• Mike was a late bloomer. He did not grow to six feet until he was 18 and only reached 185 pounds in his third year of minor league ball.
• In 1997, Mike was named the Eastern League's top batting prospect by Baseball America. At Triple-A that year, he became the first Columbus Clipper to hit for the cycle.
• In 1999, Mike was given the Tony Conigliaro award for overcoming cancer and returning to the diamond.
• Mike hit a game-tying grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during an August 1999 game. It was one of a record five grand slams hit that night. His bat went to the Hall of Fame.
• Mike started the 2001 season as one of the NL’s hottest hitters. He drove in 12 runs in his first seven games and had 62 RBIs by the All-Star break.
• Mike was second in the NL to Bobby Abreu in doubles with 44 in 2002.
• Mike was just the second Marlin to hit three home runs in a game. He connected off Eric Milton, Tim Worrell and Billy Wagner in a 2004 game against the Phillies.
• In 2005, Mike was just the second third baseman in NL history to make it through a season with only six errors.
• At the end of the 2007 season, Mike had the highest fielding percentage of any third baseman in baseball history.
• Mike was one of four Red Sox who hit consecutive homers against the New York Yankees in an April 2007 game.
• Mike’s hit in the 2007 All-Star game boosted his average in the Midsummer Classic to .571. He was named to the AL team on the players’ ballot.
• In 2007, Mike broke Butch Hobson’s record for most RBIs by a Red Sox third baseman.
• Mike says John Smoltz was the toughest pitcher he faced during his years with the Marlins.
• Mike was just the 14th major league to hit 40 doubles with teams in both leagues. Bill Buckner was the only other Boston player to accomplish the feat.
• Mike has used the hidden ball trick to catch runners napping off third base. Among his NL victims were Luis Terrero and Brian Schneider.
• Mike was just the fourth Marlin to be named an All-Star in back-to-back seasons. The first was Jeff Conine.
• Mike was Randy Johnson’s 3,000the strikeout victim.
• Midway through 2007, Mike got a scare when doctors thought that his cancer had returned. Further tests revealed that he was still cancer-free. A freckle on his hip had shown up on an x-ray.
• Mike and Bertica have two children, Alexis and Anthony.
• Mike is a fan of reggae music. He loves Bob Marley.

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