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Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 30, 1971, in Manatí, Puerto Rico), is a professional baseball player for the Washington Nationals. Iván is considered by many to be the greatest defensive catcher ever. Although he has had the nickname "Pudge" since his youth, Rodríguez was often compared early on to the veteran catcher Carlton Fisk, who was also called "Pudge." Rodríguez was awarded the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award in 1999. He ranked fourth in the AL among catchers in batting average, at .260.
He won the World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003, and again reached the World Series as the starting catcher for the 2006 Detroit Tigers.Rodríguez has caught two no-hitters for two different pitchers. The first one was in 1994 when he caught a perfect game by Kenny Rogers. The most recent one was on June 12, 2007 when he caught the no-hitter thrown by Justin Verlander. (more...)