Tim Raines facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tim Raines |
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Raines in 2018
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: September 16, 1959 Sanford, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 11, 1979, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 2002, for the Florida Marlins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .294 | ||
| Hits | 2,605 | ||
| Home runs | 170 | ||
| Runs batted in | 980 | ||
| Stolen bases | 808 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2017 | ||
| Vote | 86.0% (tenth ballot) | ||
Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), known as "Rock", is an American baseball coach and former player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams from 1979 to 2002. He is most famous for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos.
Tim Raines was a 7-time All-Star. He led the league in stolen bases four times and was a National League batting champion. Many people think Raines was one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners ever in baseball. In 2017, Raines was welcomed into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Talents
Tim Raines was born in Sanford, Florida. He went to Seminole High School in Sanford. He was one of seven children. Two of his brothers, Levi and Ned III, also played baseball in the minor leagues.
When Raines played baseball at Seminole High, he stole home plate ten times! He was also a great football player, rushing for 1,000 yards in eight games. He even set two school records in track and field that lasted for many years. Raines was so good that he reportedly received over 100 offers to play college football.
Baseball Career Highlights
Playing for the Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos picked Raines in the fifth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. He first played a few games in 1979 as a pinch runner. In 1980, he played briefly as a second baseman before becoming an outfielder. Fans quickly loved him because of his exciting and aggressive style on the bases.
In his rookie season in 1981, which was shorter due to a strike, he batted .304. He also set a new MLB rookie record with 71 stolen bases. This broke the old record of 56 steals. Raines was caught stealing for the first time in 1981. Before that, he had a major league record of 27 successful stolen bases in a row! He finished second for the National League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1981.
In 1983, Raines stole a career-high 90 bases, which was the second-highest in Expos history. He also scored 133 runs, a team record. He was named the Expos Player of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1986. From 1981 to 1986, Raines stole at least 70 bases every season. In 1986, he had his best batting average of .334, winning the National League Batting Championship.
Raines became a free agent in 1986. However, baseball teams worked together to keep player salaries low, so no team tried hard to sign him. On May 1, 1987, Raines signed a new deal with the Expos. In his first game back on May 2, he hit a triple on the very first pitch he saw! He ended that game with four hits, three runs, a walk, a stolen base, and a game-winning grand slam. Even though he missed April, Raines still led the Expos in many important stats that year. He also won the MVP award in the All-Star Game.
Life After the Expos
The Expos traded Raines to the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Raines later said he left Montreal because he wanted to win a World Series.
In his first season in the American League, Raines hit .268. His batting average improved to .294 in 1992. In 1993, he hit .306 with 16 home runs, even though he missed six weeks with a thumb injury. The White Sox won their division that year. In the playoffs, Raines batted .444.
In 1995, the White Sox traded Raines to the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, Raines won two World Series rings in 1996 and 1998. Even with injuries, he helped the team and was a good player at the plate. He stole his 800th base with the Yankees in 1998.
In 1999, Raines signed with the Oakland Athletics. He was diagnosed with lupus, a health condition, and spent the rest of the year getting treatment.
Recovery and Return to Baseball
Raines signed with the Yankees again in 2000 but was released. In 2001, he signed with the Expos once more. At the Expos' home opener, he received a huge standing ovation from the fans. Despite limited playing time, Raines batted .308. That same year, he was inducted into the Expos' Hall of Fame.
On August 21, 2001, Raines and his son, Tim Raines Jr., made history. They became the first father-son pair to play against each other in a professional baseball game. The next day, Raines returned to the major league team.
On October 3, 2001, the Expos traded Raines to the Baltimore Orioles. This allowed Raines to play in a major league game with his son! On October 4, Raines Jr. played center field and Raines Sr. played left field for Baltimore. They became the second father and son team to play for the same major league team.
Raines played his last season in 2002 with the Florida Marlins. He is one of only 29 players in baseball history to play in MLB games in four different decades.
Amazing Baseball Records
In his 23-year career, Tim Raines played in 2,502 games. He had 2,605 hits and a .294 career batting average. He also hit 170 home runs and had 980 runs batted in.
Raines stole at least 70 bases in each of his first six full seasons (1981–1986). He led the National League in stolen bases from 1981 to 1984, with a career high of 90 steals in 1983. He also led the National League in runs scored twice (1983 and 1987).
With 808 steals, Raines has the fourth-highest total in major league history. His career stolen base percentage (84.7%) was the highest in MLB history for players with 300 or more attempts for a long time. Raines also set an American League record with 40 successful steal attempts in a row between 1993 and 1995.
Among players who could bat from both sides of the plate (switch hitters), Raines ranks very high in many categories. He is sixth in career hits (2,605) and fourth in runs (1,571). He holds many Expos/Washington Nationals team records, including career steals (635), singles (1,163), and walks (793).
Expos Team Records
- Most runs in a single season (133 in 1983)
- Most career runs (947)
- Most career singles (1,163)
- Most career triples (82)
- Most career walks (793)
- Most career stolen bases (635)
Honors and Awards
Tim Raines was a National League All-Star for 7 years in a row (1981–1987). He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1987 All-Star Game.
In 1981, The Sporting News named Raines the National League Rookie of the Year. He also won a Silver Slugger Award in 1986.
In 2013, Raines was elected into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. On January 18, 2017, Raines was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He was officially inducted on July 30, 2017. His Hall of Fame plaque shows him wearing an Expos cap.
The baseball complex at Seminole High School, Raines' old school, is now called Tim Raines Athletic Park. His number 22 has been retired at the school. He also received a special key to the city of Sanford, Florida, in 2019. The Sanford Historical Museum has an exhibit dedicated to his amazing career.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Raines became a coach. He started as a manager for a minor league team in 2003. In 2004, he joined the Expos' major league team for their final games in Montreal.
He coached for the White Sox from 2004 to 2006. During the 2005 season, when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series Championship, Raines was the first base coach. In 2006, he was the bench coach. He also managed the Newark Bears for a few years starting in 2009. In 2013, the Toronto Blue Jays hired Raines to coach minor league players on baserunning and outfield skills.
Personal Life
In 1979, Raines married Virginia Hilton, his high school classmate. They had two sons: Tim Jr. and André. Tim Jr. also played professional baseball.
Raines was a talented running back in high school football. He chose baseball because he thought he could play longer. He said, "in football my career would have probably lasted six or seven years and in baseball I ended up playing 23 years."
In 2007, he moved to Arizona and married Shannon Watson. In 2017, Raines published his autobiography, Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball's Fast Lane.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base records
- List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
