| Jason Bay | |
|---|---|
 Bay with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: (1978-09-20)September 20, 1978 (age 47) Trail, British Columbia, Canada | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 23, 2003, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 26, 2013, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 222 |
| Runs batted in | 754 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2019 |
Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is aCanadian-American former professionalbaseballleft fielder who played 11 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by theMontreal Expos, he played for theSan Diego Padres,Pittsburgh Pirates,Boston Red Sox,New York Mets andSeattle Mariners.
Bay was theNational League Rookie of the Year in 2004 and he won theSilver Slugger Award in 2009. He is a three-timeMLB All-Star and a three-timeTip O'Neill Award winner as the best Canadian baseball player.
In youth baseball, Bay's Trail little league team reached the1990 Little League World Series. Bay attendedNorth Idaho College inCoeur d'Alene andGonzaga University inSpokane, where he playedcollege baseball from 1997-2000[1] In 1999, he played for theChatham Athletics in theCape Cod Baseball League.[2][3]
Bay was drafted by theMontreal Expos in the 22nd round of the2000 Major League Baseball draft and was assigned to the Expos'Short-Season A team inBurlington, Vermont, theVermont Expos. In2001, Bay was assigned to the Expos’ High Single-A team in theFlorida State League, theJupiter Hammerheads. He began the year slowly, and in May was moved to theClinton LumberKings of theMidwest League, where Bay reached base in his first 26 games, then went on to bat .362 and win the league batting title. In all, he batted .315 with 14 home runs and 75 runs batted in on the year.
The Expos traded Bay to theNew York Mets on March 24, 2002, withJimmy Serrano forLou Collier. At the trading deadline on July 31, 2002, the Mets traded Bay to theSan Diego Padres with Josh Reynolds andBobby Jones forJason Middlebrook andSteve Reed.[4]
Bay debuted with the Padres on May 23, 2003, getting his first major league hit, a home run, in the ninth inning.[5] Two days later, he suffered a broken right wrist after beinghit by a pitch.
On August 26, 2003, Bay was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, along withÓliver Pérez and Cory Stewart in exchange forBrian Giles.[6] He finished the season with a .287 batting average, four home runs, and 14 RBI in 30 games.
Bay began the2004 season on the disabled list due to surgery during the offseason, and did not rejoin the team until May. Despite missing the beginning of the season, he still produced the best offensive numbers of anyNational League rookie. He batted .282 in 120 games, leading all major league rookies in home runs (26) and RBIs (82). He also led all NL rookies inslugging percentage (.550),extra base hits (54) andtotal bases (226). With his 26 home runs, Bay broke a Pirates rookies record of 23 set byJohnny Rizzo in1936 and matched byRalph Kiner in1946. Selected as the 2004NL Rookie of the Year byThe Sporting News, Bay was the second Pittsburgh Pirates player honoured with the award, aftersecond basemanJohnny Ray in 1982. Bay was also the first Canadian player to win the award.[7]
In 2005, Bay was selected to his firstAll-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. He was the only player on either roster not to appear in the game. Bay also appeared in the 2005 Century 21Home Run Derby, representing Canada in the nationality-themed contest; he was eliminated in the first round after hitting no home runs. Bay finished the season with a .306 average, 32 home runs, and 101 RBI, leading the Pirates in every major hitting category.
After the 2005 season, Bay signed a four-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $18.25 million.[8]
Bay batted .321 with 12 home runs (a Pirate record for home runs in a month) and 35 RBIs in May 2006. From May 22 to May 28, he hit home runs in six consecutive games, two short of the major league record held byDale Long,Don Mattingly, andKen Griffey Jr. He had actually hit 10 home runs in ten games, but he had failed to hit a home run in one of the games, and hit two the next day.
Following an aggressive public relations campaign by the Pirates in 2006, Bay led all National League outfielders in All-Star voting.Pearl Jam lead singerEddie Vedder even urged fans to vote for Bay during a summer concert at Pittsburgh'sMellon Arena.[9] Bay became the first member of the Pittsburgh Pirates voted into the All-Star game as a starter sinceAndy Van Slyke. In the game, Bay went 1-for-3 with asingle.
After battling injuries, Bay's2007 season was less productive. Despite having a strong first couple of months, he batted .247 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI.[10]
Bay had a much more productive 2008 with Pittsburgh, batting .282 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI through the All-Star break. In a May series against theChicago Cubs, Bay had extra-inningwalk-off hits in back-to-back games; the first two walk-off hits of his career.[11] A month later, he got his third walk-off hit of the season and his career with a 13th-inning solo home run against theTampa Bay Rays.[12]
On July 31, 2008, Bay and a player to be named later (Josh Wilson)[13] were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three team deal that sentManny Ramirez to theLos Angeles Dodgers andAndy LaRoche withBryan Morris to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Dodgers andBrandon Moss withCraig Hansen to the Pirates from the Red Sox.[14] In his Red Sox debut, Bay scored both runs, the second coming after he tripled in the bottom of the 12th inning and scored the game-winning run on aJed Lowrie RBI infield single. Bay hit his first home run with Boston the next night, against theOakland Athletics. In one game, he hit multiple home runs against theBaltimore Orioles atOriole Park. Bay would end the 2008 season with Boston batting .293 with nine home runs and 37 RBI.
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The Red Sox'2008 American League Division Series against theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim was the first playoff series of Bay's career. Bay hit a home run in each of the first two games of the series. Bay finished the series batting 7-for-17 (.412), with two doubles, two home runs, and 5 RBI. In the2008 American League Championship Series, he scored the first run in game one. In game two, he opened the door for the Red Sox with a two-run double and a home run in the fifth inning. However, the Red Sox lost in seven games.
In 2009, after a strong first half that included an All-Star selection, Bay went on to lead the Red Sox with a career-high 36 home runs and 119 RBI during the regular season. Early in the season, he also had a streak of 11 home runs with men on base, tying the team record and falling one shy of the major league record.
In 2009, he was named #41 on theSporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball.[15]
He filed for free agency after the season, turning down the Red Sox's offer of salary arbitration.[16]
On December 29, 2009, Bay agreed to a four-year, $66 million contract with the New York Mets, which also included a vesting option for a fifth year.[17][18] General managerOmar Minaya, who engineered the deal, originally traded Bay to the Mets in 2002 when he was GM for the Montreal Expos. On January 5, 2010, Minaya andJeff Wilpon held a press conference atCiti Field in which Bay was presented with his uniform, number 44 for the Mets. The Red Sox received the 39th (Anthony Ranaudo) and 57th (Brandon Workman) selections in the2010 Major League Baseball draft as compensation.[19]
On April 27, in the first game of a double header against theLos Angeles Dodgers, Bay hit his first home run as a member of the New York Mets in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Mets a 2–0 lead. The Mets went on to win the first game, 4–0, and win the second game, 10–5.
In his first season with the Mets, Bay played in only 95 games. He suffered a concussion in a game against the Dodgers, when he ran into a fenced wall and his head jerked back. He finished his season with a .259 batting average, only six home runs (he hit 36 the year before), 47 RBI, and scored 48 runs.
Bay began 2011 on the disabled list with a rib injury[20] and returned to the Mets on April 21 in a game against theHouston Astros. On that day (a 9–1 Mets win), Bay batted and scored in the eighth on a rare four-base error whenHunter Pence failed to catch Bay's fly ball;David Wright, on first base from a walk, scored ahead of him. Bay also had a ground-rule double and scored a run in the fourth inning.[21][22] On June 28, 2011, Bay hit agrand slam off ofDetroit Tigers pitcherDaniel Schlereth. It was the first grand slam by the Mets sinceÁngel Pagán hit one on August 1, 2009.[23] On August 8, Bay hit his 200th career home run against the San Diego Padres, becoming the third Canadian MLB player afterLarry Walker andMatt Stairs to reach this milestone.[24] Bay hit another grand slam in September en route to winning his fifth career National LeaguePlayer of the Week Award.[25]
Bay got off to a slow start to the 2012 season, finishing spring training with no home runs or RBI, and his regular season, which was derailed further by a broken rib[26] suffered while making a diving catch in the April 23 game against theSan Francisco Giants. When Bay returned from the DL on June 8, 2012 against theNew York Yankees, he went 0-for-3 with onestrikeout. He continued to go 0-for-16 in his return from the DL through June 12, before hitting asingle on June 13 against theTampa Bay Rays.[27] In a home game against theCincinnati Reds on June 15, Bay left the game in the second inning after crashing into the left field wall and suffering aconcussion while attempting to catch a fly ball byJay Bruce that became aninside-the-park home run. He was subsequently placed on the DL again, and returned again on July 17 against theWashington Nationals. On September 2, Bay hit a grand slam off ofMiami Marlins pitcherMark Buehrle in the first inning of a 5–2 Mets win. Bay also hit a home run off of Buehrle on September 22 in a 4–3 Mets win. Bay finished the 2012 season with a .165 batting average, eight home runs and 20 RBI.
On November 7, 2012, the Mets and Bay agreed to terminate their contract a year early and make the outfielder an unrestricted free agent.[28]
On December 8, 2012, theSeattle Mariners signed Bay to a one-year, $1 million deal.[29] Bay appeared in 68 games with the Mariners and batted .204 with 11 home runs and 20 RBI before being designated for assignment on July 29, 2013.[30] Bay was released on August 6.[31]
On March 31, 2014, Bay officially announced his retirement from professional baseball.[32]
Bay was eligible to be elected into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, but received less than 5% of the vote and became ineligible for the 2020 ballot.[33]
Bay and his wife, Kristen, have three children.[34]
Bay's sister,Lauren Bay-Regula, is a professionalsoftball player who pitched for Canada in the2004 Olympics, and was on the2008 Olympic team as well.
Bay remains friends with former NHL centreShawn Horcoff, who was also born in Trail. He is close friends withGrady Sizemore, who was a groomsman at Bay's wedding.
In Bay's opening interview with the Boston media, he stated that his father was a die-hard Red Sox fan who had bought him a Red Soxonesie to wear when he was young. Bay believed it was still in his parents' basement along with his two childhood TV room posters of Red Sox greatsJim Rice andCarl Yastrzemski.[35]
On July 2, 2009, Bay became a US citizen after a ceremony atFaneuil Hall in Boston.[36]
· Baseball Almanac| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Players Choice NL Most Outstanding Rookie 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Scott Podsednik | Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year 2004 | Succeeded by Willy Taveras |
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month April, 2006 | Succeeded by |
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