Rubén Sierra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rubén Sierra |
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| Right fielder / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: October 6, 1965 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico |
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| debut | |||
| June 1, 1986, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 9, 2006, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .268 | ||
| Hits | 2,152 | ||
| Home runs | 306 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,322 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rubén Angel Sierra García is a former professional baseball player from Puerto Rico. He was born on October 6, 1965. Rubén played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 20 seasons. He was known by his nicknames 'El Indio' or 'El Caballo', which means 'The Horse'.
Rubén played for many teams during his career. These included the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Rubén Sierra grew up in Puerto Rico. He went to Liceo Interamericano Castro High School. While there, he was a talented athlete. He played not only baseball but also basketball and volleyball.
In November 1982, when Rubén was just 17 years old, the Texas Rangers signed him. This was a big step for him into professional baseball.
Major League Baseball Career Highlights
Rubén Sierra made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on June 1, 1986. He played as an outfielder for the Texas Rangers. In only his second time at bat, he hit a home run! During his first year, he hit .264, had 16 home runs, and brought in 55 runs batted in (RBIs).
Star Seasons with the Rangers
The year 1989 was a fantastic one for Rubén. He hit 29 home runs and led the entire league in several important stats. He had 119 RBIs, 14 triples, and a .543 slugging percentage. He also had 344 total bases and 78 extra-base hits. He was so good that he finished second in the voting for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Rubén had three seasons with the Rangers where he brought in over 100 RBIs. This shows how important he was to their team's offense.
Moving to Other Teams
In August 1992, Rubén was traded from the Rangers to the Oakland Athletics. He then moved to the New York Yankees in 1995. He helped the Yankees reach the playoffs that year, which was their first time in 14 years!
After that, he played for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Toronto Blue Jays. In 1998, he played for the Chicago White Sox.
Return to the Rangers and Yankees
Rubén returned to the Texas Rangers in 2000. In 2001, he won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award. This award is given to a player who has overcome challenges and performed very well.
He played for the Seattle Mariners in 2002. Then, in 2003, he started the season with the Rangers again. Later that year, he was traded back to the New York Yankees. He was a key player for the Yankees in 2004. He hit 17 home runs, mostly as a designated hitter.
Playoff Moments
Rubén had a memorable moment in the 2004 playoffs. In a game against the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees were losing. Rubén hit a three-run home run that tied the game. This helped the Yankees win that game and the series!
His last season in MLB was in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Silver Slugger Award winners at outfield
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles 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 annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
