J. D. Drew: Difference between revisions

AfterDrew graduatinggraduated from [[Lowndes County High School]] in [[Valdosta, Georgia]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Malone|first1=Christian|title=J.D. Drew represents Hahira in Fall Classic|url=https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/sports/j-d-drew-represents-hahira-in-fall-classic/article_401b8c12-09f9-5c45-bd38-60f8c92d59d3.html|access-date=12 August 2023|publisher=[[The Valdosta Daily Times]]|date=October 24, 2007|language=en}}</ref> He was drafted by the [[San Francisco Giants]] in the 20th round of the [[1994 Major League Baseball draft|1994 draft]] but did not sign.<ref>{{Cite web |title=J.D. Drew Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/drewj.01.shtml |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He then attended [[Florida State University]], where he played under head coach [[Mike Martin (baseball coach)|Mike Martin]]. At Florida State, he was the winner of the {{Baseball year|1997}} [[Dick Howser Trophy]] and the 1997 [[Golden Spikes Award]], was named the 1997 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the 1997 [[Sporting News]] Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American (1997). He also was named the 1997 [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] Player of the Year. He was a 1996 member of Team USA. Drew was First Team in {{Baseball year|1996}}, Freshman All-American in {{Baseball year|1995}} and was named to the [[College World Series]] All Tournament Team in 1995. He was the first player in college baseball history to hit 30 [[home run]]s and [[Stolen base|steal]] 30 bases in the same season. He set a Florida State record by [[Batting average (baseball)|batting]] .455 in 1997 while becoming one of only three players in college baseball history to have 100 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]], 100 [[Run (baseball)|runs]] and 100 [[Run batted in|RBIs]]. During his college career, Drew broke 17 school and conference records.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 17, 2014|title=J.D. Drew Bio|url=https://seminoles.com/j-d-drew-bio/|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=[[Florida State Seminoles]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=J.D. Drew|url=https://nolefan.org/baseball/drew_jd.html|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=Nole Fan}}</ref>

On August 9, on what would have been Drew's first game in Philadelphia, he sat out, citing a bruised right hand. In an attempt to confuse the Philadelphia fans, he did not wear his own jersey that night, which instead was worn by bullpen catcher, Jeff Murphy. The attempt failed, however, and he was booed and heckled throughout [[batting practice]]. The only time he received cheers was when he booted three consecutive grounders in the outfield while his teammates were taking batting practice.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 10, 1999|title=J.D. Drew misses unwelcome debut at Veterans Stadium|url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/081099/pro_LS0418.001.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109062515if_/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/081099/pro_LS0418.001.shtml#.VpCn0i2l0so|archive-date=January 9, 2016|access-date=October 16, 2013|website=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]]|via=[[Wayback Machine]]|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]}}</ref> On August 10, 1999, in Drew's first game at [[Veterans Stadium]] in Philadelphia, he was booed loudly, and even had batteries thrown at him by two fans. The [[Phillie Phanatic]] got into the act, dropping two large trash bags marked with dollar signs in the outfield between innings.<ref>{{cite newsmagazine|date=August 11, 1999|title=Phillies fans hurl insults, projectiles at J. D. Drew|workmagazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/08/10/cardinals_phillies_ap/|url-status=dead|access-date=January 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630193120/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/08/10/cardinals_phillies_ap/|archive-date=June 30, 2008}}</ref> Drew struggled to stay healthy, landing on the [[disabled list]] every season he played in St. Louis.

In December 2004, Drew signed a five-year, $55 million contract with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]],<ref>{{cite web|date=December 22, 2004|title=Dodgers move quickly after killing Unit deal|url=httphttps://sportswww.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1951346|access-date=August 28, 2008|work=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> which included an escape clause after the second year. Roughly halfway through the 2005 season, Drew's season was again cut short after being hit on the wrist by a pitch from [[Arizona Diamondbacks]]' pitcher [[Brad Halsey]].

On October 20, 2007, Drew hit a [[Grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] in Game 6 of the [[2007 American League Championship Series|2007 ALCS]] with the Red Sox facing elimination.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=September 9, 2008|title=Red Sox's Drew (strainedreturns from lower back) returnsstrain; fromCarter, Kottaras DLrecalled|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3576639|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=[[ESPN]]|language=en}}</ref> The home run, along with brother [[Stephen Drew]]'s for the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]], marks the third time that two brothers have both hit home runs in the same postseason.

In 2008, Drew hit one of the longest home runs in Fenway Park history. According to the ESPN Home Run Tracker, it was measured at 460 feet. He finished with a .280 average, with an [[On-base percentage|OBP]] of .408 and a [[slugging percentage]] of .519.<ref name=":0" /> At the end of June, Drew was named the AL Player of the Month after hitting .337 and hitting 12 home runs while taking over for [[David Ortiz]]'s three-spot in the lineup while he was on the disabled list.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Silva|first1=Steve|date=July 2, 2008|title=Drew named AL player of month for June|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/07/drew_named_al_p.html|access-date=July 2, 2008}}</ref> Drew was officially announced as an AL [[MLB All-Star|All-Star]] reserve on July 6. This was Drew's first All-Star game appearance. He hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat as an All-Star en route to winning the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Award|game's MVP award]]. In what was to become the longest All-Star Game time-wise in MLB history, the American League (and Drew's Red Sox) manager [[Terry Francona]], having almost run out of pitchers, contemplated putting Drew, a former high school hurler, on the mound to close the game. "I'd have been ready," Drew said. "I've had an opportunity to throw a lot in the outfield. I don't know if I would have gotten anyone out, but I'd have thrown something up there."<ref>{{cite web|last=Edes|first=Gordon|date=July 16, 2008|title=The longest goodbye|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/07/16/the_longest_goodbye/|access-date=December 21, 2012|work=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref> Drew later visited the 15-day disabled list, spending from August 27 to September 8 on the DL with a strained lower back.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 26, 2008|title=RedBoSox Sox loseput Drew toon DL with lower back strain; Beckett to start Friday|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3554863|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=[[ESPN]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

On October 3, in Game 2 of the [[2008 American League Division Series]] against the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]], Drew hit a go-ahead two-run home run.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Browne|first=Ian|date=October 4, 2008|title=Drew delivers back-breaking blow|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20081003&content_id=3586948&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006005437/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20081003&content_id=3586948&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|archive-date=October 6, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=[[Boston Red Sox]]}}</ref> On October 16, in Game 5 of the [[2008 ALCS|American League Championship Series]] against the [[Tampa Bay Rays]], Drew helped to bring the Red Sox back from a late-inning seven-run deficit with a two-run home run in the eighth inning and then delivered the walk-off hit in the ninth. The Game 5 comeback, sparked by Drew, is the second-biggest in postseason history and is the largest for a team on the brink of elimination.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 17, 2008|title=Drew's game-winning single keeps Red Sox alive in ALCS|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/281016102|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213405/https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/281016102|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 2, 2021|access-date=May 30, 2021|website=[[ESPN]]|language=en}}</ref> However, the Red Sox lost to the Rays in the seventh game.

Drew married his girlfriend Sheigh, on November 10, 2001, in [[Hahira, Georgia]]. Drew is a [[Christianity|Christian]].<ref>{{cite webmagazine|last=Pearlman|first=Jeff|date=March 22, 2004|title=The Passion of J. D. Drew|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1031447/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731163930/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1031447/index.htm|archive-date=July 31, 2009|access-date=July 31, 2009|workmagazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref>

[[Category:Baseball players from Valdosta, Georgia (U.S. state)]]