jason varitek

Free Agent — No. -- Catcher Born: April 11, 1972 (1972-04-11) (age 36)

Rochester, Michigan Bats: Switch Throws: Right MLB debut September 24, 1997 for the Boston Red Sox Career statistics

(through 2008) Batting average .263 Home runs 161 Runs batted in 654 Teams Boston Red Sox (1997-2008) Career highlights and awards Silver Slugger Award winner (2005) 3x All-Star selection (2003, 2005, 2008 ) Gold Glove Award winner (2005) 2x World Series Champion (2004) (2007)

Jason Andrew Varitek (pronounced /'v????t?k/, born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan) is an American baseball player who is currently a free agent. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox. A three-time all-star and Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, Varitek was an integral part of the 2004 World Series and 2007 World Series Championship teams. In December 2004 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, only their third captain since 1923.[1] He is a switch-hitter. His nicknames include "The Captain" and "'Tek" (his chest protector has the monogram "TEK" on its collar).[2]

Varitek is one of only two players in the history of the sport to have played in the World Championship game of the Little League World Series, in the National Championship game of the College World Series, and in the Major League World Series (Ed Vosberg is the other). Varitek stands alone as the only baseball player in history to have played in the three aforementioned World Series along with playing on the Olympic Baseball team, and in the World Baseball Classic. As well, his Lake Brantley High School baseball team won the Florida State Championship his senior year in 1990 and was named the number one high school baseball team in the nation by a USA Today poll.[3] Varitek has caught an MLB record four no-hitters. Contents [hide] 1 Little League career 2 High school and college 3 Early professional career 4 Major league career 4.1 1998 rookie year - 2001 4.2 2002 and 2003 4.3 2004 and the World Series 4.4 Free agency and promotion to Captain 5 Statistics and awards 5.1 Georgia Tech records 5.2 College awards and achievements 5.3 Early professional career 5.4 MLB career 5.5 Red Sox milestones and achievements 5.6 Notable firsts 6 Personal life 7 See also 8 References 9 External links //

Little League career Jason Varitek in the Little League World Series, 1984

Varitek was born in Rochester, Michigan. He played in the 1984 Little League World Series, leading his Altamonte Springs, Florida team to victory in the United States Championship bracket in a 4-2 victory over Southport, Indiana. His team then fell in the world championship game to the international champion from Seoul, South Korea, by a score of 6-2.[4] Varitek played shortstop, third base, and catcher in his three LLWS games, performing well defensively, but was hitless going 0 for 7 with two walks and a run scored.[5]