Rajai Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rajai Davis |
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Davis with the Cleveland Indians in 2016
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 19, 1980 Norwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 14, 2006, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 2019, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .262 | ||
| Home runs | 62 | ||
| Runs batted in | 387 | ||
| Stolen bases | 415 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rajai Davis (born October 19, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was part of many teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets. After retiring from playing, he started working for MLB in their Baseball Operations department.
Rajai started his career as a switch-hitter, meaning he could bat from both the left and right sides. However, before the 2004 season, he decided to bat only right-handed. He also throws the ball with his right hand.
Early Life
Rajai Davis was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on October 19, 1980. When he was a kid, he played Little League Baseball in Willimantic, Connecticut. In 1991, his team, the Willimantic Little League All-Stars, won their District 11 championship. Rajai also played football in the Willimantic Youth Football League.
In 1999, Rajai graduated from New London High School. There, he played baseball, basketball, and football. During the summer, he was part of the New London American Legion team.
After high school, Davis went to the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. While in college, he played baseball for the Middletown Giants. This team was part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Rajai Davis drove all the way from Connecticut to Pittsburgh for a tryout. He was then picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 38th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. He was drafted as a second baseman. Rajai decided to sign with the Pirates instead of going to UConn for college baseball.
He played in the minor leagues for six full seasons before joining the major leagues. In the minor leagues, he had a batting average of .305. He also stole 251 bases out of 322 tries. From 2002 to 2004, he was chosen for three All-Star teams at different levels of play.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Pirates
Rajai Davis played his first Major League Baseball game for the Pirates on August 14, 2006. He came in as a pinch hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Two days later, he stole his first base. His first Major League hit came on August 29. It was a double off Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. The next day, he played in right field for three innings.
San Francisco Giants
On July 31, 2007, Davis was traded to the San Francisco Giants. He made his Giants debut the very next night. In that game, he stole a base and threw out a runner from center field. While with the Giants, Davis often played in the lineup. He would fill in for other players when needed.
On August 13, the Giants played two games in Pittsburgh. This was Rajai's first time back since being traded. He played well, getting three hits, three doubles, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and one run batted in (RBI). In the second game, he made an amazing diving catch in the outfield.
Just three days later, he made another incredible play. He caught a ball that would have been a home run by Andruw Jones. Rajai kept the ball as a souvenir. The next night, he hit his first career home run off Florida Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen.
Rajai was second among all new players in the National League for stolen bases, with 22.
Oakland Athletics
On April 23, 2008, the Oakland Athletics picked up Davis. In 2008, he stole 25 bases for Oakland. In 2009, Davis became the main center fielder for the A's. He hit .305 and stole 41 bases in 125 games. In 2010, he continued to play well, hitting .284 with 52 RBIs and 50 stolen bases.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Athletics traded Davis to the Toronto Blue Jays on November 17, 2010.
On August 14, 2011, Rajai hurt his hamstring while running to first base. He had to take time off to recover. Before his injury, Davis was third in the American League with 34 stolen bases.
On May 18, 2012, Davis hit two home runs in one game for the first time in his career. He also had four RBIs in a big 14–5 win. On July 30, he hit his first career lead-off home run. This was his sixth home run of the season, a new personal best for him. On August 12, 2012, Davis had five RBIs in a game, which was also a new personal best. He finished second in stolen bases that year with 46.
On June 8, 2013, in a very long game against the Texas Rangers, Davis hit a single that won the game. This was the longest Blue Jays game ever. On July 28, Davis stole four bases in one game. This tied a Blue Jays team record!
Detroit Tigers
On December 11, 2013, the Detroit Tigers signed Rajai Davis. On June 30, 2014, he hit a special home run called a "walk-off grand slam." This means he hit a home run with the bases loaded in the last inning, and it won the game for his team. It was the first walk-off home run of his career.
On August 30, 2014, Davis stole his 300th base! He was only the second active player to steal 30 bases for three different teams.
In 2014, Davis played in 134 games for Detroit, batting .282 with 36 stolen bases. In 2015, he played in 112 games and hit a career-high 11 triples.
Cleveland Indians
On December 17, 2015, Davis signed with the Cleveland Indians.
On July 2, 2016, Davis achieved a rare feat called "hitting for the cycle." This means he hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game! He started the game with a home run, then hit a triple, a double, and finally a single. It was only the eighth time an Indians player had done this.
On November 2, 2016, during Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Davis hit a game-tying, two-run home run. This happened in the eighth inning against the Cubs pitcher Aroldis Chapman. It was a huge moment! However, the Indians ended up losing the game and the series in extra innings. Even though they lost, his home run was one of the most important plays in World Series history.
Return to Oakland
In January 2017, Davis signed another one-year deal with the Athletics. He played in 100 games for Oakland that season. He had 18 RBIs, 5 home runs, and 26 stolen bases. He mostly played center field.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox traded for Davis on August 23, 2017. He played in a few games for Boston that season.
Return to Cleveland
On February 17, 2018, Davis signed a contract to return to the Cleveland Indians. He played in 196 games for the Indians that season.
New York Mets
On December 17, 2018, Davis signed with the New York Mets, the team he cheered for as a kid. On May 22, 2019, while playing in the minor leagues, he got the exciting news that he was called up to the Mets! He took a two-hour car ride to the stadium and arrived during the game. He entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter and hit a three-run home run! This amazing story was talked about by many news outlets.
He later hit a game-winning, bases-clearing double against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 14.
Mexican League
On February 13, 2020, Davis signed with a team in the Mexican League, the Acereros de Monclova. However, he never played a game because the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
After Playing Baseball
On February 1, 2021, it was announced that Rajai Davis was retiring from playing baseball. He took a new job in the baseball operations department for Major League Baseball. This means he helps with how the game is run.
Personal Life
Rajai Davis is married to Marissa, and they have two children: a daughter (born 2013) and a son (born 2015). They live in East Lyme, Connecticut.
Rajai is a Christian.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
