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Trot Nixon

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Trot Nixon
Nixon with the Red Sox in 2005
Right fielder
Born: (1974-04-11) April 11, 1974 (age 50)
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1996, for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
June 28, 2008, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average.274
Home runs137
Runs batted in555
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Christopher Trotman "Trot" Nixon (born April 11, 1974), nicknamed "Dirt Dog" is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 through 2008, primarily with the Boston Red Sox from 1996 through 2006, where he was a fan favorite for his scrappy play. With the Red Sox, he won the 2004 World Series. His career wound down with limited appearances for the Cleveland Indians in 2007 and the New York Mets in 2008. He currently serves as co-host/analyst for "The 5th Quarter," a high school football highlight show on WWAY-TV in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Youth and high school career

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Nixon was born in Durham, North Carolina and attended New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. As a senior, he was named the State Player of the Year in both football and baseball. In football, as a senior, he broke school passing records held by former National Football League quarterbacks Sonny Jurgensen and Roman Gabriel. In baseball, as a senior, he was named the Baseball America High School Player of the Year and the State Player of the Year, and helped lead his team to the State 4A title, and finished his senior season with a .512 batting average, 12 home runs and a state-record 56 RBI, and pitched 40 innings with a 12–0 record and a 0.40 ERA. Nixon was slated to play both football and baseball at North Carolina State on a scholarship, and when negotiations with the Boston Red Sox continued to the fall, he participated in fall practice at NC State. He eventually signed with the Boston Red Sox at the signing deadline, the day classes began.[1]

Professional career

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Boston Red Sox

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Nixon was drafted by the Red Sox in the 1st round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft, and was the seventh pick overall. He split the 1994-1998 seasons between several A, AA, and AAA minor league teams, with two brief stints with the Red Sox on the major league level in 1996 and 1998.[2]

Nixon's first full season in the majors was in 1999, when he played in 124 games and hit .270 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs. He came in 9th place in Rookie of the Year voting with just a single vote point (Carlos Beltrán of the Kansas City Royals won the award by a landslide).[3]

Nixon quickly became a fan favorite for his scrappy, enthusiastic gameplay. He was considered the inspiration for the expression "Boston Dirt Dogs."[citation needed] The signature is that of a "scrapper," a player who hustles and usually gets his uniform dirty during games.

After a decent 2000 season, Nixon produced career highs (at the time) during the 2001 season with a .280 batting average, 27 home runs, and 88 RBIs.

The 2002 season was also a good one for Nixon: he posted career bests in doubles (36) and RBIs (94). On May 5, 2002, in response to several hits by pitches, Nixon threw his bat in the direction of Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Rupe, pretending that the bat slipped out of his hands while swinging.[4] In response, Bob Watson, the Major League Baseball vice president in charge of discipline, fined him $2,000 and suspended him four games.[5][6]

Nixon had the best year of his career in 2003, batting .306 with 28 home runs and 87 RBIs. On October 4, 2003, in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, he had the most prominent moment of his career. Nixon was called from the bench as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 11th. With the Red Sox facing elimination, Nixon lined a two-run homer over the center field wall for a 3–1 Boston victory. The Red Sox went on to win the next two games, stunning the Oakland Athletics with a 3-2 series win and advancing to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox lost the ALCS in seven games despite Nixon batting .333 (8 for 24) with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs in the series.

During the 2004 season, Nixon was unavailable for several months due to a herniated disc and a tight thigh muscle. Upon his return, he generally worked as the starting right fielder during the regular and post-season. In the deciding game of the 2004 World Series, Nixon hit a two-out, two-run double off the right field wall at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in the top of the third inning to give Boston a 3–0 lead. Those were the last runs either team scored in that game as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals for the team's first World Series title in 86 years. For the series, Nixon batted .357 (5 for 14) with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs.

Nixon also endeared himself to Sox fans by briefly wearing a mohawk hairstyle, one of many unconventional and bizarre hairstyles the Sox sported over the course of the 2004 season.

Loved by Boston's fans, Nixon is known for an extremely volatile temper and steadfast dedication to his teammates.[citation needed] In August 2005, while officially on the disabled list, Nixon remained in uniform and in the dugout with the rest of the team during the game. When teammate Gabe Kapler (who often acted as Nixon's right field replacement) hit a long fly ball off of the Green Monster, the umpires ruled it a double. Nixon leapt off the bench and argued with such passion that Kapler's hit had been a home run (television replays confirmed that the hit had landed above the home run line, and thus should have been ruled a two-run homer) that he was ejected from the game.

On October 1, 2006, with two outs in the fifth inning of the final game of the season, manager Terry Francona replaced Nixon in right field with rookie David Murphy. Knowing Nixon might be playing his final game with the Sox, the fans gave him a grateful ovation as he ran off the field. Said Nixon, when asked if it was difficult playing what may have been his last game for the Red Sox:

There were a couple of times—my first at-bat and coming out of the game. It really was, because this is the only organization I've ever known. There was [sic] definitely a couple of times out there that I did want to break down. I really did care about this organization. I did care about this town. I think this town has been unbelievable for my family and me. Absolutely unbelievable. I think there's a lot of guys in this organization who feel the same way.

— Trot Nixon, [7] The Patriot Ledger

After the 2006 season, the Red Sox did not offer Nixon salary arbitration as the team pursued and eventually signed free agent J. D. Drew and had a fourth outfielder, Wily Mo Peña, on the roster.[8]

Cleveland Indians

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Nixon with the Cleveland Indians in 2007

In January 2007, Nixon signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Cleveland Indians. Instead of wearing number 7 as he had in Boston, Nixon chose number 33. The decision was made in part by his son Chase, based on the fact that Nixon turned 33 years old that April.

Arizona Diamondbacks

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In February 2008, he signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was subsequently sent to their Triple-A affiliate the Tucson Sidewinders.[9]

New York Mets

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On June 13, 2008, Nixon was acquired by the New York Mets from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations and a player to be named later. The Mets acquired him to replace injured outfielder Moisés Alou. He was added to the Mets roster on June 15, replacing outfielder Chris Aguila who was designated for assignment.[10][11] The same day he was activated, Nixon started in right field against the Texas Rangers.[12] However, he finished the season on the disabled list.

Milwaukee Brewers

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On December 18, 2008, Nixon signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was put onto the inactive roster. After his release from the Brewers in March 2009, Nixon retired from baseball.

Legacy

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In 1092 games over 12 seasons, Nixon posted a .274 batting average (995-for-3627) with 579 runs, 222 doubles, 28 triples, 137 home runs, 555 RBI, 30 stolen bases, 504 bases on balls, .364 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .983 fielding percentage primarily as a right fielder but also has played at center and left field. In 42 postseason games, he was productive, batting .283 (39-for-138) with 18 runs, 11 doubles, 6 home runs, 25 RBI and 14 walks.[3]

Nixon was often described as a "Dirt Dog", and nicknamed "the Dirt Dog" or the "original dirt dog".[13][14][15][16]

[17][18][19][20][21][22] He was known for wearing a hat covered in dirt, as well as a dirty batting helmet.[22][23][24][25]

The area in Connecticut between Boston and New York City, has been referred to as the "Munson–Nixon line", a play on the Mason–Dixon line, after Nixon and former Yankee Thurman Munson.[26][27] Steve Rushin, who coined the term in a 2003 Sports Illustrated article, has pinpointed the line as running north of New Haven, south of Hartford, and along the width of central Connecticut.[28][29]

In 2010, Red Sox manager Terry Francona compared rookie Red Sox outfielder Ryan Kalish's intensity and aggressiveness to Nixon's.[30][31]

In October 2018, Nixon threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the American League Division Series to Dustin Pedroia, and collected donations outside of Fenway Park for Hurricane Florence victims.[32]

In 2020, Nixon was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.[33] He was inducted in the Red Sox Hall of Fame in May 2024.[34]

Personal life

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Nixon became an evangelical Christian in 1993. Nixon said he relied on his faith as a calming influence on the field.[35]

Nixon is married to his wife, Kathryn, with whom he has two sons, Chase (born September 11, 2001) and Luke (born October 1, 2004). He was flying back to Boston to be at Chase's birth when air traffic was halted due to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "TheWolfpackCentral - NCSU football experienced an event-filled offseason 25 years ago". August 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "Trot Nixon Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Trot Nixon (Baseball Reference)
  4. ^ Trot Nixon loses grip on bat, sends it flying past Ryan Rupe, November 5, 2013, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved August 18, 2019
  5. ^ Writer, PAUL DOYLE; Courant Staff (May 15, 2002). "NIXON ILL; APPEAL DROPPED". courant.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "ESPN.com: MLB - Boston's Nixon, Castillo hit with suspensions". a.espncdn.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "Title Unknown". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
  8. ^ Edes, Gordon (December 2, 2006). "No arbitration for Nixon". The Boston Globe.
  9. ^ "Time running out for ex-Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon". Boston Herald. May 27, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  10. ^ "Nixon traded, and promoted, to Mets". Boston Globe. June 14, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  11. ^ "New York Mets Transactions: June 2008". MLB.com. June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  12. ^ "Mets' rally falls short in first game of doubleheader". ESPN. June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  13. ^ "Red Sox to induct three World Series champs into Hall of Fame". NBC Sports Boston. December 18, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Finn, Chad. "Sports Q: Who is the most overrated athlete in Boston sports history?". www.boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "Trot Nixon Talks Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry". iHeart. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Willis, David (January 25, 2015). "The Dirt Dog". Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Trot Nixon Will Throw Out First Pitch For Red Sox Ahead Of ALDS Game 1 - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. October 3, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Sweeney, Chris (March 3, 2016). "Four Historic Red Sox Artifacts You Can See at Fenway". Boston Magazine. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  19. ^ Smith, Christopher (December 18, 2023). "Dustin Pedroia elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame with 'Dirt Dog,' WS closer". masslive. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Dzen, Gary. "Manny Machado Pulls a Trot Nixon, Throws Bat". www.boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  21. ^ Vanni, Olivia (October 15, 2008). "JoJo, Trot Nixon bring no luck". Boston Herald. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Finn, Chad. "Who was a better player for the Red Sox, J.D. Drew or Trot Nixon?". www.boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Finn, Chad. "A tribute to Derek Lowe (and his shoes)". www.boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  24. ^ Finn, Chad. "Sports Q: Who is the most overrated athlete in Boston sports history?". www.boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Cannella, Stephen. "Hats Out of Hell". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  26. ^ "A State Divided: Connecticut Town Sits On 'Munson-Nixon' Line Separating Yankees, Red Sox Fandom - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. October 5, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  27. ^ Putterman, Alex; Courant, Hartford (October 4, 2018). "Red Sox-Yankees ALDS Matchup Heightens Tension Along Connecticut's Disputed Dividing Line". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  28. ^ Dickey, Jack (September 19, 2018). "Meet the town evenly divided between Yankees and Red Sox fans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  29. ^ Giratikanon, Tom; Katz, Josh; Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (April 24, 2014). "Up Close on Baseball's Borders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  30. ^ Joe Haggerty (March 12, 2010). "Red Sox notes: Buchholz pushed back to Saturday". Necn.com. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  31. ^ Paul Kenyon and Daniel Barbarisi (August 1, 2010). "Red Sox journal: Kalish has a debut he'll never forget". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  32. ^ Thomas, Kevin (October 5, 2018). "Red Sox Notebook: Price hopes to snap dubious playoff streak". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  33. ^ "Trot Nixon to be inducted in NC Sports Hall of Fame". WWAYTV3. January 22, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  34. ^ Reed, Russ (December 20, 2023). "Pedroia, Papelbon, Nixon named to Red Sox Hall of Fame". WCVB. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  35. ^ Hohler, Bob (August 31, 2005). "Faith binds many on Sox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  36. ^ Browne, Ian (September 7, 2002). "Nixon's life changed on 9/11; Tragedy caused him to miss birth of his son". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP.
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