Cristian Guzmán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cristian Guzmán |
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Guzmán with the Washington Nationals in 2009
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: March 21, 1978 Baní, Dominican Republic |
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| debut | |||
| April 6, 1999, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 8, 2010, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .271 | ||
| Home runs | 62 | ||
| Runs batted in | 467 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Cristian Antonio Guzmán (born March 21, 1978) is a former professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He was a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, and Texas Rangers.
Contents
Playing Professional Baseball
Cristian Guzmán: A Minnesota Twin
Cristian Guzmán started his MLB career with the Minnesota Twins. He joined the team in 1998 after a trade from the New York Yankees. Other players like Eric Milton also came to the Twins in this trade.
In 2001, Guzmán had a fantastic year. He was chosen for the AL All-Star team. He hit 10 home runs and had a .302 batting average. These were some of his best numbers ever. He was a key player for the Twins. The team won three straight American League Central titles from 2002 to 2004.
Guzmán was known for hitting many triples. He led the American League in triples three times. He hit 20 triples in 2000. This was a rare achievement, only the tenth time in 70 years a player had done that.
Playing for the Washington Nationals
After leaving the Twins, Guzmán signed a four-year contract with the Washington Nationals in 2005. This was a big contract worth $16.8 million. His first year with the Nationals was tough. His batting average was low for most of the season. But he improved a lot in September.
After the 2005 season, Guzmán had eye surgery. He said this surgery helped him play much better in the years that followed.
Guzmán missed all of the 2006 season due to a shoulder injury. He had surgery to fix it. He returned in 2007 as the Nationals' starting shortstop. But he got another injury, this time to his hamstring, on the first day of the season. He was out until May 7, 2007. When he returned, he was hitting well. He was also among the league leaders in triples. However, on June 24, he injured his thumb. He needed surgery and missed the rest of the 2007 season.
On March 30, 2008, Guzmán made history at Nationals Park. He got the very first hit in the stadium's history. It was a single to right. He also scored the first run in the park's history. Later that year, he was chosen for the NL All-Star team. He even played third base in the All-Star Game. This was special because he usually only played shortstop. On August 28, 2008, Guzmán achieved a rare feat. He hit for the cycle against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game. It was only the second time a Nationals player had done this. Guzmán signed a new contract to stay with the Nationals.
He finished the 2008 season with many hits and a good batting average. By the middle of the 2009 season, he was one of the top active players for triples. In 2009, his fielding percentage was the lowest among starting shortstops in MLB.
Time with the Texas Rangers
On July 31, 2010, the Texas Rangers traded for Guzmán. He played his first game as a Ranger on August 1, 2010.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
