Tuffy Rhodes 599532 206694593 2008-04-19T14:29:26Z Pakupaku 3652960 {{Orix Buffaloes}} {{Infobox NPB player| bgcolor1=#083c6b| bgcolor2=#083c6b| textcolor1=yellow| textcolor2=yellow| name=Tuffy Rhodes| image=| position=Outfielder| team=Orix Buffaloes| number=8| bats=Left| throws=Left| debutyear=1996| debutteam=Kintetsu Buffaloes| statyear=2007| stat1label=[[Batting Average]]| stat1value=.285| stat2label=[[Home Run]]s| stat2value=402| stat3label=[[Runs Batted In|RBI]]| stat3value=1089| teams=<nowiki></nowiki> *[[Houston Astros]] ([[1990 in baseball|1990]]&ndash;[[1993 in baseball|1993]]) *[[Chicago Cubs]] ([[1993 in baseball|1993]]&ndash;[[1995 in baseball|1995]]) *[[Boston Red Sox]] ([[1995 in baseball|1995]]) *[[Kintetsu Buffaloes|Kintetsu Buffaloes → Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] ([[1996 in baseball|1996]]&ndash;[[2003 in baseball|2003]]) *[[Yomiuri Giants]] ([[2004 in baseball|2004]]&ndash;[[2005 in baseball|2005]]) *[[Orix Buffaloes]] ([[2007 in baseball|2007]]&ndash;present) }} '''Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes''' (born [[August 21]] [[1968]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]) is a professional baseball player, currently playing his 11th season of [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB) in [[Japan]]. He played five years in [[Major League Baseball]] before beginning his career in Japan. Rhodes is the all-time leader for foreign-born players with 400 [[home run]]s in Japan. Prior to Japan, he was a [[center fielder]] who played for the [[Houston Astros]], [[Chicago Cubs]] and [[Boston Red Sox]] from 1990-1995. In his major league career, Rhodes [[batting average|batted]] .224, with 13 home runs and 44 [[run batted in|runs batted in]], 74 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]] and 14 [[stolen base]]s in 225 games played. In [[1993 in baseball|1993]], he hit an extra-inning home run to win the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] championship for the [[Iowa Cubs]]. His only season of more than 250 [[at bat]]s came with the [[1994 Chicago Cubs season|1994 Cubs]]. In that season, Rhodes became the first [[National League]] player to hit three home runs on opening day when he connected off [[Dwight Gooden]] at [[Wrigley Field]]. Granted free agency after the [[1995 in baseball|1995]] season, Rhodes signed with the [[Kintetsu Buffaloes]] in the [[Pacific League]] of NPB. In the {{by|2001}} season, he hit his 55th homer to tie [[Sadaharu Oh]]'s Japanese League single season home run record, set in [[1964 in baseball|1964]]. The following year, [[Alex Cabrera]] tied the record. After Kintetsu refused to sign him to a multi-year contract, Rhodes signed a two year deal with the [[Yomiuri Giants]] of the Japanese [[Central League]] in 2004. A successful first year was followed by a difficult second year. He left the team halfway through the 2005 season due to injury, and was released in the off-season. In 2006, he tried to return to the major leagues with the [[Cincinnati Reds]] but was released by the team in spring training. After spending the rest of 2006 at home with his family, he returned to Japan in 2007, signing a one year contract with the [[Orix Buffaloes]]. Rhodes began the season with a bang by hitting a home run in his first game [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G74ldOxawyY], and connecting for two more in the next game on two consecutive at bats. According to manager [[Terry Collins]], Rhodes still has an 'explosive' bat [http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200703240122.html]. ==See also== *[[Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game]] ==External links== {{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=r/rhodeka01 |fangraphs= |cube=}} *[http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Karl_Rhodes BR Bullpen] *[http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/stats.html Japanese Baseball Data Archive] *[http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=905 Statistics at Japanese Baseball] *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwKxx6B-W5w The Cheering Song for Tuffy Rhodes] {{Orix Buffaloes}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Tuffy}} [[Category:1968 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Major league center fielders]] [[Category:Boston Red Sox players]] [[Category:Chicago Cubs players]] [[Category:Houston Astros players]] [[Category:Major league players from Ohio]] [[Category:African American baseball players]] [[Category:Expatriate baseball players in Japan]] [[Category:Yomiuri Giants players]] [[Category:Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes players]] [[Category:Orix Buffaloes players]] [[Category:People from Cincinnati, Ohio]] [[ja:タフィ・ローズ]]