Rod Carew facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rod Carew |
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Carew with the Minnesota Twins in 1978
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| Second baseman / First baseman | |||
| Born: October 1, 1945 Gatún, Panama Canal Zone |
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| debut | |||
| April 11, 1967, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 5, 1985, for the California Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .328 | ||
| Hits | 3,053 | ||
| Home runs | 92 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,015 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1991 | ||
| Vote | 90.5% (first ballot) | ||
Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 to 1985. Rod Carew was known as an amazing contact hitter, meaning he was very good at hitting the ball and getting on base. He played for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels.
Carew was a superstar, appearing in 18 straight All-Star Games. He won the 1977 AL Most Valuable Player Award. That year, he hit for a fantastic .388 batting average, which was a record for the Twins. He also led the American League (AL) in hits three times. Carew won seven AL batting titles, which is the second-most in history. Because of his amazing hitting, the AL batting title was renamed the Rod Carew American League batting title in 2016.
In 1977, Carew received the Roberto Clemente Award. This award honors players who are great on the field and also help their community. On August 4, 1985, he joined the special 3,000 hit club. This means he got 3,000 hits in his career, which is a huge achievement. His 3,053 hits rank him 27th all-time, and his career batting average of .328 is 34th all-time. In 1991, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try. He is also in the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, and Angels Hall of Fame. After he stopped playing, Carew became a coach for the Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Rod Carew's Early Life
Rodney Cline Carew was born on October 1, 1945, in Gatún, which was then part of the Panama Canal Zone. His mother was Panamanian. He was born on a train, and the doctor who helped deliver him was named Rodney Cline. Because of this, his mother named him Rodney Cline Carew.
When he was 14, Carew moved to the United States with his brothers and sisters. They joined their mother in New York City. Even though he went to George Washington High School, he didn't play baseball for the school team. When he was 18, he started playing semi-professional baseball for a team called the Bronx Cavaliers.
A scout for the Minnesota Twins, Monroe Katz, saw him play. Katz told another Twins scout, Herb Stein, about Carew. In April 1964, Carew had a tryout and played so well that the manager ended it early. They wanted to sign him before other teams, like the Yankees, could see him! On June 24, 1964, Carew signed a contract with the Twins for $400 a month.
Carew started his professional baseball career playing second base for the Melbourne Twins. He hit very well, with a .325 batting average in his first 37 games. Over the next two years, he continued to hit well in the minor leagues.
Rod Carew's Major League Career
Playing for the Minnesota Twins
Rod Carew made his big league debut on April 11, 1967, against the Baltimore Orioles. In his very first time at bat, he got a hit! He finished that game with two hits. A few weeks later, he had an amazing game where he got five hits, including a double and a stolen base.
Carew was chosen for the All-Star Game in his first year. He also won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year award. This award goes to the best new player in the league.
In a game on May 18, 1969, Carew did something very rare. He stole every base in one inning! After walking to first base, he stole second, then third, and then he stole home plate! This was only the 41st time in baseball history that a player had stolen all three bases in one inning. Carew stole home seven times in 1969, which was the most in the major leagues that year. He learned how to steal home from his manager and teammates. At the end of the 1969 season, he led the AL with a .332 batting average.
On May 20, 1970, Carew hit for the cycle against the Kansas City Royals. This means he got a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game! It was the first time a Twins player had ever done that. In 1972, Carew led the AL in batting again, hitting .318. This was the only time in his career he didn't hit any home runs.
Carew had a great year in 1973, winning his third batting title with a .350 average. He also led the AL with 203 hits and 11 triples. The next year, 1974, was even better. He never hit below .300 for the whole season! He got a career-high 213 hits and won his fourth batting title with a .364 average.
In 1975, Carew won his fourth batting title in a row. He became one of only two players in history to lead the major leagues in batting average for three years in a row. Early in his career, Carew mostly played second base. But in September 1975, he moved to first base and played there for the rest of his career. In 1976, he almost won another batting title, hitting .331. He also had a career-high in stolen bases and got 200 hits for the third time.
The 1977 season was amazing for Rod Carew. He hit .388, which was the highest batting average since 1957! He won the 1977 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. He also set career highs with 239 hits, 100 RBIs (runs batted in), and 128 runs scored. That summer, Carew was even on the cover of Time magazine, called "Baseball's Best Hitter." He won his seventh and final batting title in 1978, hitting .333.
Playing for the California Angels
In 1979, Rod Carew decided he wanted to leave the Twins. He was traded to the Angels for four other players. Carew later said that the Twins' owner wanted him to be paid what he was worth. The Angels then made him the highest-paid player in baseball!
Even though he didn't win more batting titles after 1978, Carew continued to hit very well for the Angels. From 1979 to 1983, his batting average was always between .305 and .339. In 1982, he broke his hand but still managed a 25-game hitting streak! The Angels made it to the playoffs in 1982, which was Carew's last time playing in the postseason.
On August 4, 1985, Carew reached a huge milestone. He got his 3,000th base hit! This is a very rare achievement in baseball. The 1985 season was his last. After the season, the Angels didn't offer him a new contract. He decided to retire, even though he received an offer to play for the San Francisco Giants. Carew believed that baseball team owners were secretly working together to prevent players like him from signing new contracts. Later, a ruling agreed with him, and he received money for what he would have earned.
Rod Carew finished his career with 3,053 hits and a lifetime batting average of .328. He still holds many records for both the Twins and the Angels, including high batting averages and on-base percentages.
Career Statistics
In his 19 seasons, Rod Carew played in 2,469 games. He had a career batting average of .328. He collected 3,053 hits, 1,424 runs, 445 doubles, 112 triples, and 92 home runs. He also had 1,015 RBIs and stole 353 stolen bases. Carew was known for getting on base often, with a .393 on-base percentage. He hit over .300 for 15 seasons in a row! He had 7 games where he got 5 hits and 51 games where he got 4 hits.
Life Outside Baseball
Military Service
During the 1960s, Rod Carew served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for six years. He was a combat engineer. Carew said that his time in the Marines helped him a lot in his baseball career. He learned about discipline, which made him a better player. He realized that baseball, while important, wasn't "do-or-die" like military training.
Family and Faith
Rod Carew's first wife, Marilynn Levy, was Jewish. Their three daughters, Charryse, Stephanie, and Michelle, were raised in the Jewish faith. Carew himself identified as Episcopalian. There was some confusion about whether he had converted to Judaism, even being mentioned in a song by Adam Sandler. Carew later explained that he had not converted but appreciated the song.
Carew married his second wife, Rhonda, in 2001. They are Christians and attend church together.
After Retirement
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| Rod Carew's number 29 was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1987. |
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| Rod Carew's number 29 was retired by the California Angels in 1986. |
After retiring as a player, Rod Carew became a hitting coach for the Angels and later the Milwaukee Brewers. He helped many young players improve their hitting skills. He also worked as a coach for the Twins and teaches baseball to young players around the world.
In 2004, the National Stadium in Panama City, Panama, was renamed "Rod Carew Stadium" in his honor. In 2005, he was named the second baseman on the Major League Baseball Latino Legends Team.
Both the Twins and the Angels retired Carew's number 29, meaning no other player on those teams can wear that number. He was also inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame. In 1991, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked among the 100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News.
In September 1995, Carew's youngest daughter, Michelle, was diagnosed with a serious illness called leukemia. Doctors needed to find a special donor for a bone marrow transplant. Because Michelle had a unique family background, finding a match was very difficult. Sadly, Michelle passed away in April 1996 at age 18. A statue of her was placed at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
In September 2015, Carew had a very serious heart attack. He needed several surgeries and had a special device called an LVAD placed in his heart. He recovered and even helped launch a campaign called Heart of 29 to raise awareness about heart health. In December 2016, he received a heart transplant. The heart was donated by Konrad Reuland, a former football player who had gone to middle school with Carew's children. Carew honored Reuland in the 2018 Rose Parade.
In 2016, the American League batting championship trophy was named the Rod Carew American League Batting Championship Award in his honor.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- 3,000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- DHL Hometown Heroes
- Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps
