Trot Nixon

Christopher Trotman "Trot" Nixon (born April 11, 1974) is an American former professional baseball right fielder.

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.

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.

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).

Nixon quickly became a fan favorite for his scrappy, enthusiastic gameplay.

He was considered the inspiration for the expression "Boston Dirt Dogs."

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.

In response, Bob Watson, the Major League Baseball vice president in charge of discipline, fined him $2,000 and suspended him four games.

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.

With the Red Sox, he won the 2004 World 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.