2009 highlights

• Hit .295 in 36 games as backup catcher
• Hit .333 with runners in scoring position

Career highlights (as of 2009)

• Selected by the New York Yankees in the 48^th round of the 1987 amateur draft (1,152^nd overall)
• Went 1-for-3 with a walk in MLB debut with the San Diego Padres (1993)
• MLB All-Star (1999/AL)
• Gold Glove winner, Catcher (2001, 2002, 2006)
• Had just one error in 134 games as catcher in 2005
• Tied for 8^th among catchers in MLB history for most games played (1,917)
• Has never been on disabled list in 17 years of MLB play (UPDATE: Ausmus was placed on disabled list for first time on 4/9/2010 and later underwent surgery to repair a repair a herniated disk in his back)
• Has had ten 4-hit games
• Five-time league leader in fielding percentage among catchers
• Two-time league leader in percentage of runners caught stealing
• Ranked 3^rd-best Jewish catcher in MLB history by Baseball Talmud  
• Hit one of biggest home runs in Houston Astros history. With 2 outs in bottom of 9th inning and Houston down 6-5 to Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of N.L. Division Series, Ausmus launches solo HR to force extra innings. Houston ends drama with walk-off HR in 18th inning, a win that sends team to N.L. Championship Series (10/9/2005)

MLB career bests, by statistic

• AVG: .293 (1995)
• 2B: 25 (1997, 1999, 2000)
• HR: 9 (1999)
• RBI: 54 (1999)
• BB: 69 (2000)
• OBP: .365 (1999)
• SLG: .415 (1999) 

On being Jewish

• “As a child with a Protestant Christian father and a Jewish mother, he celebrated Jewish holidays with his mother’s family, but didn’t really identify as a Jew. ‘I wasn’t raised with the Jewish religion, so in that sense I don’t really have much feeling toward it. But, however, in the last 10 or so years, I have had quite a few young Jewish boys who would tell me that I am their favorite player or they love watching me play or they feel like baseball is a good fit for them because it worked for me or it worked for Shawn Green or other Jewish players at the Major League level. It has been a sense of pride. If you can have a positive impact on a kid, I’m all for it.” (Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles; May 22, 2009)
• Ausmus has been selected to coach Team Israel in the 2013 World Baseball Classic’s qualifying round. “Another reason Ausmus is drawn to the idea of coaching the Israeli team is his Jewish heritage: Ausmus’s maternal grandparents were Jewish. “It’s actually my mother who got me into baseball,” explained Ausmus. “My mother is the one who signed me up for little league and always made sure I went to practice… And my grandfather instilled the love of baseball in me. He drove me to Fenway Park, he always kept track of my batting stats…so for me it’s a tradition I associate with my Jewish roots.”

For more information

• Baseball-Reference page
• Jewish Baseball Museum bio
• Baseball cards

Career batting