Robin Ventura: 2000 N.L. Champion Mets Third Baseman (1999 - 2001)
The six foot one left hand hitting Ventura, was a star ballplayer at his high School in Santa Maria known as one of the best high school players in California.
Robin attended Oklahoma State University where he led the division twice in RBIs & had a 58-game hitting streak. Ventura also led his team to a National Championship game, although they lost to Stanford University.
1988 Olympics: In 1988 he was the U.S Olympics team’s third baseman, in Seoul Korea batting .409 while winning a Silver Medal.
Robin attended Oklahoma State University where he led the division twice in RBIs & had a 58-game hitting streak. Ventura also led his team to a National Championship game, although they lost to Stanford University.
1988 Olympics: In 1988 he was the U.S Olympics team’s third baseman, in Seoul Korea batting .409 while winning a Silver Medal.
He starred in the 1988 World Cup as well, winning the Golden Spikes Award & getting named the best amateur player in the country.
Later in 1988 he was the Chicago White Sox first round draft pick (the tenth pick overall). He spent just one season in the minors, batting .278 at AAA Birmingham in 129 games, getting to the big leagues that September.
MLB Career: In 1990 he made the Topps All Star Rookie team, batting .249 with 124 hits 5 HRs 17 doubles & 54 RBIs. The next season he adjusted well to the majors hitting 23 HRs driving in 100 runs & scoring 92 runs, while batting .284.
MLB Career: In 1990 he made the Topps All Star Rookie team, batting .249 with 124 hits 5 HRs 17 doubles & 54 RBIs. The next season he adjusted well to the majors hitting 23 HRs driving in 100 runs & scoring 92 runs, while batting .284.
Over his ten seasons in Chicago, Ventura hit 20 or more HRs five times, drove in 90 plus runs six times, drive in over 100 twice, hit 30 plus doubles three times & 20 or more doubles six times. He batted over .280 five times,
Defensively he was one of the league’s best third baseman, winning five Gold Gloves and leading the league in put outs & assists three times each.
In 1993 the White Sox won the N.L. Western Title, as Ventura .262 with hit 22 HRs with 27 doubles 94 RBIs 101 walks posting a .379 on base & while scoring 85 runs.
Defensively he was one of the league’s best third baseman, winning five Gold Gloves and leading the league in put outs & assists three times each.
In 1993 the White Sox won the N.L. Western Title, as Ventura .262 with hit 22 HRs with 27 doubles 94 RBIs 101 walks posting a .379 on base & while scoring 85 runs.
Catcher Ivan Rodriguez broke up the brawl &Ventura was ejected from the game, taking a two-game suspension. He was highly criticized for going after the popular Nolan Ryan and was forever booed in the state of Texas.
1993 Post Season: In the 1993 ALCS loss to the Blue Jays he only batted .200 with a HR & five RBIs, driving in runs in four straight games.
In Game #4 he hit a 9th inning two run HR off Duane Ward in the White Sox 5-3 loss.
The next two years were maybe his best overall in Chicago; batting .295 with a .384 on base % in 1995, followed career highs in HRs (34) & runs scored (95) in 1996 with 31 doubles & 105 RBIs.
In 1997 the Sox were heavily favored to win their division, but Ventura broke his ankle in Spring Training and his loss was a big blow to the team. It was feared he’d miss the season but he did return in late July. On the night he returned he got the game winning hit & the next night he hit his first HR of the year. In just 54 games he hit 6 HRs with 26 RBIs & a .262 average.
In 1999 he was signed by the New York Mets as a free agent and enjoyed his best season, playing in all but one game on the year.
Mets Career: On Opening Day 1999, Robin Ventura debuted with the Mets playing third base & batting sixth in South Florida. In the 2nd inning he hit a sac fly driving in his first career Mets run. The Mets lost the game 6-2.
Ventura started off the year with a ten-game hit streak & drove in eleven runs with three muti-hit games during that stretch. He was the first Mets player since Rick Cerone (1991) to start the season with a ten-game hit streak.
In his first month he drove in twenty runs, with five multi-RBI games, hitting four HRs & was batting .298.
On May 12th, he drove in three runs in a 10-5 win at Colorado. As the team went to Philadelphia Ventura hit HRs in the first two games leading to Mets victories.
On May 12th, he drove in three runs in a 10-5 win at Colorado. As the team went to Philadelphia Ventura hit HRs in the first two games leading to Mets victories.
In the first game, his 1st inning HR came off Brewer's pitcher Jim Abbot. The game was a wild 11-10 Mets win with Mike Piazza & Benny Agbayani both hitting HRs. The game ended with Milwaukee's Alex Ochoa (former Met) getting thrown out at home plate by outfielder Roger Cedeno.
In the nightcap, Ventura's 4th inning grand slam off Horatio Estrada, hugged the right field line then hit the foul pole giving the Mets a 9-0 lead. It was his 8th HR of the season giving him 36 RBIs on the year.
Quotes- Robin Ventura: "You go up & think this can't happen again. Grand slams don't happen that often because you don't get that many situations".
On May 23rd, down 4-0 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Ventura started a Mets come from behind win, against Curt Shilling & the Phillies. Ventura hit a two run HR off Schilling starting the rally. John Olerud provided the walk off RBI base hit in the 5-4 win.
On June 9th with the Mets down 3-0 to the Blue Jays, Ventura came to bat with two on & two out delivering a single bringing in the two runs. The Mets went on to win it on Rey Ordonez Walk off base hit in the 14th inning.
Multi-HR Six RBI Game: On June 28th, Ventura hit two HRs while driving in a season high six runs in the 10-4 Mets win over the Marlins. In the 4th inning, he hit a three run HR off Brian Meadows. In the 5th inning he hit another three run HR coming off Vic Darensboug giving the Mets a 9-2 lead. Ventura was the first Mets player since Todd Hundley in 1996 to drive in six runs.
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At the end of July, Ventura drove in runs in ten of the last 13 games, collecting 22 RBIs on the month. He also had seven HRs with 13 extra base hits & batted.326.Player of the Week Award: From July 26th to August 1st, Ventura batted .500 with four HRs & 11 RBIs in that span, earning him a Player of the Week Award.
Multi-HR Six RBI Game: On July 31st Ventura matched his season high six RBIs, with a big four hit, multi-HR game in a 17-10 loss at Wrigley Field. Both HRs were two run HRs off Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber. He also had a two run double & a base hit.
He went into August on a five-game hit streak & would hit safely in 28 of 32 games.
HRs in Three Straight Games: From August 2nd to August 4th, Ventura homered in three straight games at Milwaukee, collecting six RBIs. He would have his second four hit game that week as well as of the season.
100th RBI of the Season: On August 18th, he hit a three run HR off the Padres Stan Spencer in a 9-1 win at San Diego. The three RBIs gave him 100 on the season, reaching that mark for the second time in his career.
On August 25th, Ventura drove in two runs with a two-run single off the Astros Shane Reynolds in a 4-0 Kenny Rogers / Dennis Cook shut out.
In the month he drove in another twenty runs & hit .340, keeping his average up over .300 on the season.
Multi- Four RBI Game: On September 1st, he had his sixth game of the year where he drove in four runs or more. Ventura had a three hit, four RBI game in Houston. In the 2nd inning he hit his 29th HR of the year, a two-run shot off Chris Holt in a 9-5 Mets win.
Ventura drove in runs in the next three games as well, coming in a series with Colorado as the Mets took two of three games. On September 4th, Ventura hit his 30th HR of the season, a solo shot off Brian Bohanon. It was the second time in his career he hit 30 or more HRs.
Walk Off Hit: On October 1st he singled off Pittsburgh's Scott Sauerbeck for a walk off game winning RBI, keeping the Mets within one game of the Wild Card leading Cincinnati Reds.
Ventura hit safely in the final five games of the regular season while driving in four runs. The Mets & Reds ended up tied at the end of the season, forcing a one game Wild Card playoff.
Mets RBI Record for Left Hand Hitters: In the 1999 regular season, Ventura drove in a career best 120 runs (8th in the NL). He set a Mets record for RBIs by a left-handed batter breaking Darryl Strawberry's 108 RBIs in 1990.
Ventura also had career bests in hits (177) bating (.301) & OPS (.908). He hit 32 HRs with 38 doubles & 88 runs scored.
Ventura's addition provided a lot of power batting next to Mike Piazza & Edgardo Alfonzo in the
Mets powerful line up, which carried them within one game of the World Series.
Defensively, he won his first National League Gold Glove, his sixth overall. Ventura posted an MLB best .980 fielding % at third base. He made only nine errors in 452 chances. Ventura also led the league's third baseman in assists (320) games played at third (160) & was second in put outs.
Mets powerful line up, which carried them within one game of the World Series.
Defensively, he won his first National League Gold Glove, his sixth overall. Ventura posted an MLB best .980 fielding % at third base. He made only nine errors in 452 chances. Ventura also led the league's third baseman in assists (320) games played at third (160) & was second in put outs.
Sports Illustrated Cover: That year Ventura was part of what Sports Illustrated called " one of baseball’s best defensive infields ever assembled". He along with Rey Ordonez at short, Edgardo Alfonzo at second & John Olerud at first base made the cover of SI with that headline story during the season.
The Doors "Mojo Rising": In the clubhouse Ventura proved to be a team leader in many ways. He inspired the club with the Doors song “L.A. Woman”. He used the term ‘Mojo Rising” from the song & made it the Mets rally cry for the stretch run.
Music Trivia: Mojo Rising was actually Door's singer Jim Morrison’s name jumbled around.
The Mets tied for the wild card with Cincinnati that season &forced a one game playoff. The game was played in Cincinnati against the Reds, Ventura had one hit and drew two walks. One of those walks came with the bases loaded as the Mets went on to a 5-0 victory advancing to the post season.
The Mets tied for the wild card with Cincinnati that season &forced a one game playoff. The game was played in Cincinnati against the Reds, Ventura had one hit and drew two walks. One of those walks came with the bases loaded as the Mets went on to a 5-0 victory advancing to the post season.
In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, he grounded out in the 3rd inning on a force play which scored John Olerud in the 9-2 Mets win.
1999 NLCS: In the NLCS loss to the Braves, Ventura had gone 0-12 thru the first four games. The Mets had lost the first three games 7 came up with a 3-2 win in Game #4.
Ventura's moment of Mets glory came in the NLCS against the rival Atlanta Braves.
In Game #5, the Mets were down three games to one, facing elimination. In the bottom of the 1st, John Olerud hit a two run HR off Greg Maddux. The Braves tied it with RBI hits by Chipper Jones & Brian Jordan.
Ventura came to bat with rain was falling hard, five hours & forty-five minutes after the game started. Ventura then blasted McGlinchy's pitch over the right field wall sending the remaining fans at Shea into a frenzy.
Roger Cedeno ran home & touched the plate with the winning run. As Ventura was rounding the bases, Todd Pratt got so excited getting caught up in the moment, he did not even realize it was HR.
He ran over to celebrate, jumping up & down embracing Ventura stopping his progress around the bases. Since Ventura failed to round the bases, he was only credited with an RBI single. It became known as the “Grand Slam single”.
Overall, he had just three hits in the NLCS (3-25) batting just .120.
Off Season Surgeries: In the off-season Ventura underwent a knee surgery & then had torn cartilage removed from his shoulder. Both surgeries were done at the NY Hospital for Special Surgery.
2000 Mets Pennant Season: The Mets opened the season with a two-game series against the Cubs in Japan. Ventura went hitless in the two games.
After a slow start, he got things going during a road trip to Pittsburgh.
On April 14th, he hit his first HR of the season, it came off Jason Schmidt in an 8-5 Mets win over the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium.
Grand Slam HR: On April 18th in the next game as the Mets returned home, Ventura hit a 4th inning grand slam HR off the Brewers Jamie Navarro leading t the Mets to a 10-7 win. It was Ventura's 14th career grand slam & his fourth as a Mets player.
He closed out the month driving in runs in five straight games. He didn’t hit for a high average but continued to drive in runs on a constant basis.
He closed out the month driving in runs in five straight games. He didn’t hit for a high average but continued to drive in runs on a constant basis.
Pinch Hit HR: On May 21st, he entered a game against Arizona with the Mets down 6-5 in the 8th inning at Shea Stadium. Ventura came up as a pinch hitter, tying the game with a HR off Mike Morgan. The Mets went on to beat Arizona 7-6 on Derek Bell's Walk off single.
Back-to-Back Multi- Three RBI Games: On May 26th & May 27th, Ventura had back-to-back multi- Three RBI games in St. Louis. In the first game he had a two-run single & RBI sac fly in the 5-2 Met win. The next game, he hit a 1st inning three run HR off Andy Benes in a 12-8 win over the Cardinals.From June 10th to June 26th, Ventura had an eleven-game hit streak, collecting 14 hits with 5 HRs & 14 RBIs in a 13-game stretch. On June 14th he hit his 13th HR of the season, a solo shot off the Cubs Scott Downs in a 10-8 win at Wrigley. He then drove in runs in two of the three games at Milwaukee & had a multi-RBI game in a win at Philadelphia.
As the Mets returned to Shea Stadium, Ventura had three muti RBI games & drove in nine runs on the homestand.
He struggled in July with shoulder problems causing him to miss two weeks of action. He only drove in one run that month playing in 12 games. He returned in August to drive in runs in three straight games & hit three HRs in the first week.
Multi- Four RBI Game: On August 10th in a 10-3 win at Houston, Ventura had a four RBI game with a pair of RBI doubles. It was the third time he had four or more RBIs in a game that season.
On September 14th in Montreal, he hit one of three Mets HRs in a 10-5 win over the Expos. Ventura hit a three-run shot off Sean Spencer giving him 75 RBIs on the year.
In the final 16 games of the regular season, he was 16-50 batting .320 with three HRs & 13 RBIs.
In a mid-September three game series at Montreal, he homered in two of the games leading the Mets to 10-4 victories both times.
On September 29th, when the Expos came to Shea, Ventura hit a two run HR off Julio Santana& collected an RBI base hit in the Mets 11-2 win.
He hit 24 HRs, with 109 hits, 23 doubles a triple, 61 runs scored & 84 RBIs. He struck out 91 times with 75 walks a .338 on base % & 777 OPS.
At third base he posted a .954 fielding % (5th in the NL), while turning 27 double plays (third most in the league). He made 17 errors with 95 put outs & 261 assists (all fourth most in the league).
In the Game #4 series winner, played at Shea Stadium, Robin blasted a 1st inning, two run HR off the Giants Mark Gardner. That night Bobby Jones threw a one hit shutout, as the Mets advanced to their second straight NLCS.
2000 NLCS: In the NLCS victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Ventura only batted .214 with just three hits (3-14) but he did drive in five runs.
2000 NLCS: In the NLCS victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Ventura only batted .214 with just three hits (3-14) but he did drive in five runs.
In Game 31 Ventura hit a 1st inning sac fly bringing in Edgardo Alfonso with the Mets second run in their 6-2 win. He was 0-2 with a walk in the game.
Multi- Three RBI Game: In Game #4 at Shea Stadium, he hit a 1st inning double off Daryl Kile, driving in Edgardo Alfonzo & Mike Piazza, putting New York ahead 3-2. He later added a sac fly RBI in the 8th inning of the Mets 10-6 win.
2000 World Series: In the 2000 World Series, the Mets & AL New York team went at it in the first Subway World Series since 1956 when the Dodgers were the NL New York team.
In Game #1 Ventura went hitless in the 4-3 extra inning loss.
In Game #2 he went 1-4, with a base hit off Jeff Nelson in the 9th inning. He was thrown out at home plate trying to score on a fielder's choice back to the pitcher, who got the first out at second then Ventura at home. The Mets came back with five runs in the 9th inning falling short by one run in the 6-5 loss.
HR: In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, Ventura led off the 2nd inning with a HR off Orlando Hernandez exciting the Met fans including centerfieldmaz who was in attendance. In the 4th inning, he doubled & then drew a 7th inning walk in the Mets 4-2 victory.
In the final two games he went hitless striking out twice, as the Mets lost the Series two games to two.
After the Pennant- Multi HR Game: On Opening Day 2001 Ventura began the year with two HRs driving in four runs in Atlanta. In the 8th inning, Ventura delivered with a two-run blast off John Rocker breaking a 2-2 tie. In the 10th, he homered off Kelly Ligtenberg with what was the game winning runs in the 6-4 win. It was the 19th time in his career he had hit two or more HRs in a game.
Multi- Four RBI Game: On May 24th, Ventura had a four RBI Day, leading the Mets to a 11-3 win over the Marlins. In the Mets five run 5th inning, Ventura hit a two run double off AJ Burnett. In the 6th inning he had another RBI double & had collected a fielder's choice RBI earlier.
From May 21st to May 28th, he had five multi-hit games with an eight-game hit streak,
getting him over the .300 mark.
Multi HR- Four RBI Game: On June 14th, Ventura hit a pair of HRs at Baltimore's Camden Yards, coming off Chuck McElroy & Ryan Kohlmeier in the Mets 10-3 win over the Orioles. It was the fourth time that season he drove in four runs in a game.
Multi HR- Four RBI Game: On June 14th, Ventura hit a pair of HRs at Baltimore's Camden Yards, coming off Chuck McElroy & Ryan Kohlmeier in the Mets 10-3 win over the Orioles. It was the fourth time that season he drove in four runs in a game.
Four days later, he hit a solo HR off Mike Mussina, in a subway series 2-1 Mets loss. Overall, in June he hit eight HRs & drove in 17 runs buy hit just .212. He went into a worse slump in July batting .175 hitting just two HR with seven RBIs.
Walk Off HR: On July 28th, Ventura came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning of a 3-3 tie with the Phillies. Ventura hit a walk off HR off former Met teammate Turk Wendell, giving New York a 4-3 win over. It was his 18th HR of the season.
In August he slumped even worse batting .147 not driving in a run until August 24th & not hitting a HR all month. The Mets began the month eight games under .500 & would enter September the same way. Then they went on a six-game win streak to start September.
On September 5th, Ventura hit his 19th HR of the season ending his five-week drought. He drove in three runs of the Mets 7-4 win at Philadelphia. On September 8th, he drove in two runs in a 9-8 Mets victory in Florida.
911: On September 11th the terrorist attacked New York City as two planes struck the World
Trade Center. Everything stopped & baseball was put on hld. Shea Stadium was used as a staging area for rescue workers with Mets players helping in distribution of supplies.
Trade Center. Everything stopped & baseball was put on hld. Shea Stadium was used as a staging area for rescue workers with Mets players helping in distribution of supplies.
On September 17th, baseball returned with the Mets playing in Pittsburgh. Ventura went hitless in the Mets win. On September 19th, he hit a solo HR in the final game of the three-game series in the 9-2 win.
On September 21st, baseball returned to New York in an emotional evening at Shea Stadium as the Mets hosted the rival Braves. Ventura went hitless in the Mets win, highlighted by Mike Piazza's 8th inning game winning HR off native New Yorker Steve Karsay.
The next night, Robin collected an RBI 4th inning single to put the Mets up 2-1. In the 6th inning he added a solo HR off Steve Reed as the Mets went on win that game 7-3, to get within 3.5 games of the first place Braves. After returning from the 911 attacks, the Mets won eight of nine games but then went 6-6 the rest of the way fading from the wild card race.
The next night, Robin collected an RBI 4th inning single to put the Mets up 2-1. In the 6th inning he added a solo HR off Steve Reed as the Mets went on win that game 7-3, to get within 3.5 games of the first place Braves. After returning from the 911 attacks, the Mets won eight of nine games but then went 6-6 the rest of the way fading from the wild card race.
At third base he posted a .957 fielding % making 16 errors turning 24 double plays.
Ventura wasn’t hitting as the Mets had hoped, thinking that the 33-year-old was winding down his career, they traded him to the AL New York club for David Justice in December 2001. A week later Justice was traded for Mark Guthrie & Tyler Yates.
Mets Career Stats: In his Mets career Ventura batted .266 with 394 hits with 81 doubles a triple 77 HRs 265 RBIs & 219 runs scored. He struck out 301 times with 237 walks, posting a .360 on base % & .828 OPS in 444 games over three seasons.
Ventura wasn’t hitting as the Mets had hoped, thinking that the 33-year-old was winding down his career, they traded him to the AL New York club for David Justice in December 2001. A week later Justice was traded for Mark Guthrie & Tyler Yates.
Mets Career Stats: In his Mets career Ventura batted .266 with 394 hits with 81 doubles a triple 77 HRs 265 RBIs & 219 runs scored. He struck out 301 times with 237 walks, posting a .360 on base % & .828 OPS in 444 games over three seasons.
At third base he played at 436 games, sixth on the Mets all-time list.
In 2003 he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and finished his career there the next season.
Grand Slams: In Los Angeles, he hit two more grand slam HRs. On August 29th, 2004, Ventura hit his 17th career grand slam, coming off the Mets Kris Benson in a 10-2 Dodger win at Shea Stadium.
Career Stats: Ventura finished a 16-year career, batting .262 with 1885 hits 344 doubles 14 triples 1006 runs scored, 76 sac flies (115th all time) & 1182 RBIs (168th All Time).
Career Stats: Ventura finished a 16-year career, batting .262 with 1885 hits 344 doubles 14 triples 1006 runs scored, 76 sac flies (115th all time) & 1182 RBIs (168th All Time).
list). In his career Ventura was a .340 hitter with the bases loaded.
Ventura struck out 1179 times with 1075 walks (92nd all time) 132 intentional walks (72nd all time) posting a .362 on base % & 806 OPS.
At third base he played 1887 games (18th all time) posting a .958 fielding percentage. He made 3552 assists (22nd all time) 1471 put outs (38th all time) & committed 220 errors (73rd all time).
Retirement: Ventura's ankle hadn't fully recovered from the break he suffered in 1997. After his playing days, he walked with a limp being forced to use a cane for a while. He underwent an ankle allograft & was able to walk fine being pain free.
Honors: In 2008 Robin returned to Shea Stadium for the closing ceremonies of the Stadium.
Manager: In 2012, although he had never held any other managerial position at any level, he was named manager of the Chicago White Sox.
Trivia: He was the 17th former player in White Sox history to manage the club.
In 2013 his team struggled finishing fifth in the AL Central, under the .500 mark at 63-99 (.389%).
In 2014 his Sox were under .500 once again (73-89) finishing up on fourth place in the AL Central. After another losing effort in 2016, he resigned from the position.
In 2014 his Sox were under .500 once again (73-89) finishing up on fourth place in the AL Central. After another losing effort in 2016, he resigned from the position.
Family: Robin & his wife Stephanie were together since high school & were married in 1990. Together they have four children.
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