17 March 1971 - On this day thirty-seven years ago, former Boston Red Sox third baseman and American League batting champion Bill Mueller is born in Maryland Heights, MO. Drafted by San Francisco in 1993, Mueller signed as a free agent with the Red Sox in January of 2003 and hit .326 over 146 games in his first season with Boston, good enough to win the AL batting title over teammate Manny Ramirez. The switch-hitting Mueller also became the first player in history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in one game on 29 July of that season in a 14-7 win over the Rangers in Texas, and he set career-highs with 45 doubles and 19 home runs.

The next season, Mueller missed significant time due to injury between mid-May and early July, limiting him to just 110 games, and his average dropped to .283; even so, he was part of some memorable moments in Boston’s championship run in 2004. In late July, his walk-off home run against the Yankees at Fenway Park ended a see-saw affair that witnessed Boston catcher Jason Varitek and New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez square off after pitcher Bronson Arroyo hit Rodriguez with a pitch. Then, with Boston down to its last three outs of the AL Championship Series against New York, Mueller’s single up the middle off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, following Dave Roberts’ infamous steal of second base, tied the score at four; David Ortiz would eventually win the game with a walk-off home run three innings later. Overall, Mueller would bat .321 in the 2004 post-season, including .429 in the World Series with two RBI, as Boston won its first world championship in 86 years.

Mueller remained for one more season with the Red Sox, playing in 150 games and batting .295 in 2005, before leaving Boston as a free agent and signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, his career would soon end; he appeared in just 35 games for Los Angeles before a knee injury, the third of his career, ended his season in early May. Mueller would eventually retire after the 2006 season to join the front office of the Dodgers.

Tags: Bill Mueller, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek