Ray Lankford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ray Lankford
Lankford in 1988
Outfielder
Born: (1967-06-05) June 5, 1967 (age 58) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
August 21, 1990, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last appearance
October 3, 2004, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.272
Home runs	238
Runs batted in	874
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1990–2001) San Diego Padres (2001–2002) St. Louis Cardinals (2004)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1997) St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame

Raymond Lewis Lankford, born on June 5, 1967, is a former American professional baseball player. He was an amazing center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Ray played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres. People knew him for his powerful hitting, incredible speed, and great defense in the outfield.

Ray Lankford's Baseball Journey

Early Life and Sports

Ray Lankford was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Modesto, California. There, he went to Grace M. Davis High School. He played both baseball and football in high school.

Later, he continued playing both sports at Modesto Junior College. Ray also had an uncle, Carl Nichols, who was a professional baseball player. His uncle played in the major leagues for a few seasons.

Becoming a Star Player

Ray Lankford started his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in August 1990. He quickly became the team's main center fielder. This position was once held by Willie McGee, a famous player.

At first, Ray often batted first in the game. His speed and good eye for pitches made him a strong player. In his first full season in 1991, he led the league with 15 triples. He also stole 44 bases and scored 83 runs.

He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting that year. On September 15, 1991, Ray did something special: he hit for the cycle. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. He was the first Cardinals rookie to ever do this!

In 1992, Ray started hitting with more power. He had a fantastic season, batting .293 with 20 home runs and 42 stolen bases. This season showed everyone that Ray was one of the best all-around outfielders in baseball. Because of his power, he later moved to a different spot in the batting order.

Ray had five seasons where he hit 20 home runs and stole 20 bases for the Cardinals. He is the only player in Cardinals history to do this more than once! He was also a great fielder. In 1996, he made only one error all season. He led the league in fielding percentage that year.

On April 3, 1994, Ray hit a home run as the very first batter of the season. This was unusual because it was the first game of the entire baseball season.

Later Career and Legacy

Ray was chosen to be the starting center fielder for the National League in the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He had a great first half of that season. The next year, 1998, was his best offensive season. He batted .293 with 31 home runs, 105 runs batted in, and 26 stolen bases.

His strong hitting late in the 1998 season helped Mark McGwire set a new record with 70 home runs. After 1998, Ray had knee surgery and moved to play left field. In his first year at left field, he batted a career-high .306.

In 2001, Ray was traded from the Cardinals to the San Diego Padres. He played well for the Padres, batting .288 for the rest of that season. He learned a lot from Tony Gwynn, a famous player.

Ray returned to the Padres in 2002, but injuries made it a tough season. He only played in 81 games. He took 2003 off to recover from his injuries.

In 2004, Ray came back to the St. Louis Cardinals to finish his career. The Cardinals made it to the championship that year. Even though he wasn't on the final playoff team, he earned a championship ring.

Ray Lankford finished his career as one of the top 10 players in Cardinals history for many stats. These include home runs (third), stolen bases (fifth), and runs scored (eighth). He hit more home runs at Busch Stadium (123) than any other player. In his very last major league at-bat on October 3, 2004, he hit a pinch-hit home run!

He is the only Cardinals player to have both 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. In 2018, Ray Lankford was voted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. This was a great honor for his amazing career.

Career Statistics

See also