Mike Greenwell

Michael Lewis Greenwell
(Gator)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
• High School North Fort Myers High School
• Debut September 5, 1985
• Final Game September 28, 1996
• Born July 18, 1963 in Louisville, KY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Mike Greenwell was signed as a 3rd round pick in the 1982 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox and scout George Digby.

Greenwell had a good 12-season major league career, hitting .303 lifetime while playing exclusively for the Red Sox. His first three major-league hits were home runs, the first a 13th-inning game-winner against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 25, 1985. He was a two-time All-Star who finished second in the 1988 MVP voting. However, his excellent season was overshadowed by Jose Canseco's 40-40 season. Greenwell is the holder of a distinct record: most RBI in one game, accounting for all of a team's scoring. On September 2, 1996, he drove in all nine runs in the Red Sox's 9-8 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Greenwell is perhaps the biggest bust in the history of Nippon Pro Baseball. After signing the largest contract ever for a Hanshin Tigers player, he hurt his back in spring training, 1997, injured his foot a week after returning, then decided to call it quits after hitting .231/.310/.346 in 7 games in Japan, saying that God told him to retire. He then took the money and ran, using the dough to build an amusement park in Florida. Years later, Greenwell began racing trucks: in 2006 he became a professional truck racer.

Greenwell was also a Cincinnati Reds coach in 2001.

His nickname during his playing days was "The Gator." It was said he got the nickname because he liked to wrestle alligators during the offseason in his native Florida.

Mike is the father of minor league player Bo Greenwell and the uncle of Joey Terdoslavich.

Notable Achievements

• 1987 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 2-time AL All-Star (1988 & 1989)
• AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1988)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1988)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1988)

Further Reading

• Rick Sorci: "Baseball Profile: Outfielder Mike Greenwell", Baseball Digest, April 1990, p. 81. [1]
• Joseph Wancho: "Mike Greenwell", in Bill Nowlin and Leslie Heaphy, ed.: The 1986 Boston Red Sox: There Was More Than Game 6, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016. pp. 87-91. ISBN 978-1-943816-19-4

Related Sites

• Mike Greenwell at the SABR Bio Project
• Article on Greenwell's departure from Boston