Carew, Rod (1945-…), was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Carew could hit to all fields and was a skilled bunter. He was also known for his knowledge of the strike zone and rarely swung at a bad pitch.
Carew led the American League in batting seven seasons. Carew had 3,053 career hits. He batted over .300 for 15 consecutive seasons, from 1969 to 1983. He had a lifetime batting average of .328. Carew was also an outstanding base runner. He stole 353 bases during his career and tied a major league record by stealing home 7 times during the 1969 season.
Rodney Cline Carew was born on Oct. 1, 1945, in Gatun in the Panama Canal Zone, which was then governed by the United States. He moved to New York City with his mother at the age of 17. Carew signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1964 and joined the Twins in 1967 after playing three seasons in the minor leagues. He was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1967.
Carew played second base until the 1976 season, when he moved to first base. He batted .388 in 1977 and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Carew was traded to the California Angels (now Los Angeles Angels) in 1979. He retired after the 1985 season. Carew was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Carew wrote an autobiography, One Tough Out: Fighting Off Life’s Curveballs (2020, with Jaime Aron).
