Ramón Hernández
Colorado Rockies – No. 55
Catcher
Born: (1976-05-20) May 20, 1976 (age 36) Caracas, Venezuela
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 29, 1999 for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Batting average	.266
Home runs	161
Runs batted in	723
Hits	1,295
Teams
Oakland Athletics (1999–2003) San Diego Padres (2004–2005) Baltimore Orioles (2006–2008) Cincinnati Reds (2009–2011) Colorado Rockies (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
2003 All-Star selection

Ramón José Hernández Marin (Spanish pronunciation: [raˈmon erˈnandeθ]; born May 20, 1976 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics (1999–2003), San Diego Padres (2004–2005), Baltimore Orioles (2006–2008), and Cincinnati Reds (2009–2011).

Career[link]

Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455 runs scored in 1,132 games throughout his 10 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles. Hernández played in Venezuela for los Bravos de Margarita.

Oakland Athletics[link]

Hernández made his debut with Oakland in June 1999 as a backup catcher for A. J. Hinch. His steady progress enabled the Athletics to trade Hinch to the Kansas City Royals a year later.

With experience, Hernández became known as a catcher who could solidly hit, mentor young pitchers and had steady defense. He earned praise for his defense and game-calling skills with a powerful pitching staff that included Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson.

In 2003, Hernández broke out with his best season, hitting .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI and made his first All-Star Game. His most memorable moment as an Athletic came in Game 1 of the 2003 ALDS against the Boston Red Sox. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Hernandez bunted down the third base line, which scored Eric Chavez to win the game. After the season, Oakland traded him to the Padres, mainly for financial reasons. At the time of the deal, Hernández had caught at least 135 games each of the last four years.

San Diego Padres[link]

In both 2004 and 2005, Hernandez battled injuries. In 2004, he missed four weeks mid-season after injuring his left knee in a collision at the plate. Upon his return, he batted .281 with 11 home runs with 38 RBI in the second part. He finished the 2004 season with a .276 batting average, 18 home runs, and 63 RBI.

In 2005, he suffered a wrist injury on June 17 while diving into first base during a game against the Twins. His jammed wrist forced him to the disabled list, causing him to miss 18 games. Hernández returned to the lineup on July 7, but the condition worsened and he decided to have surgery to repair the torn cartilage. The surgery forced Hernández to the DL for the third time in two seasons, and he missed the entire month of August. He rejoined the team in time for the September stretch run, and was pivotal in the Padres' run to the National League West championship. Hernández hit .359 in September with five home runs, and drove in 20 runs in just 22 games. He came up with several clutch hits, including two dramatic game-winning home runs: a three-run walk-off shot against Washington in the 12th inning on September 17, and a grand slam against division rival San Francisco just 10 days later. He finished the season with a .290 average and 12 home runs, and became one of baseball's more coveted players in the winter's free agent market.

Hernández on April 9, 2006, with the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles[link]

Before the 2006 season, Hernández signed a $27.5 million, four-year contract to play for the Baltimore Orioles. The contract includes a team option for the 2010 season as well. In his introductory press conference, Hernández spoke excitedly about working with a young pitching staff, hitting in Camden Yards and helping the team become a contender. He also expressed optimism about spending the next four years with Miguel Tejada as a teammate (Tejada was traded to the Astros before the 2008 season). Hernández and Tejada played in Oakland for almost five years, and they are godfathers to each other's children. Hernández would compile a respectable .275 batting average in 2006 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI. Veterans Chris Widger and Danny Ardoin served as Hernández's backups throughout the season.

Cincinnati Reds[link]

Hernandez was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers on December 9, 2008. Reds acquire catcher Ramon Hernandez from Orioles]</ref>^[1] Following the season, the Reds signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3 million contract.^[2]

Colorado Rockies[link]

Batting with the Rockies in 2012

On November 30, 2011, Hernandez signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Rockies.^[3]

Highlights[link]

• All-Star (2003)
• Set Oakland record in games caught (142, 2000; one more than Ray Fosse, 1973)
• Ranked fifth in home runs and RBI among 21 major league catchers (15 and 60 in 2001, behind Mike Piazza, Jorge Posada, Javy López and Charles Johnson.)
• On February 2, 2006, became the first player to hit for the cycle in the Caribbean Series history.
• On Opening Day, 2011, he had 4 hits including a three run walk off home run off of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher John Axford.

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal
	Venezuela portal

• List of Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Starting Lineups

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers

This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (April 2012)

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Joe Angelo (1889–1967) of Camden New Jersey was an American veteran of World War I and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, who was later involved in the Bonus Army movement of the 1930s.

War Service[link]

Joe Angelo was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during a battle in France in 1918 while serving with an American tank unit. During the battle, a young officer, whom Angelo was serving under as an orderly, was seriously wounded by a machine gun in an exposed position. Showing great courage under enemy fire, Angelo brought the officer to safety. He had thus saved the life of the man who would one day become a legend: George S. Patton.

The Depression and the Bonus Army[link]

In 1932, while Patton continued his path on his famous military career, Joe Angelo had returned to civilian life. He was unemployed and suffering along with many other veterans from the effects of the Great Depression. As a result, he joined the Bonus Army movement. The Bonus Army was a movement of First World War veterans demanding monetary compensation for their roles in the war. The particular issue was that these veterans had been promised compensation but they were not due to receive it until 1945. Given the realities of the depression, the veterans such as Joe Angelo demanded that they receive the money immediately. The veterans marched on Washington D.C., setting up camps in order to protest against the administration of President Herbert Hoover.

The Last Meeting[link]

On July 28, 1932, troops were ordered into the camps to quell the protest. In the resulting melee, two veterans were killed and many were injured. The commanders of the operation included Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Patton, the man whom Joe Angelo had saved so many years before. In the aftermath of the assault on the camps, Angelo approached Patton, but was harshly rejected. The last known words between the men were uttered by Patton:

"I do not know this man. Take him away and under no circumstances permit him to return." After this he explained to his fellow officers that Angelo had "dragged me from a shell hole under fire. I got him a decoration for it. Since the war, my mother and I have more than supported him. We have given him money. We have set him up in business several times. Can you imagine the headlines if the papers got word of our meeting here this morning. Of course, we'll take care of him anyway." ^[1]

References[link]

• Hirshson, Stanley P. General Patton. Harper Collins Publishers 2002. New York, New York.