Cody Ross
Boston Red Sox – No. 7
Outfielder
Born: (1980-12-23) December 23, 1980 (age 31) Portales, New Mexico
Bats: Right	Throws: Left
MLB debut
July 4, 2003 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics (through August 13, 2012)
Batting average	.263
Home runs	118
Runs batted in	430
Doubles	174
Teams
Detroit Tigers (2003) Los Angeles Dodgers (2005–2006) Cincinnati Reds (2006) Florida Marlins (2006–2010) San Francisco Giants (2010–2011) Boston Red Sox (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2010) NLCS MVP (2010)

  Ross at Marlins spring training in February 2008.

Cody Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1980) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Ross also played with the Detroit Tigers (2003), Los Angeles Dodgers (2005–2006), Cincinnati Reds (2006), and Florida Marlins (2006–2010) and San Francisco Giants (2010–2011).

  Early life

Ross was born in Portales, New Mexico, and played high school baseball in Carlsbad, New Mexico. As a youth, Ross wanted to become a rodeo clown, with his father being a professional bull rider.^[1]

  Professional career

  Early career

Ross was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2003, Ross was named the Tigers Minor League Player of the Year. The following offseason, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Steve Colyer.

He was traded to the Marlins from the Cincinnati Reds for cash or a player to be named later (Ben Kozlowski). In 2006, Ross posted modest statistics for three different teams but had two seven-RBI games and a three-home run game. On April 13, 2006, as a member of the Dodgers, he hit a tie-breaking grand slam and a three run home run.

  Florida Marlins

On May 26, 2006, the Florida Marlins purchased Ross from the Reds.^[2] On September 11, 2006, he hit a three-run home run and a pair of two-run home runs. The five home runs and 14 RBI for the two games were more than any other month for Ross that season. In his five years with the Marlins, Ross hit .258 with 80 home runs and 297 RBIs. After falling out of contention in the 2010 season and due for a pay raise the following year, the Florida Marlins put Ross on waivers in order save money and give their young players more playing time.^[3]

  San Francisco Giants

On August 21, 2010, Ross was awarded to the San Francisco Giants on a waiver claim, in part to block a similar claim by the San Diego Padres.^[4][5] He appeared in 33 regular season games for the Giants, batting .288 with three home runs. The Giants went on to overtake the Padres late in the season to win the National League West Division title.

In the ensuing 2010 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Ross started all four games in right field, hit a home run to tie the deciding fourth game, and batted in the winning runs in two of the Giants' three wins.^[6] Ross hit two home runs off of Roy Halladay in Game 1 in the following 2010 National League Championship Series,^[7][8] and hit a solo home run against Roy Oswalt in Game 2.^[9] Following the Giants' Game 6 win of the 2010 NLCS, Ross was awarded the MVP award for the series, in which he hit .350 with three home runs, three doubles and recorded five RBI.^[10] Three of his five postseason home runs broke up no-hitters. His home run off the Braves' Derek Lowe was the Giants' first hit in Game 4 of the NLDS. His first home run off Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the NLCS was the first hit off Halladay in 11 innings, as Halladay had thrown a no-hitter in his previous start. His home run off Roy Oswalt in Game 2 of the NLCS was the Giants' first hit of the game.^[11] In Game 3 of the World Series he hit the first home run off Colby Lewis.

Ross became a popular player in San Francisco, earning the nickname "Ross the Boss" for his timely, occasionally powerful hitting, and good fielding skills.^[12]

  Boston Red Sox

On January 23, 2012, Ross signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. On April 14, 2012, Ross hit his first home run in a Red Sox uniform, a two-run shot off Tampa Bay Rays's Burke Badenhop. The next day, Ross hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 2nd inning off Matt Moore. On May 18, 2012, Ross suffered a fractured foot after fouling a ball off his foot. He was placed on the disabled list and expected to miss from 6 to 8 weeks.

On June 16, 2012, Ross went a rehabilitation assignment to the minor leagues to recover from a fractured foot. Three days later, he was called back to the majors by the Red Sox. His first game back, he hit a home run over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Several days later he hit two home runs in one game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He has started almost every day for Boston in all three outfield positions, but mainly right field. On the season he has 16 home runs and 50 RBIs.

On July 18, 2012, he hit two consecutive three-run home runs against the Chicago White Sox. On July 19, 2012, he hit a three-run home run for a walk-off win against the White Sox.

  Personal life

Ross and his wife, Summer, live most of the year in Scottsdale, Arizona, with their two children.^[13][14]

  References

  External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cody Ross

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