One of the best hitters to ever play the game, Wade Boggs was born in Omaha Nebraska in 1958, and was drafted in the 7th round by the Boston Red Sox in 1976. Making his MLB debut in 1982, the left-hander batted .349 his rookie year.

Career Highlights

Boston Red Sox - 1982-1992

• 5 time A.L. batting champion

• 12 straight All-Star appearances (Boston & NY)

• 7 consecutive 200+ hits

• 6 of 7 seasons 200+ hits, 100+ runs & 40+ doubles

NY Yankees -1992-1996

• 4 straight .300+ average seasons

• 2 Gold Glove Awards

• 1996 World Series Champion

Tampa Bay Devil Rays – 1997 – 1999

•3000th hit (only player to hit home run as 3000th hit)

Retired from baseball in 1999

• MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2005

• .328 lifetime average

• 3010 career hits

• Boston Red Sox HOF

• Jersey retired by Tampa Bay Devil Rays

• Voted one of Sporting News’ Top 100 Players of All-Time

Did you know?

Though he was one of the all-time great hitters, Boggs was almost as well-known for his superstitions. He ate chicken before every game, woke up at the same time every day, took exactly 150 ground balls in practice, took batting practice at 5:17 and ran wind sprints at 7:17. His route to and from his position in the field was so precise, an actual path to the home dugout could be seen by mid season. Boggs drew the Hebrew word "Chai" (meaning "life") in the batter's box before each at-bat. Boggs is widely credited with teaching the Yankees their pitch-selection technique of swinging only at perfect pitches and fouling off the close, but tough to hit pitches. Before Boggs joined the Yankees, they were 14th in pitches per plate appearance, and 4th and then 1st after he came on board. In addition, the Yankees were 12th and 8th in On Base Percentage the two years prior to Boggs arrival, and 2nd the year he joined the team (1993), followed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st.

Outdoors

Since retirement, Wade has pursued his life-long passion for the outdoors. Taking advantage of the angling opportunities near his home in Tampa, he fishes regularly for both salt and fresh water species. Wade’s love of hunting has taken him all over the world. He has harvested the Big 5 of dangerous game in Africa, several wild sheep species, and a number of North American large and small game animals. One of Wade’s most prized possessions; one that is displayed prominently amongst his numerous baseball honors and awards, is a shotgun that was given to him by fellow Hall of Famer, Ted Williams. In 2007, Wade Boggs love of the outdoors took a more public direction. He became the host and co-executive producer of the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Hittin’ the Outdoors, a Pursuit Channel series debuting in January of 2009. In addition to being the studio host of each episode, Wade will be the featured hunter in many of the programs, including his recent Stone Sheep adventure. If you are interested in endorsements or personal appearances by Wade Boggs, contact info@wadeboggsoutdoors.com , or www.outdoorspeakersbureau.com .