Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda;
born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
who played 16 seasons in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the
Oakland Athletics and
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, before short stints with the
Houston Astros,
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
,
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
, and
Kansas City Royals.
Tejada spent his first six seasons in MLB with the Athletics, where he began a streak of 1,152
consecutive games that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007. He is a six-time
All-Star and a two-time
Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball.
These voters co ...
winner. In 2002, he won the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and was the
2005 All-Star Game MVP. Tejada's nickname is "La Guagua", which means "the bus" in certain Spanish dialects, after his ability to drive in runs.
On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of
perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
for lying to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in his testimony on whether
Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use.
On August 17, 2013, MLB suspended Tejada for 105 games for violating MLB drug policy. It was the third-longest non-lifetime suspension ever issued by MLB for a drug-related violation.
[Royals’ Miguel Tejada suspended 105 games by MLB for amphetamines]
. Kansas City Star. Retrieved 8-17-2013.
Early life
Tejada grew up in extreme poverty in
Baní, a city about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional)
, webs ...
, capital of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
. He grew up idolizing the Baltimore Orioles shortstop
Cal Ripken Jr.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...
Tejada's rise from the slums of Baní through the minors and into the Major Leagues is chronicled in the book ''Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer'' by Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas. ''Away Games'' describes the struggles of Dominican players in general and Tejada in particular as they arrive in the U.S. speaking very little English, often in small towns playing for minor league teams, with dreams of making it big.
Professional career
Oakland Athletics (1997–2003)
1997–2001
Tejada developed quickly into a top-notch prospect, showing early signs of power. He reached the Majors towards the end of the
1997 season, joining a struggling Oakland Athletics club. Though he only hit .202 in 26 games that year, the A's saw potential in the 23-year-old Tejada. This was bolstered by his performance with the
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton.
T ...
(AAA) in the
Pacific Coast League during the season, and returning to the minors to lead the Trappers to a PCL championship that year. He was rewarded with the starting shortstop job beginning in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
.
The A's, and Tejada, steadily improved over the next two years. His hitting improved as he gained more discipline at the plate. In 1998, he hit .233 with 11
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and in
1999 his average jumped to .251 with 21 home runs.
After a solid 87-win campaign in 1999, Tejada and a core of young players led their A's to their first
American League Western Division title in eight years in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
. Bolstered by an
American League MVP-winning performance by
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi (; born January 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yank ...
, and aided by Tejada's .275 average and 30 home runs, the A's won 91 games. The
A's faced the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
in the
first round of the postseason, which was won by the Yankees 3–2.
In
2001, Tejada had a comparable offensive year, hitting .267 with 31 homers. The
A's captured the American League
wild card with a 102–60 record. In the
postseason
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, however, the A's fell to the
Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
in five games, blowing an initial 2–0 series lead.
2002
Tejada's breakout year came in
2002. With the departure of Jason Giambi to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
during the offseason, and a leg injury to slugger
Jermaine Dye, the A's lost two of their key offensive players. Tejada hit .308 with 34 homers and led the
A's to their second Western Division title in three years. Their campaign included an American League record 20 game winning-streak. Tejada contributed one-out, game-winning hits in the 18th and 19th games of that run: a three-run homer off
Minnesota Twins closer
Eddie Guardado
Edward Adrian Guardado (born October 2, 1970) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher and current bullpen coach. Guardado played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins (–, ), Seattle Mariners (–), Cincinnati Reds (–) ...
for a 7–5 victory and a bases-loaded single against
Kansas City Royals reliever
Jason Grimsley
Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career. He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees.
Major League career
J ...
to break a 6–6 tie. Tejada also showed modest speed on the basepaths with 18 steals over a two-year stretch. His performance was rewarded with the 2002 American League MVP award. For the third straight year, though, the A's fell in the fifth game of the
ALDS, this time to the
Minnesota Twins.
2003
The
next year, both the
A's and Tejada got off to a slow start, with the shortstop hitting under
.200 for the first month of the season. Improved play in the second half of the season led the A's to their second straight Western Division title and their third in four years. Tejada hit .278 with 27 homers for the year, a decrease from his numbers in 2002, but still leading many offensive categories for shortstops.
In a
tension-filled series, the powerful offense of the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
narrowly edged out the A's in the first round, once again in five games. Tejada was known for his public display of anger toward Boston starting pitcher
Derek Lowe at the series' conclusion for what he perceived as obscene gestures. Lowe denied the accusation, claiming his fist pump was in celebration only.
Baltimore Orioles (2004–2007)
By the end of the 2003 season, Tejada had established himself as one of baseball's premier shortstops. The A's elected not to re-sign the free agent, citing budget concerns and a young
Bobby Crosby
Robert Edward Crosby (born January 12, 1980) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks. The son of former ...
coming through the system, so Tejada signed a six-year, $72 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason.
On arrival in Baltimore, Tejada was given uniform number 10, since 4, his number in Oakland, had been retired for former manager
Earl Weaver
Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...
. As an Oriole, Tejada followed in the footsteps of legendary Baltimore shortstop
Cal Ripken Jr.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...
Like Ripken, Tejada was a strong and durable shortstop with unusual power numbers for a middle infielder.
2004–2005
On July 12, 2004, Tejada won the
Century 21 Home Run Derby in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
. Tejada hit a (then) record 27
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s in the contest, including a record 15 homers in the second round. He defeated
Houston Astros outfielder
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976), nicknamed "Fat Elvis" and "Big Puma", is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman, who is the current head baseball coach of the Houston Christian H ...
(who would later become his teammate) 5–4 in the final round of the contest. Both records were broken the following year in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
by
Bobby Abreu. Tejada finished the 2004 season with 34 home runs and an MLB-leading 150 RBIs, and won his first career
Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball.
These voters co ...
.
While Tejada did not participate in the Home Run Derby in 2005, he was an
All-Star and starter for the
AL. In his first All-Star start, Tejada hit a solo
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
against
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time A ...
of the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
, had a sacrifice RBI and was part of an all-Oriole double play with teammate
Brian Roberts. His efforts earned him the
All-Star MVP, winning a
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctiv ...
.
2005–2006 offseason
In the winter of 2005, Tejada asked the Orioles for a trade, citing unhappiness with the team's direction, while commenting briefly on his alleged non-involvement in Palmeiro's steroid scandal.
Weeks would go by before Tejada relented on the idea of being traded away, although the Orioles would later try to offload him during the 2006 All-Star break (with the Los Angeles Angels being one of the teams that failed to meet the asking price).
2006–2007
Tejada played in his 1,000th
consecutive game on July 1, 2006.
Tejada's streak was at 1,151 games when he was hit on his left wrist by a pitch on June 20, 2007. The next day, he went up to bunt in the top of the first inning, bunted into a force play, and was replaced by a pinch runner. Following that game, it was announced that he had a broken wrist. On June 22 he was placed on the disabled list, ending his streak at 1,152 consecutive games, the fifth longest in Major League history, behind
Cal Ripken Jr.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...
(2,632),
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
(2,130),
Everett Scott
Lewis Everett Scott (November 19, 1892 – November 2, 1960), nicknamed "Deacon", was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, Scott played in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees ...
(1,307), and
Steve Garvey
Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987.
Garvey was the National ...
(1,217).
Houston Astros (2008–2009)
On December 12, 2007, Tejada was dealt to the
Houston Astros for five players, including SP
Troy Patton, OF
Luke Scott, RP
Dennis Sarfate and RP/SP
Matt Albers.
Tejada scored his 1,000th career run on July 7, 2008, at
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...
. In the
2008 All-Star Game Tejada singled leading off the top of the eighth stole second with one out and advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on Padres' first baseman
Adrián González's sacrifice fly.
In the
2008 season he grounded into 32 double plays, the most in the major leagues. In
2009, he again led the majors in grounding into double plays, this time with 29. He became the first player in major league history to lead the league in double plays grounded into five times.
Second stint with the Orioles (2010)
On January 23, 2010, Tejada agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million with the Orioles.
San Diego Padres (2010)
On July 29, the Orioles traded Tejada to the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
for minor league pitcher
Wynn Pelzer. On September 22, Tejada hit his 300th career
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
off
Ted Lilly
Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III (born January 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lilly attended Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, California, and Fresno City College. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mont ...
of the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
.
San Francisco Giants (2011)
Tejada signed a one-year, $6.5 million, contract with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. He was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
on August 31, 2011 after batting .239 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 91 games. He was released on September 8, 2011.
Third stint with the Orioles (2012)
On May 6, 2012, Tejada reached an agreement on a contract with the Orioles. He failed to make the Major League club's roster however, and played for their Triple-A affiliate
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
team until requesting his outright release, which was granted on June 25, 2012.
Kansas City Royals (2013)
On December 31, 2012, Tejada signed a minor league contract with the
Kansas City Royals. According to the Associated Press, he was to earn $1.1 million plus performance incentives worth an additional $400,000 if he made the Royals Major League 40-man roster for 2013.
On August 17, 2013, Tejada received a 105-game suspension from Major League Baseball following two positive drug tests for
amphetamines
Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...
. Tejada claimed to have been in the process of re-applying for a therapeutic use exemption as he used the drug to treat a medical condition, but he chose not to appeal the decision. Due to a calf injury suffered prior to the ban, Tejada was not likely to play in the remaining 41 games of the 2013 season anyway, though they counted toward his suspension. He also was not allowed to play in the first 64 games of the 2014 season.
Miami Marlins
On May 16, 2014, Tejada signed a minor league contract with the
Miami Marlins. Tejada was required to serve the remaining 64 games left on his suspension before being available to be called up by the Marlins. On August 2, Tejada was released by the Marlins.
Tejada was eligible to be elected into the Hall of Fame in 2019, but received less than 5% of the vote and became ineligible for the 2020 ballot.
Career statistics
In 2171 games over 16 seasons, Tejada posted a career .285
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(2407-for-8434) which includes 1230
runs, 468
doubles, 23
triples, 307
home runs, 1302
RBI, 85
stolen bases, 553
walks, .336
on-base percentage, and .456
slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded an overall .971
fielding percentage primarily as a shortstop.
Controversies
Steroid allegations and suspensions
On September 22, 2005,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
reported that
Rafael Palmeiro, who had tested positive for steroids and was suspended for 10 games under Major League Baseball's steroid policy, implicated Tejada to baseball's arbitration panel, suggesting that a supplement given to him by Tejada was responsible for the steroid entering his system. Tejada denied the allegations, saying that the only thing he gave Palmeiro was
vitamin B-12, a legal substance under MLB policy.
On September 24, 2005, the ''
Baltimore Sun'' reported that "The Health Policy Advisory Committee, which oversees baseball's testing policy, issued a statement that exonerated Tejada and chastised the media for reporting that he might have distributed steroids to another player."
In
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...
's 2005 book, ''
Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big'', he mentioned that he believed Tejada might have taken steroids. He claims to have spoken to him about them and the next season seeing him at spring training looking more defined. He never claims to have injected him with them, like he did with Palmeiro, McGwire, and other ballplayers.
On September 30, 2006, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' reported that former relief pitcher
Jason Grimsley
Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career. He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees.
Major League career
J ...
, during a June 6, 2006, federal raid, told federal agents investigating steroids in baseball named Tejada as a user of "
anabolic steroids." The ''Times'' reported that Tejada was one of five names blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court. However, on October 3, 2006, the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' reported that San Francisco United States attorney Kevin Ryan said that the ''Los Angeles Times'' report contained "significant inaccuracies."
Tejada, along with the other four players named, denounced the story.
[
On December 13, 2007, Tejada was mentioned in the Mitchell Report in connection to steroids. In the report, Tejada is said to have received $1,500 worth of steroids.]
A report surfaced on January 15, 2008, stating that Rep. Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
His district included much of the western part of the city of ...
had asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Tejada was truthful when speaking to the House committee when being interviewed in 2005 regarding possible connections to Rafael Palmeiro.
On February 10, 2009, Tejada was charged with lying to Congress about performance-enhancing drug usage in Major League Baseball. On February 11, Tejada pleaded guilty to charges that he lied to Congress in 2005. He faced up to one year in federal prison and deportation. On March 26, 2009, he received one-year probation.
On August 17, 2013, Tejada was suspended 105 games for testing positive twice for amphetamines
Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...
, specifically the prescription medication adderall
Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug called mixed amphetamine salts containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio ...
. Tejada claimed he had medical permission from MLB to use the drug to treat ADD, but it expired on April 15, 2013, and he continued to use it without gaining a new permission from MLB. The suspension was the third-longest non-lifetime ban issued by MLB for a drug violation.
Age
On April 17, 2008, Tejada was confronted by an ESPN reporter during a sit-down interview with documentation revealing that Tejada had been lying about his age ever since he first signed a Major League Baseball contract in 1993. Tejada had claimed to have been born in 1976 when a Dominican birth certificate showed that he was born in 1974 as "Miguel Tejeda." He struggled to take off his microphone and kept questioning who the interviewer was referring to. Tejada stormed off the set, ending the interview. Before the interview was aired on April 22, 2008, he acknowledged having been born in 1974.
Personal life
Tejada has a chicken farm in Florida where he lives with his wife, Alejandra, and his daughter, Alexa. His son, Miguel Jr., was a shortstop in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
On August 20, 2015, Reorg Research reported that Tejada had filed for bankruptcy.
See also
* Houston Astros award winners and league leaders This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Houston Astros, an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL), having moved to the ...
* List of Houston Astros team records
* List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
In baseball, a doubles is recorded when the ball is hit so that the batter is able to advance to second base without an error by a defensive player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), the leader in each league (American League and National League) ...
* List of Major League Baseball career assists leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career hit by pitch leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most home runs.
In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by circling all the bases and reaching home plate in one play, without the benefit ...
* List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a shortstop leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
This is a list of Major League Baseball players who have compiled 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are usually accumulated when a batter in baseball enables a runner on base (including himself, in the case of a home run) to score as a result of ma ...
* List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
*
*
* List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
In baseball, completing the cycle is the accomplishment of hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of frequency, the cycle is roughly as common as a no-hitter; '' Baseball Digest'' calls it "one of th ...
References
External links
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tejada, Miguel
1974 births
Living people
Age controversies
Águilas Cibaeñas players
American League All-Stars
American League Most Valuable Player Award winners
American League RBI champions
American perjurers
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball managers
Bowie Baysox players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Dominican Republic national baseball team managers
Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases
Drugs in sport in the United States
Edmonton Trappers players
Frederick Keys players
Houston Astros players
Huntsville Stars players
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
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Major League Baseball shortstops
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Mexican League baseball second basemen
Modesto A's players
National League All-Stars
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People from Baní
Pericos de Puebla players
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Silver Slugger Award winners
Southern Oregon A's players
World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic
2006 World Baseball Classic players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
2013 World Baseball Classic players