Athletes - Bill Mueller

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	Athletes - Bill Mueller

William Richard Mueller (born March 17, 1971) is a Major League Baseball third baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Previously, Mueller played with the San Francisco Giants (1996-2000, 2002), Chicago Cubs (2001-02) and Boston Red Sox (2003-2005). He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed.

Mueller was born in Maryland Heights, Missouri and attended De Smet Jesuit High School. He was drafted by the Giants in the 15th round of the 1993 amateur draft, and made his debut in 1996. He was traded to the Cubs before the 2001 season, and returned to San Francisco in September 2002. Before the 2003 season, Mueller was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent. In his first year in Boston he won the American League batting title with a .326 average.

In a ten-year career, Mueller is a .292 hitter with 82 home runs and 478 RBI in 1184 games. However, he has shown more of an ability to hit for power since 2003. He has contributed half of his home runs in the past 3 seasons. Mueller has developed a reputation for consistency throughout the major leagues. In fact, for five of his ten years in the major leagues, his batting average has been between .290 and .295.

His minor league numbers were also consistent, always between .290 and .310.

When he was a Giant, Bill Mueller was known for his strange ability to hit home runs only when his roommate and friend Shawn Estes was pitching. He hit almost all of his home runs in 1997 and 1998 when Shawn Estes was the starting pitcher.

Highlights

Led American League in batting average (.326, 2003)
Only player in major league history to hit two grand slams in a single game from opposite sides of the plate. He in fact hit three home runs in that game.
Mueller made a significant number of contributions to the Red Sox first World Series win in 86 years. The most notable, of course, was his RBI single in the ninth inning of Game 4 against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Facing elimination in the bottom of the ninth down 4 runs to 3, Kevin Millar
drew a walk from star closer Mariano Rivera
. Dave Roberts
came in to pinch run for Millar, and managed to steal second base with his great speed. He came around to score on a single by Mueller and the Sox went on to win in 12 innings and begin their run of eight straight wins culminating in the title.
Mueller hit a game-winning, walk-off home run on July 24th, 2004 against the Yankees. The game had been a see-saw battle featuring a benches-clearing brawl in which Boston catcher Jason Varitek
and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez
famously clashed after Bronson Arroyo
hit Rodriguez with a pitch. The game appeared to be another devastating loss for the then-stagnant Red Sox, but in the bottom of the ninth, with the Sox down by a run and with the Yankees' great closer Mariano Rivera
on the mound, Mueller drove a 3-1 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center, saving the game (and possibly the season) for the Sox.

Reputation

Mueller is regarded by teammates and adversaries alike as the "cosumate professional." A player who steadily does his job with no questions asked.

He is seen by fans as unselfish.

He is also known by fans and baseball experts for his surprising consistency with only a few deviations from his career norms. A .300 batting average and 10-15 home runs seem almost like a given in a full season for Mueller.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Bill Mueller ]

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Athletes - Bill Mueller

Highlights

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