Sure, the shortstop may not have had the larger-than-life personality of teammate Mo Vaughn, but he was every bit the superstar. He'll be rewarded for his time in Boston by being inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame on Friday night.
The New York native spent all but one of his 11 big league seasons with the Red Sox, and along the way he created some fond memories for Red Sox fans.
One such moment came on defense, when he turned an unassisted triple play in July of 1994. At the time, he was the 10th MLB player to turn such a rare play (it's happened five times since, most recently when Eric Bruntlett turned one last August).
Then there was the time in 1996 when he hit for the cycle against the White Sox at Fenway Park. Valentin homered in the bottom of the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth, taking care of the cycle before the seventh-inning stretch.
That wasn't his biggest offensive explosion though — he saved that one for the playoffs. In the 1999 ALDS, Valentin hit two homers and drove in seven RBIs in a game that the Red Sox had to win to stay alive. That they did, putting up 23 runs, thanks largely to Valentin's team-leading seven RBIs.
What was your favorite Valentin moment? If it was the triple play, text "SOX1" to 542542. If it was hitting for the cycle, text "SOX2" to 542542. If it was the seven RBIs in the playoffs, text "SOX3" to 542542.
