Tigers by the Numbers: Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

(This is the seventh episode of Tigers by the Numbers, where we take a look at a current or former player that wore each uniform number. If you want to find the list so far, click here to find the others.)

With the Tigers clinging to a three-game cushion in the AL Central race on the season’s final off-day, I decided that I needed a break from the pennant race and have turned my attention to a player who perhaps more than anyone else was responsible for bringing winning baseball back to Detroit.

There were others who wore No. 7 for the Tigers before him, and there will certainly be others to wear it in the future, but perhaps no one will bring as much to Detroit as Pudge Rodriguez did.

So, with apologies to Billy Rogell (SS, 1930-39), Harvey Kuenn (SS/OF, 1952-59), Rocky Colavito (OF, 1960-63), Rick Leach (1B/DH, 1981-83), and Dean Palmer (3B/DH, 1999-2003), all of whom were at least briefly considered for this spot, we now present No. 7: Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.

Ivan Rodriguez first appeared in a major league game at the tender age of 19 as a catcher with the Texas Rangers in 1991.  He made his debut on June 20 of that season, batting ninth in a game in Chicago against the White Sox.  Rodriguez went 1-for-4 and caught both runners that attempted to steal against him. 

In the ninth inning, Rodriguez lined a sharp single to right field against Melido Perez, scoring two runners to give the Rangers a 7-3 lead.  It was the first hit and pair of RBI of what would surely become a Hall of Fame career.

As the seasons rolled along, Pudge became a household name.  He caught Nolan Ryan at the end of his career, he caught Kenny Rogers’ perfect game in 1994.  He made 10 consecutive All-Star Games and won 10 straight gold gloves.  In 1999, Rodriguez won the AL MVP award, hitting .332 while pounding out 35 home runs and knocking in 113.

When Pudge became a free agent following the 2002 season, he was looking for a big deal, but he had back problems and had already caught more than 1,400 big league games. Conventional wisdom was that it was unwise to commit to a catcher on the wrong side of 30.  Pudge had to instead settle for a one-year deal from the Florida Marlins.

The Marlins may have kept Rodriguez fore only one season, but what a season he turned in.  Fueled by a desire to prove his doubters wrong, Pudge caught 144 games for the Fish that season and helped to turn around a franchise that had been, ahem, floundering, for the previous several seasons.  The young Marlins caught fire in June of that season, following a managerial change that brought in veteran skipper Jack McKeon. 

Pudge did his part as well, batting .297 and knocking in 85 runs for the eventual World Series champions.  Unlike prior years, Rodriguez excelled in the playoffs in 2003, taking home MVP honors as the Marlins bested the Cubs in the NLCS.

Again a free agent, Rodriguez shocked the baseball world by agreeing to sign a four-year, $40 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.  The Tigers were coming off the worst season in American League history, having lost 119 games in 2003.  The Tigers were an absolute laughing stock and had just one winning season since 1989.

At the press conference announcing the deal, then-manager Alan Trammell took pause to reflect on the situation, having endured what he had the season prior.  “This is how it starts,” he said. “This is how we get better.”  Perhaps truer words were never spoken by the manager. 

Shortly after the Rodriguez deal, the Tigers were able to lure Fernando Vina, Rondell White, and Jason Johnson on free agent contracts.  Suddenly, players who would never consider choosing to play for the Tigers were at least taking time to consider the possibility.  Things would get better from there.

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