawing five walks in a game against the New York Mets.

He had a nine-game hitting streak from June 24 to July 2, during which he batted .500 with seven doubles, two triples, and four home runs. From June 24 to July 1, he drove in a run in eight consecutive games, another single season record for the Marlins. In the postseason, he was named National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career. He also closed out the National League Division Series by holding onto the ball during a dramatic game-ending collision at the plate with J. T. Snow in Game 4. He chose not to return to the Marlins following the 2003 season.

Detroit Tigers (2004–2008) edit

 
Rodríguez talking with Mike Maroth while playing for the Detroit Tigers, July 11, 2005.

Before the 2004 season, Rodríguez signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.[14] In 2004, he was selected to the MLB All-Star Game for the 11th time in his career and for his 10th time as a starting player, joining Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza as the only Major League Baseball catchers to start an All-Star game 10 times or more in their career. During the month of June, he batted .500 and was named the American League Player of the Month.[15] He also won his 10th consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award, making him the first player on the Detroit Tigers to win the award since Gary Pettis won it in 1989. He won his seventh career Silver Slugger Award, tied with Víctor Martínez of the Cleveland Indians. He was fourth in the American League in batting average and fourth among all Major League Baseball catchers. On October 1, he recorded his 1,000th career RBI in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[9]

Prior to the 2005 season, Jose Canseco, in his controversial book Juiced, claimed to have personally injected Rodríguez with anabolic steroids during their time as teammates on the Texas Rangers.[16] Rodríguez denied the allegations and said he was "in shock" over Canseco's claims.[17] Rodríguez arrived at spring training in 2005 weighing 193 lbs.; his 2004 playing weight had been 215 lbs.[18] Given that Major League Baseball implemented a more stringent regime of testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005,[19] the "significant weight loss" experienced by Rodríguez[20] "raised more than a few eyebrows".[18] Rodríguez asserted that his weight loss was the result of changes in his diet and exercise.[20] Asked by a reporter in 2009 whether his name was on the list of 104 players who tested positive for steroids during baseball's 2003 survey testing, Rodríguez responded, "Only God knows."[21]

Despite the off-season controversy, the 2005 season turned out to be another All-Star year for Rodríguez. He was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the 12th time in his career, and he participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby on the day before the All-Star game, finishing second to Bobby Abreu of the Philadelphia Phillies in his home stadium of Comerica Park. For the season, he batted .276 with 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in.[9] On October 26, 2005, Major League Baseball named him the catcher on their Latino Legends Team.

In 2006, Rodríguez returned to throwing out runners attempting to steal a base at a very high percentage, as he did in his earlier career; he was first in the league in this category, throwing out 45.7 percent of all runners attempting to steal a base.[9] On May 9, 2006, Rodríguez played first base for the Tigers. That game, a 7–6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, was the first time that he played a position other than catcher in his 1,914 Major League games.[22] On August 15, 2006, he also made his first Major League appearance at second base after regular second baseman Plácido Polanco was injured in a game in Boston. Rodríguez was honored with a Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding catcher in MLB in 2006.[23] Rodríguez would help the Tigers upset the Yankees in the 2006 ALDS and the A's in the 2006 ALCS to help Detroit win the pennant.

On April 16, 2007, he batted in six runs on the way to a 12–5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. On June 12 he caught Justin Verlander's first no-hitter, the second no-hitter he caught in his career. In 2007, Rodríguez walked in only 1.8 percent of his plate appearances, the lowest percentage in the major leagues.[24] On October 9, the Tigers announced that they were picking up the fifth-year, $13 million option on Rodríguez's contract, keeping him on the Tigers team through at least the 2008 season. The team could have bought out the option for $3 million and allowed him to become a free agent.

In spring training in 2008 he led the major leagues with eight home runs. On April 10 against Boston, he got his 2,500th hit.[25][26]

New York Yankees (2008) edit

 
Rodríguez with the New York Yankees in 2008.

On July 30, 2008, Rodríguez was traded to the New York Yankees for relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth after starting Yankee catcher Jorge Posada had season-ending surgery.[27] While Rodríguez wanted to leave Detroit due to Tigers manager Jim Leyland's decision to use rotating catchers, he wound up sharing catching duties with back-up Yankee catcher José Molina, starting only 26 of the remaining 55 games of the 2008 season. With his customary number 7 having been retired by the Yankees for Mickey Mantle, Rodríguez changed his jersey number to 12. He finished the year with a .278 batting average with his time on the Yankees being his worst part of the season.

Return to Puerto Rican League edit

In preparation for the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Rodríguez returned to the Puerto Rico Baseball League (formerly LBPPR) during the offseason, following ten years of absence.[28] Playing for the Criollos de Caguas, he gathered a batting average of .370 with three runs batted in and one home run in six games during the regular season. Upon leaving the team on vacation, Rodríguez noted that his intention was to return to action if the Criollos advanced to the playoffs.[29] He returned to action in a "sudden death" game for the final postseason space, but the team lost and was eliminated. On January 8, 2008, the Leones de Ponce reclaimed Rodríguez in the last turn of a special post-season draft, where players from eliminated teams were selected to reinforce those that qualified.[30] In the first week of December 2009, Rodríguez re-joined the Criollos de Caguas in the PRBL.[31]

Houston Astros (2009) edit

 
Rodríguez during his tenure with the Houston Astros in 2009.

On March 20, 2009, Rodríguez signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with the Houston Astros. Rodríguez was given the opportunity to make an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses.[32] In a situation similar to his tenure with the Yankees, his customary number 7 had been retired by the Astros in honor of Craig Biggio, so Rodríguez initially wore jersey number 12, then later changed to number 77 mid-season.

On May 17, 2009, Rodríguez hit his 300th career home run off of Chicago Cubs pitcher Rich Harden at Wrigley Field. On June 17, 2009, Rodríguez caught his 2,227th career game, passing Carlton Fisk for the most games caught in a career; the game was against his former team (the Rangers) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.[33][34]

Second stint with Rangers (2009) edit

On August 18, 2009, Rodríguez was traded to the Texas Rangers for minor league reliever Matt Nevarez and two PTBNL.[35] Teammate David Murphy switched his uniform number to #14 so Rodríguez could wear the #7 he previously wore with the Rangers.[35] In his first game back with the Rangers, Rodríguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and two singles.[36] He hit his first home run with the Rangers since 2002 on August 29, a solo shot against Minnesota Twins reliever José Mijares.[37]

He finished the 2009 season ranked first in major league history with 13,910 putouts as a catcher, ahead of Brad Ausmus (12,671).[38]

Washington Nationals (2010–2011) edit

 
Rodríguez during batting practice while with the Nationals.

Following the 2009 season, Rodríguez filed for free agency, declining the Rangers' offer of salary arbitration.[39] On December 11, 2009, Rodríguez signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Washington Nationals.[40]

Rodríguez hit his first home run as a member of the Nationals on May 6 against Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves.[41] Facing the New York Mets at Citi Field four days later, he went 4-for-4 and drove in the eventual game-winning RBI.[42] On May 24, Rodríguez was hitting .325, but was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a back sprain.[43] Rodríguez returned from the DL in time to catch for Stephen Strasburg's Major League debut on June 8, 2010. Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty instructed Strasburg to throw whatever Rodriguez called, which he did the entire game, except for the first pitch.[44] Strasburg struck out 14 batters and walked none over seven complete innings, which has been described as one of the greatest major league pitching debuts of all time.[45] In a postgame interview, Pudge reacted that "[e]verybody [was] impressed with what this kid did."[46] In 2011, Rodríguez platooned at catcher for the Nationals with Wilson Ramos.[47] Nationals GM Mike Rizzo later said signing Rodriguez to the team "turned out to be one of the best things we’ve done. He taught us to be a professional franchise."[44]

Career statistics edit

In 2,543 games over 21 seasons, Rodríguez posted a .296 batting average (2,844-for-9,592) with 1,354 runs, 572 doubles, 51 triples, 311 home runs, 1,332 RBI, 127 stolen bases, 513 bases on balls, .334 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .991 fielding percentage. In 40 postseason games, he hit .255 (39-for-153) with 17 runs, 9 doubles, 4 home runs, 25 RBI and 14 walks.[48]

International career edit

World Baseball Classic (Puerto Rico) edit

Rodríguez represented Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.[49] Rodríguez was one of several Major League Baseball players that committed to represent their birthplaces before the organization of the tournament. He also played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and was named to the classic's All-World Baseball Classic team.

Retirement and honors edit

 
Iván Rodríguez's number 7 was retired by the Texas Rangers in 2017.

Rodríguez announced his retirement on April 18, 2012.[50][51] He signed a one-day contract with the Rangers on April 23, retiring as a member of the team. Rodríguez also threw out the ceremonial first pitch during the Rangers home game against the New York Yankees. Instead of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch from the mound, he went to his usual position behind the plate and threw from behind home plate to second base to Michael Young.[51] Rodríguez was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on February 27, 2014. He also joined FOX Sports Southwest in 2014 as an analyst for pre and postgame television coverage.[52]

In 2017, Rodríguez became eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Richard Justice of MLB.com argued that he was "unquestionably" a Hall of Fame-caliber player, writing on MLB.com in 2012 that he batted better than .290 with more than 2,500 hits, 550 doubles, 300 home runs and 1,300 RBI, an accomplishment equaled only by four all-time greats: Hank Aaron, George Brett, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. Justice acknowledged that like Bonds, Rodríguez may have difficulty winning election to the Hall of Fame due to suspicion that he used steroids during his career,[53] USA Today expressed similar sentiments.[54] On January 18, 2017, Rodríguez was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, receiving 76% of the vote.[55] He became the first former Washington Nationals player in the Hall of Fame.[44]

Rodriguez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 30, 2017.[56] On August 12, 2017, the Rangers retired his jersey #7 with the team (and the opponent, Houston Astros) wearing throwback jerseys to the 1999 era in which Rodriguez played.[57]

 
George W. Bush throwing a ceremonial first pitch to Rodríguez prior to Game 1 of the 2023 World Series

In August 2017, Rodríguez was selected by then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló as one of Puerto Rico's five shadow representatives.[58] Before the start of Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, Former President of the United States George W. Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch to Rodríguez.[59]

Personal life edit

 
Rodríguez and his wife, Patricia, in 2023

Rodríguez married Maribel Rivera on June 20, 1991. That same night, having been called up from double A (Rodriguez bypassed AAA) by the Texas Rangers, Rodríguez made his major league debut, in which he threw out two White Sox would-be base stealers.[5] Rodríguez has three children: Dereck, Amanda, and Ivanna. In 1993, Rodríguez and his wife founded the Ivan "Pudge" Rodríguez Foundation, whose purpose is to help families in Puerto Rico, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.[60] Rodríguez has also stated that the Make-a-Wish Foundation is one of his charities of choice.[5] Their 15-year marriage ended in 2006 and Rodríguez married Colombia native Patricia Gómez in 2007.[61]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Eligon, John (May 25, 2005). "The Tigers' Rodriguez Is Now a Svelte Pudge". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  2. ^ "Will I-Rod be first PED-suspected player to reach Cooperstown?". The Orange County Register. April 28, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing %". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d "Puerto Rico Profile: Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez". Puerto Rico Herald. March 30, 2001. from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Personal tid-bits". Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez Foundation. from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  6. ^ Pillot Ortiz, Victor (January 18, 2017). "Iván Rodríguez lloró cuando le dijeron que tenía que ser "catcher"". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Sanchez, Jesse (September 6, 2005). "Who is the Greatest Latino Catcher?". MLB.com. from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  8. ^ Rodríguez, Ivan (January 16, 2017). "The Story of My Life". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ivan Rodriguez Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Allan Simpson, ed. (1991). Baseball America's 1992 almanac. Durham, North Carolina: American Sports Pub. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-671-76028-1.
  11. ^ . Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 22, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  12. ^ Stark, Jayson (May 22, 2009). "Jayson Stark: Raul Ibanez on a Sandwich Award-winning roll". ESPN. from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "Marlins land Pudge Rodriguez for one-year, $10 million". ESPN. January 22, 2003. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Beck, Jason (February 2, 2004). . Detroit Tigers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  15. ^ Beck, Jason (April 23, 2001). "Pudge earns AL Player of the Month". Detroit Tigers. MLB.com. from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  16. ^ Canseco, Jose (February 14, 2005). Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. William Morrow. p. 304. ISBN 0-06-074640-8.
  17. ^ Cosgrove-Mather, Bootie (February 8, 2005). "Rodriguez Denies Using Steroids". CBS News. from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  18. ^ a b "Svelte Pudge? Tigers catcher 22 pounds lighter". ESPN. February 21, 2005. Retrieved February 21, 2005.
  19. ^ "A timeline of steroids in baseball". Denver Post. The Associated Press. December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  20. ^ a b Eligon, John (May 25, 2005). "The Tigers' Rodriguez Is Now a Svelte Pudge". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2005.
  21. ^ . Sports Illustrated. CNN. February 16, 2009. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  22. ^ Kerzel, Pete (May 9, 2006). "Notes: Pudge nudged to first". Detroit Tigers. MLB.com. from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
  23. ^ . The Fielding Bible. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  24. ^ "Baseball Leaderboard". FanGraphs. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  25. ^ "Iván Rodríguez statistics". MLB.com. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  26. ^ "Tigers get first win after starting season 0-7". ESPN. The Associated Press. April 10, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  27. ^ "Yankees find their catcher for stretch, trade for Rodríguez". ESPN. July 30, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  28. ^ "Regresa Iván Rodríguez a la pelota local". Primera Hora (in Spanish). December 11, 2008. from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
  29. ^ Carlos González (December 24, 2008). "Iván sólo dice 'hasta luego'". Primera Hora (in Spanish). from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  30. ^ "Cuadrados los refuerzos para la semifinal". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 8 January 2009.
  31. ^ González, Carlos (December 2, 2009). "Todo un "fiebrú" Iván Rodríguez". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  32. ^ Footer, Alyson (March 20, 2009). . Houston Astros. MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  33. ^ Hawkins, Stephen (June 17, 2009). "Nobody has caught more games than Ivan Rodriguez". The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Associated Press. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  34. ^ McTaggart, Brian (June 18, 2009). "Pudge sets record for games caught". Houston Astros. MLB.com. from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  35. ^ a b "Rangers acquire Pudge for two minor leaguers". ESPN. The Associated Press. August 18, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  36. ^ Paulling, Daniel (August 19, 2009). . Texas Rangers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  37. ^ "Hamilton, Kinsler lift Feldman, Rangers past Twins". ESPN. August 29, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
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  39. ^ Sullivan, T.R. (December 7, 2009). . MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
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  41. ^ "Olsen takes no-hitter into 8th, Harris' single in ninth helps Nats escape". ESPN. May 6, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
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  61. ^ "Pudge being patient in search for team". ESPN. The Associated Press. February 15, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2011.

External links edit

  • Iván Rodríguez at the Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
  • Iván Rodríguez on Twitter  
Sporting positions
Preceded by Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
April 1998
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
August 1999
Served alongside: Rafael Palmeiro
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
June 2004
Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
New seat Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Puerto Rico

2017–2018
Succeeded by
Luis Berríos Amadeo

iván, rodríguez, other, uses, disambiguation, this, spanish, name, first, paternal, surname, rodríguez, second, maternal, family, name, torres, torres, born, november, 1971, nicknamed, pudge, puerto, rican, former, major, league, baseball, catcher, member, nat. For other uses see Ivan Rodriguez disambiguation In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Rodriguez and the second or maternal family name is Torres Ivan Rodriguez Torres born November 27 1971 nicknamed Pudge 1 and I Rod 2 is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in MLB history He played for the Texas Rangers in two separate stints comprising the majority of his career Florida Marlins Detroit Tigers New York Yankees Houston Astros and Washington Nationals Ivan RodriguezRodriguez with the Texas Rangers in 2009CatcherBorn 1971 11 27 November 27 1971 age 52 Manati Puerto RicoBatted RightThrew RightMLB debutJune 20 1991 for the Texas RangersLast MLB appearanceSeptember 28 2011 for the Washington NationalsMLB statisticsBatting average 296Hits2 844Home runs311Runs batted in1 332TeamsTexas Rangers 1991 2002 Florida Marlins 2003 Detroit Tigers 2004 2008 New York Yankees 2008 Houston Astros 2009 Texas Rangers 2009 Washington Nationals 2010 2011 Career highlights and awards14 All Star 1992 2001 2004 2007 World Series champion 2003 AL MVP 1999 NLCS MVP 2003 13 Gold Glove Award 1992 2001 2004 2006 2007 7 Silver Slugger Award 1994 1999 2004 Texas Rangers No 7 retired Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Washington Nationals Ring of HonorMember of the NationalBaseball Hall of FameInduction2017Vote76 0 first ballot Shadow Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Puerto RicoIn office August 15 2017 August 20 2018Preceded bySeat establishedSucceeded byLuis Berrios AmadeoRodriguez was awarded the AL MVP award in 1999 He won the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins and played in the 2006 World Series while with the Tigers In 2009 he set an MLB record by catching his 2 227th game passing Carlton Fisk He had the best career caught stealing percentage of any major league catcher at 45 68 versus a league average of 31 and he had nine seasons with a caught stealing rate of 50 or higher 3 Only one major league catcher Yadier Molina has more putouts In 2017 Rodriguez was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility receiving 76 of the votes cast After retiring from baseball he served as a Shadow Representative from Puerto Rico Contents 1 Early life 2 Professional career 2 1 Minor leagues 2 2 Texas Rangers 1991 2002 2 3 Florida Marlins 2003 2 4 Detroit Tigers 2004 2008 2 5 New York Yankees 2008 2 6 Return to Puerto Rican League 2 7 Houston Astros 2009 2 8 Second stint with Rangers 2009 2 9 Washington Nationals 2010 2011 2 10 Career statistics 3 International career 3 1 World Baseball Classic Puerto Rico 4 Retirement and honors 5 Personal life 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksEarly life editRodriguez was born in Manati Puerto Rico and raised in Vega Baja Puerto Rico His father Juan worked for a U S based construction company and his mother Eva Torres was an elementary school teacher 4 Ivan s first job involved delivering flyers in the shopping malls in Puerto Rico 5 He learned baseball at an early age his biggest rival being Juan Gonzalez whom he often played against in his youth 4 As a Little League player and just 8 years old he moved from pitcher and third baseman his favorite position 6 to catcher because his father who was also his coach thought he was throwing too hard and scaring opposing players with his pitches 7 His favorite player growing up was Johnny Bench even before he was changed to the catcher position The reason for this was that according to Rodriguez the Big Red Machine teams for whom Bench played were constantly on TV in Puerto Rico and he saw how good Bench was 8 Rodriguez attended Lino Padron Rivera High School where he was discovered by scout Luis Rosa Rosa reported that He showed leadership at 16 that I d seen in few kids He knew where he was going 4 Rodriguez signed a contract with the Texas Rangers in July 1988 at the age of 16 and began his professional baseball career 4 Professional career editMinor leagues edit Rodriguez made his professional debut in 1989 at the age of 17 as catcher for the Gastonia Rangers of the South Atlantic League In his first game he went 3 for 3 at the plate against Spartanburg Playing in the Florida State League in 1990 Rodriguez was selected the best catcher in the league and named to the All Star team He placed 15th in the league in batting at 287 and led his team in runs batted in with 55 He also played in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente LBPRC over the offseason 9 I got my nickname on the very first day of camp Chino Cadahia who was a Rangers coach at the time gave me that name He saw that I was short and stocky so from Day One he started calling me Pudge It caught on and the rest is history Ivan Rodriguez in how he got his Pudge nickname At the beginning of the 1991 season Rodriguez played 50 games with the Tulsa Drillers a AA team where he batted 274 in 175 at bats He was considered the number one prospect of the Texas League Before the middle of the season he was called up to the Texas Rangers thus bypassing AAA 10 Texas Rangers 1991 2002 edit Making his debut with the Texas Rangers on June 20 1991 he became the youngest player to catch in a major league game that season at 19 years of age 11 He immediately established himself as an excellent hitter who was also proficient in throwing out would be base stealers He started many of the Rangers games at the end of the season including 81 of the last 102 Rodriguez became the youngest player in the history of the Texas Rangers to hit a home run on August 30 1991 facing the Kansas City Royals and right hander Storm Davis He was named to the Major League Baseball MLB Rookie All Star team by both Topps and Baseball America and finished in fourth place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting He also placed first in throwing out runners catching 48 6 percent of runners attempting to steal 9 In 1992 Rodriguez started 112 games behind the plate and was the youngest player in the major leagues for the second year in a row Playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League he had a 262 batting average playing in 17 games for Mayaguez 9 In the 1993 season Rodriguez batted 273 had 66 runs batted in and hit 10 home runs ranking fourth fifth and fifth on his team respectively He had a stretch of eight straight hits over two games facing the Kansas City Royals on July 26 and July 28 He played the final month of the regular season in the Puerto Rican Winter league where he had a 425 batting average and 14 runs batted in for Mayaguez Rodriguez was named to the Puerto Rican Winter League all star team and was also the league Most Valuable Player MVP 9 In 1994 Rodriguez led the American League in batting average among catchers at 298 He placed high on his team in many statistics placing second in batting average 298 tied for third in doubles 19 and fourth in hits total bases runs home runs walks games and at bats He also caught Kenny Rogers perfect game on July 28 Rodriguez played in the Puerto Rican Winter League over the winter but he suffered a severe knee injury which kept him from playing for the rest of the season 9 nbsp 1995 Texas Rangers 7 Ivan Rodriguez home jerseyPlaying for the Rangers during the 1995 season Rodriguez led his team in batting total bases and doubles at 303 221 and 32 respectively He was named the Texas Rangers player of the year Rodriguez also had his first multi home run game while playing the Boston Red Sox on July 13 hitting both off All Star pitcher Roger Clemens He also played for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League during the offseason 9 In 1996 Rodriguez set an MLB record for most doubles by a catcher amassing 47 over the course of the season This broke the previous mark of 42 set by Mickey Cochrane in 1930 He also set the major league record for at bats by a catcher in a single season with 639 which surpassed Johnny Bench s record of 621 in 1970 He led the Texas Rangers in doubles at bats hits and runs scored He was selected to the Major League Baseball All Star team that played a series in Japan against the Japanese all stars after the season was over He again played in the Puerto Rican Winter League this season 9 In the 1997 season Rodriguez also placed first among catchers in many categories in Major League Baseball These categories were hits runs runs batted in and doubles He placed second in home runs among catchers below only Sandy Alomar Jr of the Cleveland Indians who had 20 home runs He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on the week of August 4 This marked the fourth time a player from the Texas Rangers had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated Rodriguez played in the Puerto Rican Winter League yet again where he had a 285 batting average four home runs and 18 runs batted in over the course of 32 games playing for Caguas 9 In the 1998 season Rodriguez led the Texas Rangers in batting average at 325 which placed eighth in the American League He also had 75 multi hit games and 186 hits finishing seventh and ninth in MLB respectively He finished second on the Rangers in hits total bases triples and slugging percentage Rodriguez was third on the team in doubles home runs and stolen bases and fourth in runs batted in He recorded his 1 000th career hit in a game facing the Cleveland Indians on May 10 of that season Rodriguez also became the first catcher in the history of Major League Baseball to have two or more seasons with 40 or more doubles He was selected to the American League All Star Team again and he was also named to all star teams by the The Associated Press The Sporting News and Baseball America 9 In 1999 Rodriguez was selected as the American League MVP He set a new American League record for home runs in a single season among catchers with 35 Rodriguez was also the first catcher to have more than 30 home runs 100 runs batted in and 100 runs scored in the history of Major League Baseball In addition he holds the distinction of being the first catcher in the history of the league to amass more than 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases From May 8 to June 1 1999 Rodriguez had a career high 20 game hitting streak He had 25 stolen bases which was fifth most among catchers in the history of the league He led the league in times grounded into a double play with 31 Rodriguez was only the ninth catcher in the history of Major League Baseball to win the Most Valuable Player award and he was the first to win it since Thurman Munson in 1976 He was named on all of the ballots getting seven first place votes and six second place votes Rodriguez was the sixth Puerto Rican to win the award and the fourth player from the Texas Rangers to win it He also won the Silver Slugger Award for the sixth time in a row and was selected Most Valuable Player by Baseball Digest He was again named to all star teams by the Associated Press The Sporting News and Baseball America 9 While he was hitting home runs he rarely drew walks He is one of only six players active in 2009 who have had at least 30 home runs in a season in which they had more homers than walks 34 home runs 24 walks in 1999 The others are Alfonso Soriano 39 23 in 2002 36 33 in 2005 33 31 in 2007 Garret Anderson 35 24 in 2000 Ryan Braun 34 29 in 2007 Joe Crede 30 28 in 2006 and Jose Guillen 31 24 in 2003 12 In 2000 Rodriguez suffered a season ending injury in a game against the Anaheim Angels While trying to make a throw to second base his thumb made contact with the swing of Mo Vaughn s bat He fractured his right thumb and underwent surgery the next day This injury caused him to miss the rest of the season Rodriguez appeared in just 91 games which was the fewest that he appeared in since his first season in the league 1991 His nine home runs in April matched a team record that was shared through 2008 with Alex Rodriguez 2002 Carl Everett 2003 and Ian Kinsler 2007 Even though he was injured he was still named to the second team of Baseball America s Major League Baseball All Star Team 9 Rodriguez returned to full action in 2001 and had another all star season He was selected to his ninth straight MLB All Star Game which tied the all time record set by Johnny Bench He also tied Bench s record of ten straight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in a row He batted 308 making 2001 his seventh straight season with a batting average of over 300 He had 25 home runs 136 hits and 65 RBI 9 He also posted a career best 60 3 caught stealing rate in a year when the league average was 29 Rodriguez s final year in his first stint with the Texas Rangers came in 2002 His 314 batting average was seventh best among American League players This was his eighth season in a row with batting average of 300 or above He also had 32 doubles two triples and 60 runs batted in while playing in 108 games for the Rangers Rodriguez was placed on the disabled list on April 23 after suffering a herniated disk on April 15 The injury did not require surgery and he rehabilitated while playing for Class A Charlotte He later returned to the Rangers and played there for the remainder of the season After the 2002 season his contract with Texas expired and he became a free agent Florida Marlins 2003 edit On January 22 2003 Rodriguez signed a one year 10 million contract with the Florida Marlins 13 By then a major league veteran of over a decade he helped lead the young team to victory in the World Series 9 During the 2003 regular season he set many Marlins single season records for a catcher such as batting average at 297 and runs batted in at 85 On March 31 Rodriguez became the tenth Marlins player ever to hit a home run in the team s first game of the season On April 8 he set a Marlins single game record by drawing five walks in a game against the New York Mets He had a nine game hitting streak from June 24 to July 2 during which he batted 500 with seven doubles two triples and four home runs From June 24 to July 1 he drove in a run in eight consecutive games another single season record for the Marlins In the postseason he was named National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career He also closed out the National League Division Series by holding onto the ball during a dramatic game ending collision at the plate with J T Snow in Game 4 He chose not to return to the Marlins following the 2003 season Detroit Tigers 2004 2008 edit nbsp Rodriguez talking with Mike Maroth while playing for the Detroit Tigers July 11 2005 Before the 2004 season Rodriguez signed a four year 40 million contract with the Detroit Tigers 14 In 2004 he was selected to the MLB All Star Game for the 11th time in his career and for his 10th time as a starting player joining Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza as the only Major League Baseball catchers to start an All Star game 10 times or more in their career During the month of June he batted 500 and was named the American League Player of the Month 15 He also won his 10th consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award making him the first player on the Detroit Tigers to win the award since Gary Pettis won it in 1989 He won his seventh career Silver Slugger Award tied with Victor Martinez of the Cleveland Indians He was fourth in the American League in batting average and fourth among all Major League Baseball catchers On October 1 he recorded his 1 000th career RBI in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9 Prior to the 2005 season Jose Canseco in his controversial book Juiced claimed to have personally injected Rodriguez with anabolic steroids during their time as teammates on the Texas Rangers 16 Rodriguez denied the allegations and said he was in shock over Canseco s claims 17 Rodriguez arrived at spring training in 2005 weighing 193 lbs his 2004 playing weight had been 215 lbs 18 Given that Major League Baseball implemented a more stringent regime of testing for performance enhancing drugs in 2005 19 the significant weight loss experienced by Rodriguez 20 raised more than a few eyebrows 18 Rodriguez asserted that his weight loss was the result of changes in his diet and exercise 20 Asked by a reporter in 2009 whether his name was on the list of 104 players who tested positive for steroids during baseball s 2003 survey testing Rodriguez responded Only God knows 21 Despite the off season controversy the 2005 season turned out to be another All Star year for Rodriguez He was selected to the Major League Baseball All Star Game for the 12th time in his career and he participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby on the day before the All Star game finishing second to Bobby Abreu of the Philadelphia Phillies in his home stadium of Comerica Park For the season he batted 276 with 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in 9 On October 26 2005 Major League Baseball named him the catcher on their Latino Legends Team In 2006 Rodriguez returned to throwing out runners attempting to steal a base at a very high percentage as he did in his earlier career he was first in the league in this category throwing out 45 7 percent of all runners attempting to steal a base 9 On May 9 2006 Rodriguez played first base for the Tigers That game a 7 6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles was the first time that he played a position other than catcher in his 1 914 Major League games 22 On August 15 2006 he also made his first Major League appearance at second base after regular second baseman Placido Polanco was injured in a game in Boston Rodriguez was honored with a Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding catcher in MLB in 2006 23 Rodriguez would help the Tigers upset the Yankees in the 2006 ALDS and the A s in the 2006 ALCS to help Detroit win the pennant On April 16 2007 he batted in six runs on the way to a 12 5 victory over the Kansas City Royals On June 12 he caught Justin Verlander s first no hitter the second no hitter he caught in his career In 2007 Rodriguez walked in only 1 8 percent of his plate appearances the lowest percentage in the major leagues 24 On October 9 the Tigers announced that they were picking up the fifth year 13 million option on Rodriguez s contract keeping him on the Tigers team through at least the 2008 season The team could have bought out the option for 3 million and allowed him to become a free agent In spring training in 2008 he led the major leagues with eight home runs On April 10 against Boston he got his 2 500th hit 25 26 New York Yankees 2008 edit nbsp Rodriguez with the New York Yankees in 2008 On July 30 2008 Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees for relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth after starting Yankee catcher Jorge Posada had season ending surgery 27 While Rodriguez wanted to leave Detroit due to Tigers manager Jim Leyland s decision to use rotating catchers he wound up sharing catching duties with back up Yankee catcher Jose Molina starting only 26 of the remaining 55 games of the 2008 season With his customary number 7 having been retired by the Yankees for Mickey Mantle Rodriguez changed his jersey number to 12 He finished the year with a 278 batting average with his time on the Yankees being his worst part of the season Return to Puerto Rican League edit In preparation for the 2009 World Baseball Classic Rodriguez returned to the Puerto Rico Baseball League formerly LBPPR during the offseason following ten years of absence 28 Playing for the Criollos de Caguas he gathered a batting average of 370 with three runs batted in and one home run in six games during the regular season Upon leaving the team on vacation Rodriguez noted that his intention was to return to action if the Criollos advanced to the playoffs 29 He returned to action in a sudden death game for the final postseason space but the team lost and was eliminated On January 8 2008 the Leones de Ponce reclaimed Rodriguez in the last turn of a special post season draft where players from eliminated teams were selected to reinforce those that qualified 30 In the first week of December 2009 Rodriguez re joined the Criollos de Caguas in the PRBL 31 Houston Astros 2009 edit nbsp Rodriguez during his tenure with the Houston Astros in 2009 On March 20 2009 Rodriguez signed a one year deal worth 1 5 million with the Houston Astros Rodriguez was given the opportunity to make an additional 1 5 million in performance bonuses 32 In a situation similar to his tenure with the Yankees his customary number 7 had been retired by the Astros in honor of Craig Biggio so Rodriguez initially wore jersey number 12 then later changed to number 77 mid season On May 17 2009 Rodriguez hit his 300th career home run off of Chicago Cubs pitcher Rich Harden at Wrigley Field On June 17 2009 Rodriguez caught his 2 227th career game passing Carlton Fisk for the most games caught in a career the game was against his former team the Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington 33 34 Second stint with Rangers 2009 edit On August 18 2009 Rodriguez was traded to the Texas Rangers for minor league reliever Matt Nevarez and two PTBNL 35 Teammate David Murphy switched his uniform number to 14 so Rodriguez could wear the 7 he previously wore with the Rangers 35 In his first game back with the Rangers Rodriguez went 3 for 4 with an RBI double and two singles 36 He hit his first home run with the Rangers since 2002 on August 29 a solo shot against Minnesota Twins reliever Jose Mijares 37 He finished the 2009 season ranked first in major league history with 13 910 putouts as a catcher ahead of Brad Ausmus 12 671 38 Washington Nationals 2010 2011 edit nbsp Rodriguez during batting practice while with the Nationals Following the 2009 season Rodriguez filed for free agency declining the Rangers offer of salary arbitration 39 On December 11 2009 Rodriguez signed a two year 6 million contract with the Washington Nationals 40 Rodriguez hit his first home run as a member of the Nationals on May 6 against Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves 41 Facing the New York Mets at Citi Field four days later he went 4 for 4 and drove in the eventual game winning RBI 42 On May 24 Rodriguez was hitting 325 but was placed on the 15 day disabled list due to a back sprain 43 Rodriguez returned from the DL in time to catch for Stephen Strasburg s Major League debut on June 8 2010 Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty instructed Strasburg to throw whatever Rodriguez called which he did the entire game except for the first pitch 44 Strasburg struck out 14 batters and walked none over seven complete innings which has been described as one of the greatest major league pitching debuts of all time 45 In a postgame interview Pudge reacted that e verybody was impressed with what this kid did 46 In 2011 Rodriguez platooned at catcher for the Nationals with Wilson Ramos 47 Nationals GM Mike Rizzo later said signing Rodriguez to the team turned out to be one of the best things we ve done He taught us to be a professional franchise 44 Career statistics edit In 2 543 games over 21 seasons Rodriguez posted a 296 batting average 2 844 for 9 592 with 1 354 runs 572 doubles 51 triples 311 home runs 1 332 RBI 127 stolen bases 513 bases on balls 334 on base percentage and 464 slugging percentage Defensively he recorded a 991 fielding percentage In 40 postseason games he hit 255 39 for 153 with 17 runs 9 doubles 4 home runs 25 RBI and 14 walks 48 International career editWorld Baseball Classic Puerto Rico edit Rodriguez represented Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic 49 Rodriguez was one of several Major League Baseball players that committed to represent their birthplaces before the organization of the tournament He also played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and was named to the classic s All World Baseball Classic team Retirement and honors edit nbsp Ivan Rodriguez s number 7 was retired by the Texas Rangers in 2017 Rodriguez announced his retirement on April 18 2012 50 51 He signed a one day contract with the Rangers on April 23 retiring as a member of the team Rodriguez also threw out the ceremonial first pitch during the Rangers home game against the New York Yankees Instead of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch from the mound he went to his usual position behind the plate and threw from behind home plate to second base to Michael Young 51 Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on February 27 2014 He also joined FOX Sports Southwest in 2014 as an analyst for pre and postgame television coverage 52 In 2017 Rodriguez became eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame Richard Justice of MLB com argued that he was unquestionably a Hall of Fame caliber player writing on MLB com in 2012 that he batted better than 290 with more than 2 500 hits 550 doubles 300 home runs and 1 300 RBI an accomplishment equaled only by four all time greats Hank Aaron George Brett Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds Justice acknowledged that like Bonds Rodriguez may have difficulty winning election to the Hall of Fame due to suspicion that he used steroids during his career 53 USA Today expressed similar sentiments 54 On January 18 2017 Rodriguez was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot receiving 76 of the vote 55 He became the first former Washington Nationals player in the Hall of Fame 44 Rodriguez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 30 2017 56 On August 12 2017 the Rangers retired his jersey 7 with the team and the opponent Houston Astros wearing throwback jerseys to the 1999 era in which Rodriguez played 57 nbsp George W Bush throwing a ceremonial first pitch to Rodriguez prior to Game 1 of the 2023 World SeriesIn August 2017 Rodriguez was selected by then Governor Ricardo Rossello as one of Puerto Rico s five shadow representatives 58 Before the start of Game 1 of the 2023 World Series Former President of the United States George W Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch to Rodriguez 59 Personal life edit nbsp Rodriguez and his wife Patricia in 2023Rodriguez married Maribel Rivera on June 20 1991 That same night having been called up from double A Rodriguez bypassed AAA by the Texas Rangers Rodriguez made his major league debut in which he threw out two White Sox would be base stealers 5 Rodriguez has three children Dereck Amanda and Ivanna In 1993 Rodriguez and his wife founded the Ivan Pudge Rodriguez Foundation whose purpose is to help families in Puerto Rico Dallas and Fort Worth Texas 60 Rodriguez has also stated that the Make a Wish Foundation is one of his charities of choice 5 Their 15 year marriage ended in 2006 and Rodriguez married Colombia native Patricia Gomez in 2007 61 See also edit nbsp Puerto Rico portal nbsp Biography portal nbsp Baseball portalList of Major League Baseball career at bat leaders List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders List of Major League Baseball career extra base hits leaders List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders List of Major League Baseball career putouts leaders List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico List of second generation Major League Baseball players List of Major League Baseball record holders Baseball in Puerto RicoReferences edit Eligon John May 25 2005 The Tigers Rodriguez Is Now a Svelte Pudge The New York Times Retrieved April 25 2008 Will I Rod be first PED suspected player to reach Cooperstown The Orange County Register April 28 2012 Retrieved August 20 2022 Active Leaders amp Records for Caught Stealing Baseball Reference com Sports Reference Retrieved October 14 2011 a b c d Puerto Rico Profile Ivan Pudge Rodriguez Puerto Rico Herald March 30 2001 Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved March 11 2008 a b c Personal tid bits Ivan Pudge Rodriguez Foundation Archived from the original on November 18 2007 Retrieved December 29 2007 Pillot Ortiz Victor January 18 2017 Ivan Rodriguez lloro cuando le dijeron que tenia que ser catcher El Nuevo Dia in Spanish Retrieved February 1 2017 Sanchez Jesse September 6 2005 Who is the Greatest Latino Catcher MLB com Archived from the original on June 6 2011 Retrieved April 24 2008 Rodriguez Ivan January 16 2017 The Story of My Life The Players Tribune Retrieved August 14 2018 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ivan Rodriguez Stats Fantasy amp News MLB com Retrieved August 3 2021 Allan Simpson ed 1991 Baseball America s 1992 almanac Durham North Carolina American Sports Pub p 172 ISBN 978 0 671 76028 1 1991 American League Expanded Leaderboards Baseball Reference com Sports Reference Archived from the original on April 22 2008 Retrieved April 25 2008 Stark Jayson May 22 2009 Jayson Stark Raul Ibanez on a Sandwich Award winning roll ESPN Archived from the original on May 29 2009 Retrieved October 14 2011 Marlins land Pudge Rodriguez for one year 10 million ESPN January 22 2003 Retrieved August 3 2021 Beck Jason February 2 2004 Pudge signing to be announced Detroit Tigers MLB com Archived from the original on June 15 2011 Retrieved June 18 2009 Beck Jason April 23 2001 Pudge earns AL Player of the Month Detroit Tigers MLB com Archived from the original on October 7 2012 Retrieved October 14 2011 Canseco Jose February 14 2005 Juiced Wild Times Rampant Roids Smash Hits amp How Baseball Got Big William Morrow p 304 ISBN 0 06 074640 8 Cosgrove Mather Bootie February 8 2005 Rodriguez Denies Using Steroids CBS News Archived from the original on February 15 2005 Retrieved July 9 2009 a b Svelte Pudge Tigers catcher 22 pounds lighter ESPN February 21 2005 Retrieved February 21 2005 A timeline of steroids in baseball Denver Post The Associated Press December 13 2007 Retrieved December 13 2007 a b Eligon John May 25 2005 The Tigers Rodriguez Is Now a Svelte Pudge The New York Times Retrieved May 25 2005 Ivan Rodriguez sidesteps steroids talk before WBC camp Sports Illustrated CNN February 16 2009 Archived from the original on February 19 2009 Retrieved July 9 2009 Kerzel Pete May 9 2006 Notes Pudge nudged to first Detroit Tigers MLB com Archived from the original on November 2 2007 Retrieved March 6 2007 The 2006 Fielding Bible Awards The Fielding Bible Archived from the original on November 10 2010 Retrieved November 18 2010 Baseball Leaderboard FanGraphs Retrieved April 25 2008 Ivan Rodriguez statistics MLB com Retrieved April 25 2008 Tigers get first win after starting season 0 7 ESPN The Associated Press April 10 2008 Retrieved August 3 2021 Yankees find their catcher for stretch trade for Rodriguez ESPN July 30 2008 Retrieved August 5 2008 Regresa Ivan Rodriguez a la pelota local Primera Hora in Spanish December 11 2008 Archived from the original on December 14 2008 Retrieved December 16 2008 Carlos Gonzalez December 24 2008 Ivan solo dice hasta luego Primera Hora in Spanish Archived from the original on December 29 2008 Retrieved December 26 2008 Cuadrados los refuerzos para la semifinal Primera Hora in Spanish 8 January 2009 Gonzalez Carlos December 2 2009 Todo un fiebru Ivan Rodriguez Primera Hora in Spanish Retrieved December 2 2009 Footer Alyson March 20 2009 Pudge Astros make deal official Houston Astros MLB com Archived from the original on March 22 2009 Retrieved June 18 2009 Hawkins Stephen June 17 2009 Nobody has caught more games than Ivan Rodriguez The San Diego Union Tribune The Associated Press Retrieved May 31 2021 McTaggart Brian June 18 2009 Pudge sets record for games caught Houston Astros MLB com Archived from the original on November 2 2012 Retrieved June 18 2009 a b Rangers acquire Pudge for two minor leaguers ESPN The Associated Press August 18 2009 Retrieved August 3 2021 Paulling Daniel August 19 2009 Twins rally spoils Pudge s return in Texas Texas Rangers MLB com Archived from the original on June 5 2011 Retrieved October 14 2011 Hamilton Kinsler lift Feldman Rangers past Twins ESPN August 29 2009 Retrieved August 3 2021 Gurnick Ken January 26 2010 Ausmus comes to terms with Dodgers Backstop agrees on one year deal with option for 2011 MLB com MLB Advanced Media Archived from the original on February 19 2010 Retrieved October 14 2011 Sullivan T R December 7 2009 Byrd Rodriguez decline arbitration MLB com Archived from the original on December 13 2009 Retrieved December 8 2009 Ladson Bill December 11 2009 Nats welcome Pudge to DC Washington Nationals MLB com Archived from the original on December 9 2010 Retrieved December 9 2010 Olsen takes no hitter into 8th Harris single in ninth helps Nats escape ESPN May 6 2010 Retrieved August 3 2021 Kennedy Zimmerman go deep as Nats drop division rival ESPN May 10 2010 Retrieved August 3 2021 Gleeman Aaron May 24 2010 Back injury sends Ivan Rodriguez to disabled list NBC Sports Retrieved August 3 2021 a b c Pudge Rodriguez is about to put the Nationals in the Hall of Fame for the first time The Washington Post 2017 07 27 Archived from the original on 2020 10 11 Stark Jayson June 9 2010 Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg makes the impossible possible ESPN ESPN Retrieved October 14 2011 Sheinin Dave June 9 2010 Pitcher Stephen Strasburg makes his major league debut for Washington Nationals The Washington Post Retrieved June 9 2010 Zuckerman Mark April 12 2011 Rodriguez will share Nats catching duties CNS Washington Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved July 23 2012 Ivan Rodriguez Statistics and History Baseball Reference com Retrieved October 31 2020 Puerto Rico Roster World Baseball Classic MLB com Archived from the original on May 9 2006 Retrieved December 30 2007 Ivan Rodriguez set to retire ESPN April 18 2012 Retrieved April 23 2012 a b Gutierrez Tony April 23 2012 Pudge Rodriguez retires after 21 brilliant seasons USA Today The Associated Press Archived from the original on April 23 2012 Retrieved April 23 2012 Pudge Rodriguez joins Fox Sports Southwest MLB com March 12 2014 Retrieved July 4 2015 Justice Richard April 19 2012 Pudge unquestionably a Hall of Famer MLB com Archived from the original on August 9 2017 Retrieved January 26 2016 Ortiz Jorge L December 26 2016 Hall of Fame case Pudge Rodriguez will get in but might have to wait USA Today Retrieved December 26 2016 Hall of Fame Class of 2017 National Baseball Hall of Fame Retrieved April 1 2019 Little kid with big dream Pudge enters Hall Rangers retire Hall of Famer Pudge s No 7 ESPN The Associated Press August 13 2017 Retrieved August 3 2021 Lucas Ed July 27 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Ivan Rodriguez still making Puerto Rico proud The Jersey Journal Retrieved December 28 2017 Postins Matthew October 26 2023 World Series First Pitches for First Two Games Sports Illustrated Texas Rangers News Analysis and More Quick Facts About the Foundation Ivan Pudge Rodriguez Foundation Archived from the original on November 5 2007 Retrieved December 29 2007 Pudge being patient in search for team ESPN The Associated Press February 15 2009 Retrieved October 14 2011 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ivan Rodriguez Ivan Rodriguez at the Baseball Hall of Fame Career statistics and player information from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference Minors Ivan Rodriguez on Twitter nbsp Sporting positionsPreceded byJuan Gonzalez Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month AwardApril 1998 Succeeded byBernie WilliamsPreceded byJoe Randa Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month AwardAugust 1999 Served alongside Rafael Palmeiro Succeeded byAlbert BellePreceded byMelvin Mora Recipient of the Major League Baseball Player of the Month AwardJune 2004 Succeeded byMark TeixeiraU S House of RepresentativesNew seat Shadow Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Puerto Rico2017 2018 Succeeded byLuis Berrios Amadeo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ivan Rodriguez amp oldid 1187821085, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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