IVAN RODRIGUEZ - CATCHER - #7 - (2004-2008)

RODRIGUEZ’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• American League Most Valuable Player in 1999.

• Fourteen-time American League all-star selection (1992-2001, 2004-07).

• Won 13 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards (1992-2001, 2004, 2006-07).

• Won seven Silver Slugger Awards (1994-1999, 2004).

• Named the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series in 2003.

2007 SEASON

Selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the 14th time in his career, he was voted by the fans as the starter behind the plate for the 12th time in his career -- first Tigers player to appear on the league’s all-star squad in four straight seasons since Lou Whitaker did so in five straight seasons (1983-87).

• Won his 13th Rawlings Gold Glove Award, furthering his record among catchers in major league history.

• Belted 11 home runs, marking his 15th consecutive season with 10-or-more home runs -- second-longest active streak in the majors behind 16 straight seasons by Jeff Kent (1992-2007).

• Tabbed the best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Collected a season-best four hits on April 4 versus Toronto -- matched the high with four hits on June 2 at Cleveland and September 8 versus Seattle.

• Belted his sixth career grand slam on April 16 versus Kansas City, connecting off of Zack Greinke -- collected a season-best six RBI during the game.

• Moved into fourth place all-time in major league history with his 1,951st game behind the plate on April 22 versus the Chicago White Sox, passing Tony Pena.

• Batted .380 (38x100) over a 23-game stretch May 14-June 15, scoring 17 runs and collecting 12 doubles, four home runs and 24 RBI.

• Became the first catcher in major league history to record 12,000 putouts, doing so on June 12 versus Milwaukee.

• Caught the 2,000th game of his major league career on July 3 versus Cleveland -- fourth player in major league history to catch at least 2,000 games.

• Suspended for one game by Major League Baseball for his actions on July 12 at Seattle after being ejected by home plate umpire Mike Winters -- served the one-game suspension on July 31 at Oakland.

• Collected the 500th double of his major league career off Chicago’s Boone Logan in the eighth inning on September 5 versus the White Sox -- became the 46th player in major league history to reach the plateau.

• Caught the 2,057th game of his major league career on September 22 versus Kansas City, passing Gary Carter to take sole possession of third place all-time in major league history.

• Hit .307 (23x75) with six doubles, a home run and 10 RBI in 20 games during September.

• Batted .302 (38x126) against lefthanded pitchers...hit .274 (103x376) with righties on the mound.

MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER

Selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the 13th time in his career in 2006, he was voted by the fans as the starter behind the plate for the 11th time in his career.

• Won his 12th Rawlings Gold Glove Award, furthering his record among catchers in major league history.

• Topped all major league catchers by throwing out 45.7 percent of baserunners attempting to steal (21x46).

• Led all American League catchers with a .998 fielding percentage...his two errors were the fewest by any league catcher with a minimum of 100 games caught during the season.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Matched career highs with five hits and three doubles on April 5 at Kansas City.

• Managed a .330 batting average (29x88) in 21 games during April...scored 13 runs during the month, while he collected four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.

• Made his first career appearance at first base on May 9 at Baltimore -- marked first time in his major league career he played another defensive position besides catcher...did appear at second base as well during the season, doing so on August 15 at Boston.

• Registered a season-high 14-game hitting streak July 1-24, batting .400 (24x60) with eight runs scored, seven doubles, a home run and eight RBI.

• Combined to hit .327 (32x98) in 26 games during September and October -- raised his batting average to its seasonending .300 mark...it is the 10th time in his major league career he has hit .300-or-better in a season.

• Batted .340 (53x156) against lefthanded pitchers -- fifth-best batting average in the American League against lefties ... hit .284 (111x391) with righties on the mound.

• Third in the league with a .362 batting average (92x254) when hitting with runners on base, while he was ninth with a .341 batting average (46x135) when hitting with runners in scoring position.

In his second season with the Tigers in 2005, he was selected to the American League’s all-star squad for the 12th time in his career.

• Named the second-best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Collected a season-best four hits on April 7 versus Kansas City -- matched the high with four hits at Dodger Stadium against Los Angeles on June 7.

• Hit safely in 16 of his 17 games April 7-29, batting .351 (26x74) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI.

• Finished the month of April with a .333 batting average (28x84) in 20 games -- tied for 12th-best in the American League ... tied for sixth in the league with seven doubles during the month.

• Tied for 15th in the league with seven doubles during May.

• Swiped the 100th base of his career on June 14 versus San Diego.

• Batted .318 (28x88) in 21 games during June -- tied for 15th in the league with seven doubles during the month.

• Hit .357 (25x70) over a 19-game stretch July 6-30.

• Participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby at Comerica Park on July 11, finishing second to Philadelphia’s Bobby Abreu -- belted seven home runs in the first round, eight in the second round and five in the final.

• Committed an error in the first inning on July 19 at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field against the White Sox -- snapped a 57-game errorless streak dating back to May 1, a stretch of 378 total chances.

• Ejected in the fourth inning by home plate umpire Ted Barrett on July 30 at Oakland for arguing balls and strikes -- suspended four games for his actions by Major League Baseball, a suspension he served August 8-11 at Toronto.

• Moved into ninth place all-time in major league history with his 1,807th game behind the plate on September 21 at Kansas City, passing Rick Ferrell.

• His .290 on-base percentage was lowest among all American League players.

• Averaged 3.33 pitches per plate appearance, sixth-lowest in the league ... walked once every 47.73 plate appearances, fewest in the league.

• Hit .294 (32x109) against lefthanded pitchers...batted .271 (107x395) with righties on the mound.

• Batted .213 (26x122) with runners in scoring position, ninth-lowest in the league.

• Topped all league catchers by throwing out 44.1 percent of baserunners attempting to steal (26x59)...led all league catchers with six pick-offs.

• Sixth among all league catchers with a .995 fielding percentage...second among all league catchers with 60 assists, while he was eighth with 766 total chances and 702 putouts.

Selected to the American League’s all-star team for the 11th time in his career in 2004, starting for the 10th time in his first season with Detroit to join Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza as the only catchers elected to start 10 all-star games.

• First Tigers player elected to start the all-star game since Alan Trammell started at shortstop in 1988.

• Named the Tiger of the Year by Detroit’s chapter of the BBWAA.

• Won his 11th Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the first Tigers player to win the award since Gary Pettis in 1989...the 11 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards established the record for a catcher in major league history.

• Tied with Cleveland’s Victor Martinez for the American League’s Silver Slugger Award at catcher -- seventh time he garnered the award in his career.

• Fourth in the American League with a .334 batting average -- highest batting average by a Tigers player since Alan Trammell batted .343 in 1987.

• His .334 batting average is fourth-highest among catchers in the league who primarily served as a catcher throughout their careers.

• Tied for seventh in the league with 57 multi-hit games -- fifth-highest total by a Tigers player since 1972.

• Selected to both Baseball America’s Major League and The Sporting News’ American League all-star squads following the season.

• Named the best defensive catcher and second-best hitter in the American League by Baseball America.

• Ripped a solo home run April 5 at Toronto, his fourth career home run on Opening Day.

• Collected a season-best four hits April 21 at Minnesota -- matched the best with four hits June 5 at Minnesota, June 24 at Kansas City, August 21 versus Seattle and August 31 at Kansas City...his five four-hit games were the most by a Tigers player since Travis Fryman also had five in 1995.

• Scratched from the lineup April 28 versus Anaheim due to a bruise on his right hand from being spiked in the sixth inning by Anaheim’s Adam Kennedy April 27 during a play at the plate -- precautionary X-rays were negative and he returned to the lineup April 29 against Anaheim.

• Hit safely in 19 of his 21 games during April, batting .356 (31x87) with 11 runs scored, seven doubles, a home run and 16 RBI -- fifth in the league with 31 hits, tied for ninth with seven doubles, 10th with a .356 batting average and tied for 14th with 16 RBI.

• Homered in three straight games May 1-4, fourth time in his career he homered in three-or-more straight games.

• Left the game on May 11 versus Oakland during his at-bat in the 15th inning with a cramp in his left hamstring -- returned to the lineup the following night against Oakland.

• Ejected by home plate umpire Paul Schrieber May 28 versus Baltimore for arguing a called third strike...also ejected July 7 at Yankee Stadium against New York by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez for arguing a called third strike.

• Posted a season-best 14-game hitting streak May 29-June 17, batting .483 (28x58) with nine runs scored, five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI.

• Tied for sixth in the league with 23 RBI during May and tied for seventh with six home runs...hit .305 (32x105) with 12 runs scored and four doubles in 25 games during the month.

• Scratched from the lineup both June 2 and 3 versus Kansas City with inflammation in his right wrist -- returned to the lineup June 4 against Kansas City after missing two games.

• Recorded an 11-game hitting streak June 18-July 1, batting .548 (23x42) with nine runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, home run and nine RBI.

• Doubled three times June 24 at Kansas City, matching a career best established July 13, 2003 at Montreal -- drove in a season-best four runs against the Royals.

• Collected the 400th double of his career on June 30 in the third inning versus Cleveland’s Jason Davis.

• Selected as both the Tigers and American League Player of the Month for June -- led the league with a .500 batting average (43x86), 43 hits and a .542 on-base percentage during the month, while he was second with a .733 slugging percentage and tied for ninth with nine doubles...added three home runs and 17 RBI as he hit safely in 21 of his 22 games to become the first major leaguer to hit .500 in a month since Colorado’s Todd Helton batted .512 (42x82) in May of 2002.

• Singled, tripled, drove in a run and scored a run during the 75th Major League All-Star Game at Houston’s Minute Maid Park on July 13.

• Registered the 2,000th hit of his major league career on July 23 at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field against the White Sox, a single in the third inning off Esteban Loaiza.

• Left the game on July 29 against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning with upper back spasms -- missed one game before returning to the lineup on July 31 versus the White Sox.

• Connected for two home runs August 8 versus Boston, the 18th multi-home run game of his career.

• Scratched from the lineup on August 18 at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field against the White Sox due to tightness in his right hip flexor -- returned to the lineup the following night against Chicago.

• Committed two errors August 26 at Boston behind the plate -- fifth two-error game of his career.

• Missed three games August 27-29 at Boston with a virus -- returned to the lineup on August 30 at Kansas City.

• Scored the 1,000th run of his career in the third inning on August 30 at Kansas City.

• Left the game on September 11 versus Minnesota in the seventh inning with a right knee contusion suffered after a ball was fouled off the knee -- X-rays were negative and he pinch-hit the following day against the Twins before returning to the lineup on September 13 versus Minnesota.

• Left the game on September 28 versus the Chicago White Sox after the third inning with a tight right hamstring sustained in the third inning backing up first base on a double play ball hit by Carlos Lee -- missed one game before returning to the lineup on September 30 at Tampa Bay for the first game of a doubleheader.

• Drilled the 250th home run of his career in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader on September 30 at Tampa Bay off Dewon Brazelton.

• Hit .324 (23x71) in 20 games during September, scoring 10 runs and recording three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBI.

• Recorded the 1,000th RBI of his career with a run-scoring double on October 1 versus Tampa Bay.

• Batted .361 (48x133) when hitting with runners in scoring position -- second-best in the league.

• Hit .343 (60x175) with five home runs against lefthanded pitchers -- fourth in the league with a .343 batting average and seventh with a .420 on-base percentage against lefties...batted .330 (116x352) with 14 home runs versus righthanded pitchers -- seventh in the league with a .330 batting average with righties on the mound.

• In 67 games at Comerica Park, he hit .354 (86x243) with seven home runs -- second in the league with his .354 batting average at home...batted .317 (90x284) with 12 home runs in 68 games on the road -- tied for eighth in the league with his .317 batting average on the road.

• Batted .340 (87x256) with runners on base, eighth-best in the league.

• Fourth in the league with a .356 batting average (52x146) during the day and eighth with a .325 batting average (124x381) at night.

• Tied for fourth in the league with 27 go-ahead RBI.

• Put 22.2 percent of the pitches he saw into play, ninth-highest in the league.

• Averaged 3.44 pitches per plate appearance and he took 46.0 percent of the pitches he saw, both were third-fewest in the league.

• Second among league catchers by throwing out 28.6 percent of runners attempting to steal (16x54).

• His .987 fielding percentage was second-lowest among league catchers ... tied for seventh among league catchers with six double plays.

• Led all league catchers with 11 errors.

Set Florida Marlins single-season records for a catcher with a .297 batting average and 85 RBI, leading the club to its second World Series Championship in 2003.

• Tied for fourth in the National League with a .375 batting average (54x144) with runners in scoring position.

• Threw out 32.2 percent of runners attempting to steal (19x59), third-best among league catchers.

• Named the third-best defensive catcher in the National League by Baseball America.

• Homered March 31 versus Philadelphia, becoming the 10th Marlins player to homer in his first game with the club.

• Established a Marlins single-game record with five walks April 8 against the New York Mets...drew a walk in his first plate appearance the following day against the Mets, setting a club record with six consecutive walks.

• In 27 games during March and April, he batted .301 (28x93) with 15 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI.

• Recorded a nine-game hitting streak June 24-July 2, hitting .500 (19x38) with 10 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, two home runs and 14 RBI.

• Drove in a run in eight straight games June 24-July 1, totaling 14 RBI...the eight-game RBI streak established a career high and matched a Marlins record held by Gary Sheffield (1994), Moises Alou (1997) and Mike Lowell (2003).

• Concluded the month of June with a .367 batting average (33x90) in 24
games, scoring 22 runs and collecting 10 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 19 RBI...his .367 batting average was eighth-best in the league during the month.

• Collected a season-best four hits against Atlanta on July 1 ... equaled the high on July 13 at Montreal, matching a Marlins single-game record with three doubles and driving in a season-best five runs.

• Recorded a second nine-game hitting streak July 13-26, batting .529 (18x34) with 13 runs scored, five doubles, a home run and 11 RBI.

• Ejected three times during the 2003 season, all three coming between July 29-August 12: July 29 versus Arizona by Scott Nelson, August 3 against Houston by Justin Klemm and August 12 versus Los Angeles by Hunter Wendelstedt.

• Sixth in the National League with a .376 batting average (32x85) in 23 games during July...scored 20 runs and finished with eight doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI during the month.

• Batted .324 (11x34) over the course of a nine-game hitting streak August 30-September 7.

• Fourth in the league with a .376 batting average (44x117) against lefthanded pitching...hit .274 (108x394) with righties on the mound.

• Batted .327 (33x101) during day games, eighth-best in the league.

• Combined to hit .313 (21x67) with 10 runs scored, five doubles, three
home runs and 17 RBI in 17 games during the post-season for the Marlins.

• Named the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship
Series...in the seven-game series, he batted .321 (9x28) with two home
runs and 10 RBI.

Batted .314, his eighth straight season with a batting average over .300, and finished second among American League catchers with 19 home runs for the Texas Rangers in 2002.

• His 60 RBI were third-most among league catchers.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the league by Baseball America.

• Sidelined April 17-June 7 with a herniated disc in his lower back...returned to action with the Rangers after a threegame rehab assignment with Single A Charlotte.

• Tallied a season-best four hits June 7 versus Atlanta.

• Over a 26-game stretch June 7-July 6, Rodriguez batted .330 (34x103) with 17 runs scored, seven doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI.

• Belted two home runs July 3 versus Tampa Bay -- his first home run of the day, a two-run shot in the first inning against Paul Wilson, was the 200th of his major league career ... equaled the high with two home runs on July 17 against Seattle.

• Hit safely in 22-of-23 games August 14-September 10, batting .415 (39x94) with 22 runs scored, 12 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 17 RBI.

• Ripped the fifth grand slam of his major league career August 29 against Baltimore, homering off Rick Bauer.

• Compiled a .361 batting average (30x83) in 23 games during September, scoring 16 runs and collecting eight doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI.

Won his 10th straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award and started his ninth consecutive all-star game for Texas in 2001, tying Johnny Bench for the all-time record among catchers in both categories.

• Is one of 13 players to ever win as many as 10 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and one of 10 to win them in consecutive seasons...his 10 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are the most in Rangers history, four more than both Buddy Bell and Jim Sundberg.

• Ranks as the second-youngest 10-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at any position in major league history at 29 years, 11 months and seven days, trailing only Bench.

• Third on the Rangers club with 239 total bases and 25 home runs, fourth with 136 hits and fifth with 65 RBI.

• Matched a Texas franchise record with five straight 20-home run seasons, joining Pete Incaviglia (1986-90) and Juan Gonzalez (1995-99).

• Belted 24 of his home runs while behind the plate, tops among all American League catchers.

• Nailed 50.0 percent of runners attempting to steal (23x46), tops among all major league catchers...marked the fourth time in five seasons he had a stolen base success rate of 50.0 percent-or-higher.

• Tied for third among league catchers with 52 assists and 11 double plays, while his .990 fielding percentage was fifthbest.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the league by Baseball America.

• Posted an 11-game hitting streak April 14-25, batting .426 (20x47) with 13 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and nine RBI.

• Homered in four straight games April 20-24, tying a club record...matched the feat with home runs in four consecutive games June 8-11.

• Suffered a bone bruise in his right heel on April 27 at Cleveland ... forced to the disabled list on May 2 with the injury.

• Belted two home runs, including his third career grand slam, and collected a season-best five RBI on June 9 versus Houston ... also hit two home runs June 19 against Anaheim.

• Ripped 10 home runs in 26 games during June, batting .294 (32x109) with 22 runs scored and 23 RBI.

• Compiled a .352 batting average (31x88) in 24 games during July, scoring 14 runs and collecting seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and nine RBI.

• Blasted his second grand slam of the season and the fourth of his major league career at Toronto on August 18 -- tied for third in the American League with two grand slams in 2001.

• Left the game on August 22 against the New York Yankees with soreness in his right knee...returned to action, but was scratched on August 31 at Kansas City due to left knee troubles.

• Placed on the disabled list for the remainder of the season on August 31 with patellar tendinitis in his left knee ... forced to undergo surgery on his left knee on September 8.

Saw his season with the Rangers cut short after 91 games in 2000 due to a fractured right thumb.

• Won his ninth straight Rawlings Gold Glove and started his eighth straight all-star game...received the most votes of any major league player, the first-ever Rangers player to be the top vote-getter.

• Selected to Baseball America’s Second-Team Major League all-star squad.

• Led all American League catchers with a .996 fielding percentage and 10 double plays.

• Named the best defensive catcher and third-most exciting player in the league by Baseball America.

• Combined with teammate Kenny Rogers to give the Rangers just the fourth Rawlings Gold Glove battery in major league history.

• Hit safely in 16-of-17 games to begin the season April 3-23, batting .366 (26x71) with 14 runs scored, three doubles, six home runs and 20 RBI.

• Belted two home runs and drove in a season-best five runs against the Chicago White Sox on April 3 ... also homered twice on April 30 at Baltimore, June 4 versus Arizona and June 10 at Colorado...matched the RBI total against Tampa Bay on May 16.

• Drilled a two-run home run as a pinch-hitter April 19 against the New York Yankees, his first of two pinch-hit home runs in 2000 (also May 14 at Anaheim) -- tied for second in the league in pinch-hit home runs and became the first Rangers player with two in a season since Mike Simms in 1997.

• Did not commit an error in 62 consecutive games behind the plate April 23-July 13.

• Finished with nine home runs and 25 RBI in 23 games during April, batting .333 (32x96) with 18 runs scored.

• Collected a career-best two triples May 12 at Anaheim.

• Recorded a season-high four hits May 16 versus Tampa Bay...equaled the high with four hits at Colorado on June 11.

• Compiled a .402 batting average (41x102) in 26 games during May to earn Rangers Player of the Month honors... scored 22 runs and finished with 13 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 20 RBI.

• Posted a season-high 11-game hitting streak June 27-July 9...over the course of the streak, Rodriguez hit .400 (18x45) with eight runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs and 17 RBI.

• Hit safely in 20-of-24 games during June, batting .350 (35x100) with 15 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 21 RBI.

• Drove in a run in seven straight games July 1-9, totaling 14 RBI.

• Ripped the second grand slam of his major league career July 7 versus San Diego.

• Fractured the first metacarpal bone in his right thumb on July 24 versus Anaheim when his thumb made contact with Mo Vaughn’s bat during his backswing on an attempted throw to catch Kevin Stocker stealing second base...landed on the disabled list and underwent season-ending surgery the following day.

• At the time of his injury, he was second in the league with 58 extra-base hits and a .667 slugging percentage, third with 242 total bases, tied for third with 126 hits, sixth with a .347 batting average, tied for sixth with 27 home runs, eighth with 83 RBI and tied for eighth with 27 doubles.

Earned American League Most Valuable Player honors for the Rangers in 1999, setting a league record for home runs (35) by a catcher and becoming the first catcher in league history with over 100 runs scored, 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

• Swiped a career-best 25 bases, making him the first catcher in major league history with 20-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases in the same season...his 25 stolen bases tied for fifth-most in a single-season by a major league catcher.

• Ninth different catcher in major league history to earn Most Valuable Player honors and first since Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees in 1976.

• Named on all 28 ballots, topping Boston’s Pedro Martinez by 13 total points even though Martinez garnered one more first-place vote than Rodriguez ... was the fourth time in history that a player who did not receive the most first-place votes won the award, joining Detroit’s Hal Newhouser (1944), New York’s Roger Maris (1960) and Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente (1966).

• Marked the sixth time a native of Puerto Rico won the award, joining Clemente, St. Louis’ Orlando Cepeda (1967), Detroit’s Willie Hernandez (1984) and Texas’ Juan Gonzalez (1996, 1998).

• Selected as the Major League Player of the Year by Baseball Digest, the second catcher to ever garner the award... named the catcher on major league all-star squads selected by the Associated Press and Baseball America and on The Sporting News’ American League all-star team.

• Finished fifth in the American League with 199 hits, tied for sixth with 57 multi-hit games, seventh with a .332 batting average and 335 total bases and tied for seventh with 116 runs scored.

• Posted the highest batting average for a league catcher since New York’s Bill Dickey batted .332 in 1937.

• Led the majors with a Rangers single-season record 31 grounded into double plays.

• Tied his own 1996 mark with 116 runs scored, the second-most runs scored by a Rangers player and second-most by a catcher in major league history...joined Mickey Cochrane as the only two catchers in major league history to ever score 100 runs in a single season more than once.

• His 113 RBI were the most by a league catcher since Detroit’s Lance Parrish collected 114 in 1983 and tied for the second-most by a league catcher since 1957.

• Won his eighth straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award and started his seventh straight all-star game.

• Earned his sixth straight Silver Slugger Award, joining Mike Piazza as the only catchers with at least four such honors.

• Became the 10th player in major league history to be selected his league’s MVP and win a Rawlings Gold Glove, the 15th to win the MVP and a Silver Slugger Award and the fifth player to capture all three honors.

• Was one-of-five players to win both the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award in the league.

• Led all major league catchers with 141 games started behind the plate...second among American League catchers with 940 total chances, 850 putouts and 13 double plays.

• Charged with just one passed ball, the fewest of any qualifying catchers in the major leagues and fewest-ever by an American League catcher with more than 130 games behind the plate.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Belted two home runs and finished with a career-best and Rangers single-game record nine RBI at Seattle on April 13 ... became the third catcher in major league history with nine RBI in a game, joining Walker Cooper of the New York Giants (10 RBI in 1949) and Cincinnati’s Smokey Burgess (nine RBI in 1955)...four of the RBI came on the first grand slam of his major league career.

• Recorded a career-best 20-game hitting streak May 8-June 1, batting .375 (30x80) with 19 runs scored, nine doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI.

• Compiled a .351 batting average (34x97) in 24 games during May, scoring 22 runs and collecting nine doubles, six home runs, 18 RBI and nine stolen bases.

• Blasted two home runs at Seattle on June 25, his second multi-home run game of the season...added three more two home run games: August 2 versus Minnesota, August 15 at the Chicago White Sox and August 16 at Cleveland.

• Tied all-star game records for a catcher with 11 total chances and 10 putouts at the 70th Major League All-Star Game at Boston’s Fenway Park on July 13.

• Over a 17-game stretch July 15-August 3, Rodriguez batted .494 (39x79) with 22 runs scored, four doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI.

• Established a career high with five hits August 1 against Kansas City.

• Drilled 12 home runs and collected 28 RBI in 29 games during August, batting .349 (45x129) with 29 runs scored ... his 12 home runs during the month established a single-month high during his major league career.

• Hit safely in 21-of-22 games during September, batting .358 (34x95) with 18 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, four home runs and 20 RBI.

Finished eighth in the American League with a .321 batting average for the Texas Rangers during 1998.

• Seventh in the league with 55 multi-hit games and ninth with 186 hits.

• Won his seventh straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award, started his sixth
straight all-star game and garnered his fifth straight Silver Slugger Award ... was one-of-three players in the American League to win both the Rawlings Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award in 1998.

• Selected to the major league all-star squads of the Associated Press and
Baseball America, as well as The Sporting News’ American League all-star team.

• Led all league catchers with a .994 fielding percentage, 139 games played, 137 games started, 942 total chances, 864 putouts and 72 assists, while he tied for third with seven double plays.

• Finished the season with 40 doubles, becoming the first major league catcher with 40-or-more doubles in a single season twice.

• Posted a .350 batting average (108x309) prior to the all-star break, third-highest in Rangers history behind Rafael Palmeiro (.355 in 1999) and Will Clark (.353 in 1994).

• Hit safely in 24 of his first 27 games of the season March 31-May 3, batting a major league-best .453 (48x106) during the stretch.

• Collected a season-best four RBI against the Chicago White Sox on April 2...equaled the high with four RBI on May 6 against the New York Yankees and July 4 versus Seattle.

• Tallied four hits, a season high, April 19 versus Baltimore ... recorded two more four-hit games in 1998, June 23 versus Arizona and July 4 against Seattle.

• Earned American League Player of the Week honors for April 27-May 3...in six games during the week, Rodriguez hit .520 (13x25) with five doubles, a home run and four RBI.

• Selected the American League’s Player of the Month for April after setting a Rangers club record for hits in April with 41 ... hit .446 (41x92) with 21 runs scored, 12 doubles, four home runs and 20 RBI in 23 games during April ... shared Rangers Player of the Month honors with Juan Gonzalez in April.

• Recorded the 1,000th hit of his major league career May 11 against Boston, a single to right field in the second inning versus John Wasdin.

• Did not homer in 68 straight games May 24-August 19, a stretch of 276 at-bats...homered 11 times in his final 33 games August 20-September 25.

• Finished with a .324 batting average (33x102) in 26 games during May, scoring 17 runs and collecting 10 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 14 RBI.

• Missed four games June 13-16 with a sprained left ankle ... also bothered by a sprained left thumb and back spasms at various times during the season.

• Tied an all-star game record with three singles at the 69th Major League All-Star Game at Colorado’s Coors Field on July 7...first-ever catcher with three hits in an all-star game.

• Connected for his 100th major league home run on August 22 against the New York Yankees, a solo shot off David Cone in the fourth inning.

• Hit safely in 24 of his 27 games during September, including a 10-game hitting streak September 1-13...batted .400 (16x40) with eight runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI during the 10-game hitting streak ... compiled a .318 batting average (27x85) during September, scoring 16 runs and collecting four doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBI.

• Finished 1x10 (.100) in three games during the American League Division Series against the Yankees, driving in Texas’ lone run of the series with a single in the fifth inning of Game Two.

Garnered his sixth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award, started his fifth straight all-star game and earned his fourth straight Silver Slugger Award with the Rangers in 1997 ... one-of-seven major leaguers to collect both the Rawlings Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award that season.

• Finished fifth in the American League with 187 hits, tied for fifth with 129 singles, tied eighth with 53 multi-hit games and 10th with a .313 batting average.

• Led all league catchers with 139 games started behind the plate and 75 assists, while he finished second with a .992 fielding percentage and 903 total chances.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the league by Baseball America.

• Selected to The Sporting News’ and Baseball America’s American League all-star squads.

• Hit safely in 20-of-21 games April 4-28, including a season-best 14-game hitting streak April 14-28...batted .345 (20x58) with eight runs scored, five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 12 RBI over the course of the 14-game hitting streak... during the 21-game stretch, Rodriguez hit .352 (31x88) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 15 RBI.

• Collected a season-high four hits May 2 versus Boston ... tallied four more four-hit games during the season: May 17 against the New York Yankees, June 24 versus Anaheim, June 27 at Oakland and August 22 against the Chicago White Sox.

• Compiled a .383 batting average (41x107) in 26 games during May, scoring 21 runs and collecting eight doubles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBI.

• Continued his hot hitting in June, batting .330 (38x115) with 17 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 14 RBI in 27 games.

• Belted a career-high three home runs and drove in a season-best five runs September 11 versus Minnesota ... matched a Rangers single-game record with his three home runs, the eighth time in club history the feat has been achieved ... became just the eighth catcher in American League history with three home runs in a game.

• In 22 games during September, he hit .310 (27x87) with 17 runs, three doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI.

Third in the American League with 47 doubles for the Rangers in 1996 ... finished fourth in the league with 639 at-bats, seventh with 192 hits, tied for eighth with 55 multi-hit games and 12th with 116 runs scored.

• Earned his fifth straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award, started his fourth straight all-star game and won his third

consecutive Silver Slugger Award...one-of-six major leaguers to collect both the Rawlings Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award.

• Named the catcher on The Sporting News’ all-star squad.

• Finished 10th in the American League’s Most Valuable Player voting with 52 points, including one first-place vote.

• Tallied 45 of his 47 doubles while catching, setting a major league record -- eclipsed Mickey Cochrane’s record of 42 doubles established in 1930.

• Set a major league record for at-bats by a catcher, surpassing the 621 at-bats of Johnny Bench in 1974.

• Threw out 48.9 percent of runners attempting to steal (44x90), tops
among league catchers...also led league catchers with 140 games started
behind the plate, 941 total chances, 850 putouts, 81 assists and 11
double plays, while his 10 errors tied for the most.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the league by Baseball America.

• Established a season high with four hits April 3 versus Boston ... matched the high with a four-hit game July 11 at Oakland.

• Hit .321 (34x106) with 19 runs scored, 12 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 RBI in 26 games during April.

• Posted a season-best 19-game hitting streak May 28-June 19, batting .405 (30x74) with 18 runs scored, six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI.

• Belted two home runs May 28 versus Cleveland... added a second two-home run game June 25 against Baltimore.

• Drove in a season-best four runs June 22 versus Boston ... equaled the high with four RBI July 30 against the New York Yankees.

• In 26 games during June, he hit .340 (34x100) with 19 runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and 19 RBI.

• Hit .348 (39x112) with 24 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBI in 26 games during July.

• Collected a hit in 23 of his 25 games during August, batting .304 (34x112) with 18 runs scored, 10 doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI.

Named the Rangers Player of the Year by the Dallas chapter of the BBWAA in 1995, leading the club with a .303 batting average, 221 total bases and 32 doubles.

• Joined Jim Sundberg (1977) as the only two catchers to be named the Rangers Player of the Year.

• Awarded his fourth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove, started his third straight all-star game and earned his second Silver Slugger Award.

• Selected to The Sporting News’ and USA Today Baseball Weekly’s American League all-star squad.

• Threw out 43.7 percent of runners attempting to steal (31x71), tops in the major leagues.

• Led all American League catchers with 782 total chances, 707 putouts and 67 assists.

• Named the second-best defensive catcher in the league by Baseball America.

• After hitting .229 (11x48) in his first 12 games of the season April 26-May 9, Rodriguez hit safely in 42 of his next 45 games May 10-July 13...over the 45-game stretch, he batted .369 (62x168) with 28 runs scored, 13 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 34 RBI.

• Recorded a season-best 15-game hitting streak June 18-July 4, batting .390 (23x59) with 11 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, three home runs and nine RBI.

• Did not commit an error in 64 straight games behind the plate June 20-August 30.

• Belted two home runs and drove in a season-best four runs July 13 at Boston -- first multi-home run game of his major league career.

• In 27 games during July, he batted .330 (33x100) with 11 runs scored, five doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI.

• Hit .314 (33x105) with 11 runs scored, seven doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games during August.

Second on the Rangers with a .289 batting average in 1994...fourth on the club with 16 home runs, establishing a Rangers single-season record for home runs by a catcher at the time.

• Won his third straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award, started his second straight all-star game and received his first Silver Slugger Award.

• Became the first Rangers catcher to win a Silver Slugger Award.

• Named the second-best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Hit .230 (14x61) during his first 17 games of the season April 4-28, before batting .311 (94x302) over his final 82 games.

• Missed two games after being hit by a pitch on the left elbow April 22 versus Cleveland.

• Sidelined four games May 8-11 with a strained right groin.

• Hit safely in 18-of-20 games June 3-25, batting .341 (28x82) with 16 runs scored, six doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI.

• Departed the game on June 26 at California with a jammed left thumb ... missed three games June 27-30 before returning to the lineup on July 1 against Detroit.

• Caught all 10 innings of the 65th Major League All-Star Game at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium July 12...was the first player to catch the entire game since Johnny Bench for the National League in 1975 and the first for the American League since Thurman Munson in 1974...overall, he became just the fifth catcher to catch more than nine innings during an all-star game.

• Hit .333 (35x105) with 14 runs scored, four doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI in 28 games during July.

Elected to start his first all-star game with the Rangers in 1993...tied for the seventh-youngest player (21 years, 7 months and 12 days) to ever start an all-star game.

• Received his second straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award...named the best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Hit .352 (25x71) with 10 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, home run and 20 RBI in his first 22 games of the season April 5-May 2.

• Posted back-to-back four-hit games July 26 and 28 at Kansas City ... collected a hit in eight straight at-bats over the two game stretch, tying a then Rangers club record.

• Hit by a Hubie Brooks’ backswing on July 29 at Kansas City, facturing his left cheekbone...underwent surgery the following day and returned to the lineup on August 2 against the Chicago White Sox, but experienced dizziness for several days.

• Recorded a season-best nine-game hitting streak August 12-22, batting .412 (14x34) with eight runs scored, five doubles, a home run and six RBI.

• Drove in a season-high five runs on August 25 versus Boston.

Completed his first full season at the major league level with the Rangers in 1992, winning his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

• Third-youngest Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at 20 years, 11 months and six days in major league history behind Chicago Cubs second baseman Ken Hubbs in 1962 and Johnny Bench in 1968.

• Caught 116 games behind the plate, fourth-most in major league history for a catcher 20-or-younger.

• Selected as a reserve for the all-star game...at 20 years, seven months and 13 days, he became the fourth-youngest position player and eighth-youngest overall to be chosen to the game.

• Is the first player in major league history to lead his respective club in games caught at both ages 19 and 20.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America.

• Hit .314 (22x70) with 10 runs scored, five doubles, a home run and eight RBI in 22 games during April.

• Sidelined June 6-27 with a stress facture in his lower back, in addition to an avulsion fracture of his left thumb.

• Batted .326 (15x46) over a 13-game stretch August 10-25, collecting four doubles and four RBI.

Received his first major league action with the Rangers after having his contract purchased from Double A Tulsa on June 20, 1991.

• Unanimously chosen as the Rangers Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in the American League’s Rookie of the Year balloting.

• Selected by TOPPS and Baseball Digest to each publication’s respective rookie all-star squad.

• At 19 years, six months and 21 days, he became the third-youngest player in Rangers history behind David Clyde (18 years, two months in 1973) and Wilson Alvarez (19 years, four months in 1989)...was the youngest catcher in the majors since Los Angeles’ Gilberto Reyes in 1983.

• His 88 games caught were the second-most ever by a teenager and Rodriguez became just the 32nd teenager to play at least 75 games at the major league level.

• Made his major league debut at Comiskey Park against the Chicago White Sox on June 20, starting behind the plate ... singled to right field in the ninth inning off Melido Perez for his first major league hit, driving in the first two runs of his major league career.

• Teamed with 44-year old Nolan Ryan on June 21 at Chicago, the first time a teenager caught a 40-year old pitcher since Los Angeles’ Art Fowler (41) and Ed Kirkpatrick (19) in 1963.

• Connected for his first major league home run, a solo shot off Kansas City’s Storm Davis August 30...became the youngest Ranger to ever homer at 19 years, nine months.

MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS

Assigned to Charlotte for three games during a rehab assignment by Texas June 2-4, 2002.

Selected to the Texas League’s all-star squad despite playing in just 50 games for Tulsa in 1991.

• Caught 37 games for Tulsa as a sore right shoulder in May and a strained left index finger in June limited him to the role of designated hitter.

• Drove in a season-best five runs May 30 versus San Antonio.

• Named the top prospect in the Texas League following the season by Baseball America.

Tabbed to both the Florida State League’s and Baseball America’s Single A all-star squads with Charlotte during the 1990 season.

• Topped all league catchers with 842 total chances and 727 putouts ... threw out 39.1 percent of runners attempting to steal (54x138), best in the league.

• Named the top prospect in the Rangers organization and Florida State League following the season by Baseball America.

• Named the best defensive catcher in the Florida State League by Baseball America.

Made his professional debut with Single A Gastonia in 1989.

• Led all South Atlantic League catchers with 96 assists, while he finished second with 798 total chances and 691 putouts.

• Named the seventh-best prospect in the South Atlantic League following the season by Baseball America.

Signed by the Rangers as a non-drafted free agent on July 27, 1988.

PERSONAL/MISCELLANEOUS

He and his wife Patricia Gomez reside in Miami, FL during the off-season...has three children, a son Ivan Dereck (6/5/92) and two daughters Amanda Christine (6/21/95) and Ivanna Sofia (1/12/00)...his wife has three children, a son Louis David and two daughters Andrea Lopera and Tatiana Lopera.

• Attended Lino Padron Rivera High School in Vega Baja, PR.

• Played for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League following the 1990 season.

• Batted .262 in 17 games with Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the 1992 season.

• Started the Ivan Rodriguez Foundation in 1993 to assist children with cancer and other diseases, both in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and his native Puerto Rico.

• Joined Maraguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the final month of the season following the 1993 season, batting .292 (26x89) with three doubles, 14 RBI and five stolen bases in 21 games...selected the Most Valuable Player of the league’s all-star game.

• Played the first two weeks for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League following the 1994 season, before being sidelined with patellar tendinitis in his right knee in mid-November ... spent the remainder of the off-season undergoing a rehab program.

• In 29 games for Caguas in the Puerto Rican League following the 1995 season, Rodriguez batted .276 with two home runs and 15 RBI.

• After the 1996 season, he played with Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League...hit .273 (36x132) with 10 doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI and was selected to Baseball America’s winter all-star squad.

• Donated $500,000 to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation after signing a five-year contract in July of 1997... a portion of that amount was used to construct the Ivan Rodriguez Youth Ballpark in north Fort Worth in 1998.

• Donated $25,000 to assist victims of Hurricane George in Puerto Rico in 1998 and $20,000 to the victims of the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.

• Selected the Rangers recipient of the True Value/Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award in both 1998 and 2001.

• Received the Rangers Jim Sundberg Community Achievement Award in 2001.

• The Ivan Rodriguez Foundation donated $25,000 to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan for the “Rodriguez Fund for Families” in 2005 ... in addition the foundation donated $48,000 to benefit four families that were relocated to Michigan following Hurricane Katrina.

• Selected by the fans to Major League Baseball’s Latino Legends Team in 2005.

• Inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame on November 11, 2005.

• Played for Puerto Rico during the World Baseball Classic in 2006 -- batted .238 (5x21) with three runs scored, a double and home run in six games.

• Has a baseball school and sports complex in the planning stages to be built in Bayamon, PR.

CAREER HIGHS
Hits: 5 (twice) - last, 4/5/06 at KC
Home Runs: 3 - 9/11/97 vs. MIN
RBI: 9 - 4/13/99 at SEA
Stolen Bases: 2 (three times) - last, 7/26/01 vs. BAL
Hitting Streak: 20 - 5/8-6/1/99

GRAND SLAMS (6)
April 13, 1999 at Seattle (Mac Suzuki)
July 7, 2000 vs. San Diego (Woody Williams)
June 9, 2001 vs. Houston (Jose Lima)
August 18, 2001 at Toronto (Billy Koch)
August 29, 2002 vs. Baltimore (Rick Bauer)
April 16, 2007 vs. Kansas City (Zack Greinke)

THREE HOME RUN GAMES (1)
September 11, 1997 vs. Minnesota

TWO HOME RUN GAMES (17)
July 31, 1995 at Boston
May 28, 1996 vs. Cleveland
June 25, 1996 vs. Baltimore
April 13, 1999 at Seattle
June 25, 1999 at Seattle
August 2, 1999 vs. Minnesota
August 15, 1999 at Chicago White Sox
August 16, 1999 at Cleveland
April 3, 2000 vs. Chicago White Sox
April 30, 2000 at Baltimore
June 4, 2000 vs. Arizona
June 10, 2000 at Colorado
June 9, 2001 vs. Houston
June 19, 2001 vs. Anaheim
July 3, 2002 vs. Tampa Bay
July 17, 2002 vs. Seattle
August 8, 2004 vs. Boston

ALL-TIME GAMES CAUGHT LEADERS
Ivan Rodriguez became just the fourth catcher in major league history to catch at least 2,000 games during his major league career. He enters the 2008 season third among all catchers in major league history with 2,061 games caught. The following is a list of the top five catchers in major league history in games caught:
Player________Games Caught
Carlton Fisk______2,226
Bob Boone_______2,225
Ivan Rodriguez___2,061
Gary Carter______2,056
Tony Pena_______1,950

Friday, February 15, 2008

Tigers' Rodriguez ponders uncertain future

Tom Gage / The Detroit News

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Is this his last spring as a Tiger?

Unlike Brandon Inge, Pudge Rodriguez didn't lose his starting job. In fact, in
another example of time flying, he's headed into his fifth season as the Tigers' catcher.

He's won three Gold Gloves as a Tiger. He's been a four-time All-Star as a Tiger. But there's a big difference this year. He no longer has a long-term contract. This could very well be Pudge's last year as a Tiger, and he's already facing that fact.

"It's their decision," Rodriguez said on Friday as he got ready for his first
workout of the spring. "I'd like to stay here, but as of right now, I'm going to be here for one year. I'll play my best and try to help this team get to the playoffs."

And after that, will he retire if the Tigers don't bring him back?

No way.

This future Hall of Famer isn't close to hanging them up.

"Everybody needs to realize that I was one of those lucky guys who came up when I was 19 years old," he said. "Everybody thinks that because I'm in my 18th season, I'm old. I'm only 36. I'm still going to play a lot of
ball.

"The way I take care of myself and the way that I work, I know I can play a lot of baseball. The fact that I've played a lot of years in the big leagues doesn't mean anything."

Rodriguez could walk away from the game right now, if he wanted, and he'd be in the Hall of Fame in five years. With his numbers, especially with three
more Gold Gloves (13-10) than runner-up Johnny Bench, he's an automatic.

"I don't think about Hall of Fame numbers, I don't think about any of that," Rodriguez said. "I love this game of baseball. I just think about winning and playing the game that I love.

"And I want to be playing a lot longer."

Till he's 40? Till he's 40-plus, perhaps? Anything is possible.

"I'm in great shape, and I'm telling you that with the way my body feels right now, I feel great better than before," he said.

To be able to play it at the level of which he's proud, however, Rodriguez
puts himself through cardio hell in the off-season. He takes November off from working out, but only November.

"That's my off-season, to be honest with you," he said. "Then I start preparing myself for another season. I'd to have people see how much I run. But my body is used to that. I've done it for a lot of years.

"Of course, when I retire, I'll do less than I do now, but I'll still do a lot."

That's not around the corner, though even if his fifth turns out to be his final year as a Tiger.

Personal tid-bits
A Dossier from the Fort Worth Business Press in 2003

Nickname:
“Pudge”

Wife:
The former Maribel Rivera, and I were married on June 20, 1991, the day I was promoted to the majors.

Children:
Ivan Dereck (6/5/92) and Amanda Christine (6/21/95) and Ivanna Sofia (1/12/00).

Residence:
We share time between homes in Colleyville, Texas, Miami, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Favorite Restaurant:
The Nutt House in Granbury, TX

Business advice to live by:
Show up early, work hard and treat everyone the way you want to be treated.

Leadership Style:
By example

First Job:
Delivering flyers in Puerto Rico to shopping malls

Dream Job:
I have it and I want to retire as a Texas Ranger

Hobbies:
Drag racing (legally) and boating

Role Models:
Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench

Toughest Runner to throw out:
Omar Vizquel

Teammate I admire most:
Maribel Rodriguez

Favorite Book:
The Bible

Favorite Movie:
Rocky

Music I am listening to these days:
JaRule, Usher, and Cheyenne.

Wendy’s or McDonalds?:
Chick-fil-A

People I most want to share a meal with:
Tiger Woods, President and Mrs. George Bush, and Jennifer Lopez

First Car:
1984 red Honda Prelude

Car I drive now:
2001 GMC Yukon Denali

Favorite vacation place:
Atlantis in the Bahamas

Thing I have too much of:
Shoes and clothes

Phone numbers of people I have that would impress people:
Marc Anthony and Nolan Ryan

I want my tombstone to say:
A great father, husband and friend.

Charity of choice:
Make a Wish Foundation and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez Foundaiton

PERSONAL NOTE: This was before he became a Detroit Tiger!

Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tigers spring training
Leyland: Pudge to hit eighth
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Where are the Tigers going to hit Pudge Rodriguez this season?

The talk had been about anywhere from seventh to ninth, but on Sunday, manager Jim Leyland provided the answer without revealing any other plans for the batting order.

"Eighth," said Leyland. "We're going to hit Pudge eighth."

It's lower than Rodriguez, a future Hall of Famer, is accustomed. Only six percent (516) of his 8,247 at-bats as a major-leaguer have come at lineup spots lower than seventh, but Rodriguez isn't rocking the boat. He's fine with it.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Everybody has to do their thing. Pitchers, offense, defense, everybody has to do their job. We're here to win, not to say where I'm going to be hitting.

"We have a manager who's very good on that. We have to follow his rule."

03/07/2008 6:55 PM ET
Pudge focusing on all aspects
Perfect day at plate vs. Braves boosts Rodriguez's confidence
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- When Brandon Inge talked last weekend about the challenge of hitting and catching, Ivan Rodriguez understood.

It's a hefty job, and after 17 Major League seasons, it's not any easier for Rodriguez. When he comes into camp in the shape that he's in at his age, that's just the start of his work.

"That's why I say to myself sometimes it's hard to believe what I do," Rodriguez said. "I have to work with the pitchers. I have to do my defense. I have to do my offense. I have to work two jobs, and sometimes it's not an easy thing to do. But I'm very pleased with what I do. I love what I do, and I want to continue doing it."

Not many people Rodriguez's age get to enjoy what he's doing. But no matter what the age, the approach to camp is the same. He tries not to think of them as two jobs all the time. Instead, he focuses on all the aspects as one.

Nonetheless, Rodriguez has a rough idea in his mind when he wants to start putting his game together. After all the work behind the plate catching side sessions and learning pitchers and getting back into game mode, this, he says, is his time to start to focus each day on refining his swing.

"I know there's two and a half weeks before the season starts," Rodriguez said. "Now is the right time. It's the right moment to start to work at the plate and start to do the things that we have to do for the season. With two weeks, there's probably going to be 15 to 25 more at-bats.What I want to do, what everybody wants to do, is just adjust to every at-bat and concentrate on getting a good pitch to hit."

He had been having a rough start at the plate this spring statistically, but on a humid afternoon at Disney World, Rodriguez put on one of those shows that remind people what kind of hitter he has been and can be at times. It wasn't simply the 3-for-3 performance, or the fact that all three hits went for extra bases to the outfield fence or beyond. It was the way he spread them around the field and the way he approached his at-bats.

Rodriguez entered the day 2-for-16 on the spring and hitless in his last six at-bats. A home run Tuesday was his only hit since Feb. 28, and he was 0-for-4 the next day.

Batting leadoff with Curtis Granderson off against lefty Mike Hampton, Rodriguez started the game by pulling a line drive that hopped to the fence just inside the left-field line as he jogged into second base. He scored on a double-play grounder three batters later.

Leading off the third against right-hander Manny Acosta, Rodriguez went for the other line, lining a ball with authority down near the chalk for another double. Carlos Guillen singled him in.

With one out and one on in the fourth, Rodriguez was back to facing a lefty. This time, he took reliever Will Ohman deep to left for his second home run of the spring.

"I thought he stayed on the ball real well, and I liked what happened," manager Jim Leyland said. "He hit one down the left-field line, he hit one down the right-field line and he hit a home run."

That was it for Rodriguez. Leyland has been leading off Rodriguez often this spring so he can get three at-bats a day with as little wear and tear as possible behind the plate. But given his conditioning, fatigue isn't as big of a factor for him as his age might suggest.

"I'm happy with the way I feel right now," Rodriguez said. "I feel very strong. That's the most important thing, how you feel. I feel very strong, very good, physically and mentally."

The key for Rodriguez, certainly at the plate, will be his discipline.

"We've talked about this, so I'm not telling tales out of school," Leyland said. "When Pudge hits it in the strike zone, he's a good hitter -- a tremendous hitter. When he chases bad balls, he doesn't hit. Nobody else does, either. When he's seeing the ball, picking it up, he's really good."

That comes down in no part to concentration and approach, especially given a strikeout-to-walk ratio that had pitchers trying to get Rodriguez to chase once he got to two strikes. But to expect high walk totals is unrealistic; the key for Rodriguez is selection and contact. When he hits the ball, he wants to hit it hard.

That's part of Rodriguez's focus in camp, certainly now, but it can't be all of it. At the same time, he's helping the starting pitchers round into shape while learning some of the other arms in camp. On Friday, he was paired again with Kenny Rogers, as he has so many times since they were teammates in 1991.

That's the balance he strikes each spring.

"It's not the way that I'm hitting. It's just everything overall," Rodriguez said, "from calling a good game to making the pitcher feel comfortable to blocking balls to controlling the bases to hitting the ball hard. Just concentrate on winning games. It's all in one package there. As long as I keep that [focus] in my routine of playing baseball, I'll be fine.

"I need to do everything right. I need to work hard and keep my defense there every day and try to keep my offense there every day. It's an important year for me, and what I have to do is just do the things I've got to do, offensively and defensively, to make the team win."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Pudge hits milestone; records 2,500th career hit

FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES • April 9, 2008

BOSTON _ Tigers catcher Pudge Rodriguez got his 2,500th career hit Wednesday night when he smacked a sharp single into right field in the eighth inning.

It was Rodriguez's first hit in four games. It came off right-handed reliever Julian Tavarez.

Rodriguez became the 87th player in big-league history to get 2,500 hits.

How the Tigers finally won

FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES • April 10, 2008

Highlights of the Tigers' 7-2 win over the Red Sox, Detroit's first victory of the season:

• In the eighth, Pudge Rodriguez became the 87th player with 2,500 hits when he broke an 0-for-15 slump with a single. "There's still a lot of baseball left for me," he said. "2,500 hits is remarkable and I'm very happy for that."

04/10/2008 8:26 PM ET
Pudge relishes reaching milestone
After picking up 2,500th hit, catcher turns attention toward 3,000
By Jason Beck and Scott McNeish / MLB.com

BOSTON -- After a few days of trying, Ivan Rodriguez picked up his 2,500th career base hit in Wednesday night's Tigers win. But while he treasures it, it's not the milestone he's looking for.

Now that he has 2,500 hits, he can look ahead toward 3,000.

"It's something I'm thinking about," Rodriguez admitted Wednesday night. "It's 500 hits away. As long as I stay healthy, play the game and play the way that I play the game, nobody knows, but I've got a good shot. I've got a good shot at it."

That, plus Carlton Fisk's Major League record for games caught, would be the cap to what already should be a Hall of Fame career.

In many areas, his rank among the game's greats is already secure. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen added to his accolades last weekend.

"I'm the biggest [Roberto] Clemente fan ever -- I named my son after him," Guillen said. "But Pudge Rodriguez is the best player ever out of Puerto Rico."

That's high praise for Rodriguez, who himself idolizes Clemente and the legacy he left behind.

Rodriguez stood at 2,499 hits since his three-hit game last Saturday. He was mired in an 0-for-15 slump until the eighth inning Wednesday, when he slapped a ground ball through the left side for a single.

With that, he became the 87th player in Major League history to reach 2,500 hits. His three-hit game on Thursday night gave him a fast start on his quest for 3,000.

Even before Wednesday's hit, Rodriguez owned the Major League record for hits by a full-time catcher. Second on that list is Ted Simmons at 2,472. Rodriguez also has 500 career doubles and needs 12 home runs for 300. This all while catching 2,067 games, third all time behind Bob Boone and Fisk, and throwing out better than 43 percent of would-be basestealers.

He added to that last mark on Wednesday, throwing out a pair of runners at second base to end Boston rallies and help the Tigers contain the mighty Red Sox offense en route to their first win of the season.

"That was the most important thing," Rodriguez said. "The 2,500th hit was awesome, but throwing those two guys out, both to end the inning and kill the rally, I like that. I love my defense. I love to keep my defense in the game every single day. That's what they pay me for."

Look for his career numbers to swell even more. Rodriguez has said at age 36, he wants to catch until he's 40, and he keeps himself in the physical shape to at least have a chance.

"The way Pudge Rodriguez takes care of himself, 2,500 hits is nothing," Guillen said. "These guys now, they can play forever."

Rodriguez hopes he can. For now, he's going to take some pride in what he just reached.

"I enjoy it a lot -- it's a good number," Rodriguez said. "That's a lot of hits. But again, there's a lot of baseball left for me. Twenty-five hundred is a remarkable mark, and I'm very happy for that. All that's left right now is to keep playing hard."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Scott McNeish is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

04/15/2008 12:24 AM ET
Pudge carries Tigers on his back
Catcher ignites rally, leads Detroit to come-from-behind win
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Four years ago, he started the Tigers' climb from the cellar to the World Series. On Monday night he might have done it again.

As his team trailed, 9-4, furthering its immense early-season struggles, catcher Ivan Rodriguez put the team on his back and ignited a thrilling rally at Comerica Park. He went 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run and scored two runs, including the eventual game-winner.

"You know he's going to hit the ball hard," first baseman Carlos Guillen said. "He's a good hitter. He's a Hall of Fame guy."

A 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner, Rodriguez paved the way for such future All-Stars as Guillen to come to Detroit when he signed with the Tigers as a free agent in February 2004, just one year after the team had set the American League record for losses in a season. It was Rodriguez who started the renaissance. He made it possible for the offseason's big signings and the following championship hopes.

Those hopes, however, faded after the Tigers started the season 0-7. As for Rodriguez, after a solid spring in which he led the Grapefruit League in home runs, he entered Monday's game hitting .195.

An error in the second inning didn't help. A popup behind home plate that should have ended the inning slipped out of Rodriguez's glove, giving the Twins extra life. Two consecutive singles immediately after made it 2-0 Twins.

But the 18-year veteran knew better than to dwell on his mistake.

"I got mad," Rodriguez said. "I take pride in my defense. But nobody's perfect. I put it behind me and kept playing."

With the Tigers down, 9-4, in the seventh, as fans headed for the exits, Rodriguez knocked a bullet toward the right-field corner. Twins outfielder Denard Span bobbled the ball, and it went over the fence for a home run.

Then, in the key six-run eighth, with the Tigers down by two runs, Rodriguez strutted toward the plate with runners on the corners and one out. He blasted a triple to right-center that skipped past the Twins' outfielders and allowed the tying runs to score. Rodriguez then tagged up on Jacque Jones' ensuing fly ball to left and barely scored under the tag of Twins catcher Joe Mauer, putting the Tigers up for good and sending the home dugout and the remaining fans into delirium.

"He's been a special player for a long time," manager Jim Leyland said. "And one of the reasons that he's been such a great player is his competitive spirit. He comes to beat the other team. I like players like that, and we've got a whole bunch of them."

Rodriguez sat at his locker after the game with a poised look on his face. He saw no reason for an animated celebration. He's had big hits before.

But these hits might, just might, be the ones that give the Tigers the boost they need to save their season.

Scott McNeish is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

06/02/08 2:00 PM ET
Rodriguez falls to third in All-Star voting
Catcher trailing two in bid for 13th Midsummer Classic start

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Ivan Rodriguez has fallen to third among American League catchers in his quest for a 13th All-Star Game start.

Like last week, no Tigers lead at any position in All-Star balloting. The difference with the latest update is that many Tigers players seem to be falling further behind. Rodriguez, who was second to Boston's Jason Varitek with last week's initial voting update, now has Minnesota's Joe Mauer ahead of him as well.

Rodriguez has started for the AL at catcher in three of his four seasons as a Tiger. The exception was in 2005, when Varitek won the honor in balloting and Rodriguez was selected as a reserve.

The closest any Tiger currently stands towards a starting spot is Edgar Renteria, second to Derek Jeter among candidates at shortstop. Miguel Cabrera is third behind Alex Rodriguez and Mike Lowell at third base, the position Cabrera was playing when the ballots were finalized, while Placido Polanco trails Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano in his defense of the starting nod at second.

As it stands, the Tigers wouldn't have anybody in the AL starting lineup, but neither would any of the current AL division leaders. Yankees or Red Sox players lead in seven of the nine positions, with the lone exception being the second and third outfield spots. Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton and Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki hold the edge in those for now, with Magglio Ordonez in sixth behind Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, being held at Yankee Stadium in its final season, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage. XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage of the XM All-Star Futures Game.

Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until Wednesday, July 2, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Once the Tigers return home later this week, fans in Detroit can also vote in person at Comerica Park, where balloting runs through June 24.

Starting rosters will be announced during the 2008 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevrolet on TBS on Sunday, July 6. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the Monster 2008 All-Star Final Vote at MLB.com.

The voting doesn't end there. Fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet at the All-Star Game via the Monster 2008 All-Star Game MVP vote at MLB.com.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

06/09/08 8:20 PM ET
Pudge, Inge to split time at catcher
Leyland concerned Rodriguez could wear down without rest

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Brandon Inge became a former Tigers catcher four years ago when the club signed free agent Ivan Rodriguez. Now, they're basically a catching platoon. Whether Inge becomes the Tigers' catcher of the future remains to be seen, but it leaves Rodriguez wondering about his future.

After starting behind the plate on Saturday, Inge was back at catcher on Monday, with Rodriguez out of the starting lineup. That's how manager Jim Leyland plans to use them for the time being, alternating them at catcher from game to game.

"I'm going to catch these guys every other game for a while," Leyland said Monday.

The reasons behind the move, Leyland said, were twofold. For one, he wants to give Rodriguez more rest to see how his 36-year-old body responds. He has started 51 of Detroit's first 63 games through Monday, tying him for seventh among Major League catchers, and while his body has been able to stand up to the workload, Leyland is wary of the wear and tear it has on him.

"You can tell when a guy catches as much as he does, particularly a guy who's caught as many games as he has, that's not easy to do," Leyland said. "He's in as good shape as any player we've got. I don't care how good shape he's in. You catch that many games, [some] 12 innings, [some] a day game after a night game, you get run down. I don't care who you are. I don't care how good shape you're in. That goes for anybody."

It's not just about how his body responds, but his bat. He's 4-for-35 since the start of the Tigers' last road trip, and all four hits have been singles. That has brought down his average to .245 this season, with one home run and 21 RBIs.

"I think he's getting tired," Leyland said. "He won't ever admit he's tired because he's a proud player, but I think that's one of the reasons his average has fallen off."

Rodriguez, indeed, counters that notion. When asked if he feels any more wear and tear compared to years past, he asked his own questions.

"Do you see any changes in my energy when I play the game? Do I show any change in intensity? No," Rodriguez said. "Is [the question] because I'm not hitting? That's baseball. I'm swinging the bat. I've been hitting the ball hard, putting the ball in play. Right now, I'm going through a tough time, but it happens to everybody else. Physically, I'm good. Mentally, I'm good."

The other side of the story, of course, is Inge. The Tigers moved him back behind the plate this spring once it became clear they wouldn't be able to trade him and backup Vance Wilson wouldn't be ready for the season. After sounding lukewarm at first about moving back to catcher, Inge has embraced his old position again -- partly out of the chance at playing time, partly for the control a catcher can have on a game.

Monday was Inge's 12th start behind the plate, with nine of them coming since May 1. He would've caught another game on the Tigers' West Coast trip until a pulled left oblique muscle kept him out of the lineup last week at Oakland.

"Inge needs to catch," Leyland said. "He needs to catch some. We've got to find out if he can do it. He hadn't done it for a long time."

At this point, Leyland believes that he can.

"He looks pretty good to me," he said. "I think it's a matter of getting back in there and getting settled in on a consistent basis. I don't know if every other day is. I think it's good enough for right now."

Left unsaid for now is what it means for the Tigers if he can do it. Asked if that meant anything for next year, Leyland said: "We're putting the cart before the horse. We're getting way carried away. I'm going to catch him every other day to try to keep him fresh and try to keep Pudge fresh."

Rodriguez is a free agent at season's end. He has avoided discussing the future, saying during Spring Training that it's out of his control. Asked what this makes him think about it, he said: "I don't know. The way this looks right now, I don't know.

"This is a great organization, a great group of guys, beautiful organization, beautiful fans to play for. It's been a good five years, but I don't know what's going to happen. Sometimes you've got to be ready for everything, and right now I have to be ready for everything, because I don't know what's going to happen."

Leyland talked to Rodriguez about the move on Sunday, he said, and he understandably wouldn't be happy about it. Leyland understands that, because Rodriguez is a proud player.

"I'm sure it doesn't make Pudge happy, because Pudge is a gamer," Leyland said. "He wants to play every day. I mean, that's why you love Pudge. I'm saying you have to do what you think is best. Sometimes, maybe less is best."

It was a move that Rodriguez said surprised him. He did not say it disappointed him, only that he believes he can still play every day.

"I'm ready to play every day, but I respect him," Rodriguez said of Leyland. "I'm a player who prepares myself physically and mentally to play every day. And I'm ready to play every day.

"I still think I can do it. I don't know that they think I can do it. I can do it. I believe in myself. I believe that I can do the job."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

07/31/08 12:05 AM ET
Pudge deal opens full-time spot for Inge
Former Tigers catcher returns to everyday duties with trade

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- Ivan Rodriguez had every reason to be emotional after his trade from the Tigers Wednesday. Brandon Inge isn't going anywhere, but it was tough for him to contain how he felt.

On many teams, it would've been an awkward situation -- a future Hall of Famer leaving and a teammate trying not to be too happy about replacing him. Given all that Inge and the Tigers have been through this year, however, it was understandable. After watching his starting job vanish with last winter's trade for Miguel Cabrera, Inge is back in the everyday lineup at a different spot, one he owned before Rodriguez arrived in 2004.

After all the offseason and Spring Training drama about Inge's future, it turns out it's behind the plate in Detroit.

"You tell people sometimes to be a little patient and things will probably work out, they don't understand that," manager Jim Leyland said. "Well, I didn't know it was going to work out any way, shape or form like this, but here it is. He's the Detroit Tiger catcher. There you are. Take it. See what you do with it."

Leyland jokingly called it the moment of truth, a line he repeated to Inge as he talked with reporters in the Tigers' clubhouse. Inge had to realize something to get to this point, though -- that he could fall in love with catching again.

"I can't tell you how excited I am about it," Inge told reporters before Wednesday's game.

Without Inge's successful job retraining, the Tigers wouldn't have thought about trading Rodriguez. The irony is that Inge only got back behind the plate as an extra backstop to work with pitchers in Spring Training once it became clear that Vance Wilson wouldn't be ready to return.

Inge opened the season as an occasional backup as part of his super-utility duties, progressed to a part-time catcher to rest Rodriguez, and recently became the Tigers' apparent future at the position once Rodriguez's contract expired at season's end. With Wednesday's trade, the future is now.

"We think he's ready to be our everyday catcher," president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "Our plans were to make him our everyday catcher going into the future. He's ready for it. So it's a position where for us, we have somebody we think can step up and do that, and we also helped our bullpen, which we think is an area we needed to address."

Once Kyle Farnsworth joins the club Friday at Tampa Bay, his pitching will become part of Inge's responsibility. That's how he views his role. It's a similar viewpoint that he had when he was the Tigers' catcher from 2001-03, but he's better prepared for it now.

"I'm so happy to just know that this is what it is," Inge said. "I'm catching. I can run the staff, make them comfortable and prepare. I can put these guys in the best possible opportunity to win ballgames, period."

The longest-tenured Tiger on the club, Inge jumped from the Minors to become Detroit's regular catcher as an injury replacement for Mitch Meluskey in 2001, when Phil Garner was managing and Randy Smith was the GM. His strong arm and ability to call a game weren't in question, but his offense was a struggle. Not until the tail end of 2003 did he show consistent production at the plate, but it became a moot point when Detroit had a chance to sign Rodriguez at season's end.

Off went Inge to utility work, only to end up at third base by season's end in place of the struggling Eric Munson. He spent three-plus seasons at the hot corner, where his offense emerged, highlighted by 27 homers and 83 RBIs in 2006. Not catching, he said then, freed him to improve his hitting.

Inge signed a four-year, $24 million contract that offseason, seemingly cementing his future in Detroit. After he struggled at the plate in 2007, however, the Tigers pounced on a chance to trade for Cabrera and installed him as the third baseman, putting Inge's future in flux again.

He didn't embrace catching in Spring Training but was willing to do whatever he could to get playing time. He just wanted to play, wherever it was. It was a late April series at Yankee Stadium, of all places, where Inge began to realize he enjoyed it again.

"I had a chance to catch a few guys for a complete game," he said, "and it was like, 'All right, I called a pretty good game. Everything went smoothly. The guys seemed like they respected me back there.' That's kind of when it set in, and things started to be fun.

"It was all a big transition. You go from losing your job, to not knowing where you're going, to a position where your only thoughts of remembering the position was that it was hard to play. Catching was pretty hard for me. And now, I get back there and I'm like, 'Hey, wait a minute, this is not what I remember. This is not as hard, because now I've learned a lot more. I've learned how to slow the game down. There's not as much pressure on me anymore.' So it became fun again."

In an interesting twist, Inge credits the man who replaced him at catcher for helping him make that step. By watching Rodriguez and how he separated his catching from his hitting, Inge said, he learned how to draw a dividing line and not become consumed by the job. He can enjoy handling a pitching staff and still find time to work on his swing. When he was a catcher years ago, anything he provided at the plate was just a bonus.

Inge's progression is at the point now that Leyland believes this team can get to the playoffs with him as its regular catcher. It's an incredible journey from where the season started, and it's one that even Rodriguez took time to appreciate as he talked about his feelings on the trade.

"Brandon is doing a good job," Rodriguez said. "He had a great game [Tuesday] night. He's starting to hit the ball good. And he's a good catcher. That was his position when he came into the league, and I'm sure that he's going to do a good job. For me, I'm just going to continue to do what I do, but in another uniform."

Before he did that, though, he made a point to talk with Inge and give his good-byes. In some ways, it was a changing of the guard.

"He's a class act. He really is," Inge said. "He told me, 'Hey, it's yours now. You take over and do well.'"

The Tigers are counting on it.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

07/30/08 9:00 PM ET
Tigers deal Pudge for Farnsworth
Detroit fills hole in 'pen with Inge ready to be everyday catcher

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- Ivan Rodriguez will go down in history as the player who helped turn the Tigers into a winning franchise again. On Wednesday, the Tigers decided that their best shot at winning this year was to trade him.

In a move that ended an era in Detroit, the Tigers sent the future Hall of Fame catcher to the Yankees for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. It was a deal with fittingly mixed emotions for a club that has been creeping towards the deadline as a potential buyer or seller. And though the Tigers bought the relief help they wanted, they had a keen appreciation for what they gave up.

"As I told him, I will be in Cooperstown the day he's inducted," president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "But it's also a situation for us where with Brandon Inge, we think he's ready to be our everyday catcher. Our plans were to make him our everyday catcher going into the future. He's ready for it. So it's a position where for us, we have somebody we think can step up and do that, and we also helped our bullpen, which we think is an area we needed to address."

From initial talks to fruition, Dombrowski said, the entire deal came together on Wednesday, starting with a call in the morning to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. They had talked a few times over the past couple weeks, but Dombrowski characterized those talks as more informational, giving each other an idea of what their needs were.

Cashman told reporters in New York that Dombrowski floated the idea of trading Rodriguez. Once they got into specifics, the negotiations came together early in the afternoon. Soon after the clubhouse opened to reporters around 3:30 p.m. ET, little more than 24 hours before Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline, Rodriguez was talking with Dombrowski and assistant GM Al Avila in manager Jim Leyland's office. Since he has a no-trade clause, Rodriguez needed to give his approval.

"They just told me what the team was thinking," Rodriguez said. "I'm not going to say it, but that's personal between me and Dombrowski. But it's time for me to take the trade and go somewhere else."

And with that, Rodriguez started saying his goodbyes. And many Tigers, including the manager, were caught by surprise, despite having an idea that Rodriguez probably wouldn't be re-signed at season's end.

"This is something that I've got to sit back," Leyland said, "because I think that everybody has this vision that they knew what was going on, that they were working on this. I'm telling you, this was a [surprise] phone call. It was 3:30 [p.m.], and I was in my car with two coaches when Dave called me, and that is the absolutely first [time] I'd heard about it, that it was a possibility."

That said, he knew that Rodriguez's days as the Tigers' catcher were numbered. This deal accelerated the process. Essentially, it was a 1-for-1 swap of pending free agents that immediately fills urgent needs for two teams trying to make a late charge into the playoffs. The Yankees needed an everyday catcher with Jorge Posada out for the rest of the season. The Tigers needed a veteran late-inning arm for a bullpen with plenty of questions.

That swap includes what's left of the salaries; Farnsworth is making $5.5 million this year.

Inge's development as a catching option for the Tigers was a major reason cited by Dombrowski and Leyland in making the deal. Though Rodriguez had rebounded from his slow start to go on a summer tear, batting .381 over his last 31 games, it wasn't going to change the Tigers' outlook. Rodriguez is making $13 million this season in the final year of his contract, while Inge is under contract for two more years at a total of about $13 million, a deal he signed two years ago when he was Detroit's everyday third baseman.

"Pudge has done a fine job, there's no question," Dombrowski said. "But when you look at the depth of our ballclub, we like Brandon Inge a great deal. We think he's an everyday catcher at this point. He's ready to tackle that. We think he gives us a quality chance to win on a day-in, day-out basis. And we also were able to address the one area of our club that we think should be addressed the most, which is our bullpen."

They addressed it with a familiar face. Farnsworth was a key member of the Tigers' bullpen in 2005, starting the year as the setup man and transitioning to closer when Troy Percival suffered a season-ending muscle tear in his arm.

Armed with a fastball that then approached 100 mph, Farnsworth went 1-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 46 games for Detroit, including six saves in eight chances. He was effective enough that the Tigers approached him about a long-term deal. Once Farnsworth and his agent made it clear that he would test free agency at season's end, the Tigers dealt him to Atlanta at the July 31 deadline for two pitchers, including current Tigers starter Zach Miner.

Farnsworth signed a three-year, $17 million contract that winter to work as Mariano Rivera's setup man with the Yankees, and he's been there since.

"It's always hard, no matter what," said an emotional Farnsworth. "It's just one of those things you have to deal with. You can't change it or do anything about it. You just keep going and keep on playing."

Farnsworth owns a 1-2 record and 3.65 ERA this year, having allowed 43 hits over 44 1/3 innings with 43 strikeouts. He has been putting up his results of the season this month, allowing two runs on four hits over 8 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

"He's been throwing the ball tremendously," Dombrowski said. "He's been here. He's been through the pennant races. So he gives us some depth in the bullpen as we go forward. He gives us a real shot at that."

Leyland had very little idea yet how he would use Farnsworth, who is expected to join the team for Friday's series opener at Tampa Bay. He'll work into what is now looking like a bullpen by committee with Fernando Rodney as closer on most days. All three have had their issues -- Jones with a newly-revealed shoulder injury, Rodney with control issues, and Zumaya with his shoulder surgery last fall.

"Let's put it this way," Leyland said of Farnsworth, "he won't be a long man."

Whatever role he fills, the Tigers are viewing him as a major part of what they hope is a stretch run. It was a big enough issue to deal a future Hall of Famer.

"I don't think, with due respect to everybody, that catching Pudge or catching Brandon Inge will be the decisive factor whether we win this year or not," Leyland said. "I think the bullpen could be."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.