Jerry Wayne Hairston Jr. (born May 29, 1976) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. He 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) for the

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 ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, Texas Rangers,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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 o ...

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 penna ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

, and

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 Brookly ...

. He played every position except pitcher and catcher during his baseball career. He is the grandson of former major leaguer Sam Hairston, the son of former major leaguer Jerry Hairston Sr., and the brother of Scott Hairston. He helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series, beating the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

, giving him his only World Series title.

High school and college

In High School, he was a two-time All-State selection at Naperville North High School in baseball and an all-area selection in basketball. He was drafted in the 42nd round of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

by the

but chose instead to go to college. Hairston played college ball at Southern Illinois University in 1996 and 1997, where he batted .360 for his career and was the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern United ...

Freshman of the Year in 1996. In both years he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

, playing for the Bourne Braves in 1996, and the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane F ...

in 1997. He was later inducted as a member of the Southern Illinois Baseball Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Hairston was drafted in the 11th round of the

1997 Major League Baseball draft The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections ...

by the

. He made his professional debut in 1997 with the rookie-league Bluefield Orioles, where he hit .330 in 59 games. In 1998, he made a fast rise up the farm system, starting in A with the Frederick Keys, where he played in 80 games and hit .302, then he was promoted to the AA Bowie Baysox, where he hit .326 in 55 games and received a September promotion to the Major Leagues. He made his major league debut with the Orioles on September 11, 1998 against the Anaheim Angels at second base, he was hitless in three at-bats in that game. He appeared in a total of 7 games in 1998, primarily as a pinch runner or late inning defensive replacement, and did not get a hit in 7 at-bats. In 1999 and 2000, he split his time between the AAA

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

and the Orioles. He recorded his first Major League hit on June 27, 1999 off of

pitcher Orlando Hernández and his first home run came off of Joey Hamilton of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

on July 1, 1999. He had fairly regular playing time with the Orioles in 2001 and 2002 and was used more as a utility player in 2003 and 2004. In his seven seasons with Baltimore, he played in 558 games, batting .261.

Chicago Cubs

He was traded (along with Oriole prospects Mike Fontenot and David Crouthers) to the

in the 2005 offseason for Sammy Sosa. The Cubs attempted to use Hairston as a leadoff man, but he finished the 2005 season with an unremarkable

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

of .336 and stole only 8 bases in 17 attempts. Even though most Cubs fans initially welcomed the dismissal of Sosa—whose performance was on the decline and was seen as a problematic teammate—the poor play of Hairston would eventually cause many fans to sour on this particular trade. In two seasons with the Cubs, he hit .251 in 152 games.

Texas Rangers

Hairston's statistics declined further at the start of the 2006 season, and on May 31, he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Phil Nevin. Hairston was released from the Rangers after the 2006 season but re-signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

. Hairston won a spot on the opening day roster, as a reserve

and utility player. A series of injuries to teammates Hank Blalock, Ian Kinsler, Mark Teixeira, and Frank Catalanotto, as well as the trades of Teixeira and Kenny Lofton, led to Hairston playing on a regular basis throughout the 2007 season. Hairston became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

after the season. In his two seasons with Texas, he hit .194 in 136 games.

Cincinnati Reds

On March 3, 2008, Hairston signed a minor league contract with the

. On April 21, his contract was purchased by the Reds and was added to the roster. He was re-signed after the season, on January 7, 2009, to a one-year contract; the contract contained $2 million in guaranteed money. In two seasons with the Reds, he hit .287 in 166 games.

World Baseball Classic

Hairston represented Mexico at the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference t ...

alongside his brother Scott. Hairston's mother was born in Mexico, making him eligible to play for the Mexican team.
He had 4 hits in 14 at-bats in the Classic.

New York Yankees

On July 31, 2009, he was traded to the

for minor league catcher Chase Weems. On August 1, 2009, Hairston got his first hit and RBI as a Yankee. On October 17, 2009, he got his first career post-season hit in his first career post-season at-bat and later ended a 13-inning 2009 American League Championship Series, ALCS Game 2 by scoring on an error by the Angels' Maicer Izturis. This gave the Yankees a 2–0 advantage going into the third game of the series. He had 1 hit in 6 at-bats for the Yankees in the 2009 World Series. In his half season with the Yanks, he hit .237 with 2 homeruns and 12 RBIs in 45 games.

San Diego Padres

On January 18, 2010, Hairston signed a one-year, $2.15 million contract with the

, the same team as his brother, Scott Hairston, was playing on. Hairston's 2010 season was cut short in September with a fractured right tibia, but he still played in 119 games with the Padres, hitting .244.

Washington Nationals

On January 19, 2011, Hairston agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the

that included over $1 million in incentives. He played in 75 games for them, hitting .268.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 30, 2011, Hairston was traded to the

for Double-A outfielder Erik Komatsu. He played in 45 games for the Brewers, hitting .274.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 5, 2011, the

signed Hairston to a two-year contract worth $6 million. On June 1, 2012, Hairston was part of a Dodgers lineup that featured the sons of five former major leaguers (along with

Tony Gwynn Jr. Anthony Keith Gwynn Jr. (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Gwynn played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies. T ...

, Iván DeJesús Jr., Dee Gordon and Scott Van Slyke). This was the first time in Major League history that this had occurred. It was also the first time a starting infield of four major league sons had ever occurred:

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 major ...

Van Slyke, second baseman Hairston,

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

De Jesus and

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 ...

Gordon. On August 22, it was determined that Hairston would need surgery on his left hip. The injury had bothered him for some time before he finally went on the disabled list on August 13. The surgery would sideline him for the rest of the season. In 78 games with the Dodgers in 2012, Hairston hit .273 while playing numerous different positions. In 2013, Hairston was a key reserve for the Dodgers, playing 28 games at third base, 23 in left field, 4 in right field, 13 at first base and 1 at second base. He struggled with the bat however, hitting just .211.

Broadcasting career

On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Hairston would be retiring as an active player to join the Dodgers pre and post game broadcasting crew on SportsNet LA.

Performance-enhancing drugs controversy

According to Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Hairston received

genotropin Growth hormone therapy refers to the use of growth hormone (GH) as a prescription medication—it is one form of hormone therapy. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction. I ...

human chorionic gonadotropin Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone for the maternal recognition of pregnancy produced by trophoblast cells that are surrounding a growing embryo (syncytiotrophoblast initially), which eventually forms the placenta after implantati ...

(hCG), and clomiphene citrate in 2004. One of Hairston's prescriptions was written by "A. Almarashi." Investigators believe Almarashi is an alias for a Queens, N.Y., doctor stripped of her medical license in 1999. She is awaiting trial on multiple charges after allegedly writing bogus prescriptions for thousands of online customers she never examined. Hairston denied any connection, stating "Not one time have I taken steroids or anything like that.

. . . The ellipsis (, also known informally as dot dot dot) is a series of dots that indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning. The plural is ellipses. The term origin ...

I would never do anything like that to jeopardize my career or my family's name." On December 13, 2007, he was cited in the Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball.

Personal life

Jerry's brother

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

is also a professional baseball player. Their father Jerry Hairston Sr. and grandfather Sam Hairston were also major league players, making him the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to be a third-generation major-leaguer. Hairston's heritage is also Mexican American on his mother's side. His uncle

Johnny Hairston John Louis Hairston (born August 27, 1944) is a former catcher/left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs in the season. Hairston batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 6, 1969, and played his final majo ...

also played in the majors. Several other family members have also played in the minor leagues. He attended Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois and Southern Illinois University. Hairston became a Jehovah's Witness in July 2000.No byline (2001-06-25)
"Hot Hitter Plays With Fire"
''Sports Illustrated''. 94 (26):76

References and citations

External links

* , o
Retrosheet
o
The Baseball Gauge
o
Venezuela Winter League
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