About Nelson Cruz
Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez (born July 1, 1980), nicknamed "Boomstick", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres. Cruz is a seven-time MLB All-Star. Known for his power hitting, he won four Silver Slugger Awards and two Edgar Martínez Awards. After signing with the New York Mets organization in 1998, Cruz played his first major league game in 2005 with the Brewers. He had a breakthrough season in 2009, hitting 33 home runs for the Rangers. Cruz played for the Rangers in the World Series in 2010 and 2011, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 American League (AL) Championship Series. On August 5, 2013, Cruz was suspended for 50 games by MLB for his involvement in the Biogenesis baseball scandal. In 2014, Cruz led MLB with 40 home runs as a member of the Orioles. He led the AL with 119 RBIs in 2017 while playing for the Mariners. Cruz hit 346 home runs during the 2010s, the most hit by any player in that decade. In 2020, based on his work in the community, Cruz was selected as the Marvin Miller Man of the Year and the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award winner. He received the Roberto Clemente Award in 2021. After his playing career, he has worked in an advisory role for MLB and the Los Angeles Dodgers. On August 16, Cruz hit the first MLB grand slam off of Kevin Gregg of the Angels.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.