Larry Walker

Larry and his wife, Angela, make their home in West Palm Beach, Fla...Larry has a daughter, Brittany Marie (7/15/93), and he and his wife also have two daughters, Canaan Rose-Lynn (11/22/99) and Shayna Kaitlin (10/27/01)...graduated from Maple Ridge (B.C.) Senior Secondary School in 1984...grew up a hockey goaltender, playing for 13 years, and teaming with former Bruins all-star Cam Neely...tried out for the Junior A Regina Pats...was playing baseball for the Canadian National Junior Team when Expos scouts discovered him...his family includes brothers, Gary, Carey and Barry, and parents, Larry and Mary...Carey was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens as a goaltender in 1977...has donated a substantial sum to the Rockies Youth Fields of Dreams Program and has opened five Colorado facilities (Northglenn, Aurora, Thornton, Ft. Collins and Denver), more than any player in program history...his current contract included a joint $3,333,333 donation to children's organizations in British Columbia and Colorado...Larry chose that sum because of his affinity for the number three...No. 33 engages in a variety of mini-rituals involving the numeral before, during and after each game...signed by Jim Fanning and Bob Rogers of the Expos...is a nine-time winner of the James "Tip" O'Neill Award, presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (individual achievement while adhering to the highest ideals of baseball).

2004

Batted .280 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 44 games after coming to St. Louis in an 8/6 trade with Colorado for three minor leaguers...Collected 2,000th career hit, a double on 6/30 vs. MIL...was 234th player in MLB history to reach 2,000 and first Canadian-born player to do so...Reinstated from the Rockies 60-day DL on 6/21, missing the first half of season with strained left groin...Belted 3 HRs on 6/25 at CLE, tying career high (3rd time), his 28th career multi-HR game...also established a career high with 14 total bases, tying Colorado's franchise mark (J. Cirillo in 2000)...The 6/25 game at CLE was his first four-hit game since 8/13/00...Batted .319 (23-for-72) in 26 July games, with six doubles, two triples, three HR, 13 RBI and 17 walks...posted a .462 on-base percentage for the month...Batted .297 (62-for-209) following the All-Star break & hit safely in 38 of his last 55 starts (.306), including 25 of last 36...Went 3-for-3 with a double, three-run homer and three runs scored on 7/24 at ARI...Hit sixth career grand slam on 8/17 vs. CIN & then hit his second slam of the week on 8/22 vs. PIT...Returned to action on 9/10 at LA after missing three games with a bone bruise to right knee...Had three hits 9/11 at LA, including go-ahead RBI-single in the 8th inning...Matched a season & career high with four hits 9/12 at LA, including his first two-homer game as a Cardinal and second multi-HR game of the season. Had three RBI and scored three times...Provided lone STL runs on 9/19 vs. ARI with two-run HR...it was his first HR of the season vs. LHP...11 of 17 HR's on the year came with STL. Led the team with seven HRs in Sept./Oct.

2004 POSTSEASON -Larry was solid in his second career postseason, and first since 1995, batting .293 (17-for-58) with six home runs and 11 RBI...he scored 14 of the Cardinals 68 postseason runs (21%)...had a two-homer outing in Game 1 of the NLDS vs. LA. Became the third Cardinal to hit two home runs in a postseason game and the first in Division Series play...scored three times on two walks and two hits in the division series-clinching Game 4 at LA...batted .241 (7-for-29) with six runs, two home runs and five RBI in the LCS vs. HOU...was a HR shy of the cycle in Game 1 of the LCS -- had a triple in the 1st inning, double in the 5th and single in the 6th. Scored on all three hits and drove in one...batted .357 (5-for-14) with a team-high three RBI in the World Series vs. BOS...tied a Cardinals World Series record with four hits in Game 1 at BOS -- had a single, two doubles and a solo HR with two RBI to become the seventh Cardinal with four hits in a WS game and first since Lou Brock in 1967.

2003

Entering the season as Colorado's all-time leader in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs, runs scored, total bases and extra-base hits, Walker added games played, starts, hits, RBI and doubles in 2003 to become the franchise leader in almost every offensive category...after making his club-record eighth Opening Day start for Colorado, 13th of his career, Walker went on to bat .284 (129-for-454) this season with 25 doubles, 7 triples, 16 homers and 79 RBI...battled various ailments throughout the year but still played in 143 games, his most since his MVP campaign of 1997 (153)...following the season, Larry had successful surgery Oct. 15 to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee and a debridement of a tear in labrum of his left shoulder...team physicians, Dr. Richard Hawkins and Dr. Thomas Noonan, performed the procedure at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Englewood, Colo....primarily the club's No. 5 hitter, Walker didn't see a whole lot of pitches to hit, walking a career high 98 times...it was 16 more walks than his previous high of 82 set in 2001 and tied Richie Sexson for ninth in the National League...also drew 14 intentional free passes, his most since 1997 (14)...finished with a .422 on-base percentage, fifth best in the NL...posted a .338 (79-for-234) average at home, seventh in the NL and 12th in the majors...away from Coors, Larry would hit just .227 (50-for-220)...he did split his HR total in half, clubbing 8 at home and 8 on the road...he actually hit better against left-handed pitching, .321 vs. LHP (50-for-156) versus a .265 mark vs. RHP (79-for-298)...the seven-time Gold Glover committed 4 errors in 241 chances for a .983 fielding percentage and 8 assists...he now has 144 OF assists in his ML career, trailing only Barry Bonds (154) among active players...opened the year with a league-leading 5 triples in April and finished with a career-high tying 7 triples, although he wouldn't hit another after May 27...collected his only multi-homer game on April 14 at Arizona, which was his 23rd as a member of the Rockies, matching Vinny Castilla's franchise record...his next homer came April 25 vs. Chicago, tying Don Baylor for 72nd on the all-time list (338)...finished the season with 351 career home runs, tied with Dick Allen and Ellis Burks for 65th all-time...was the tail end of consecutive homers with Preston Wilson on April 29 vs. Cincinnati, the 100th set of back-to-back homers in franchise history...drew 27 walks in May, tying Barry Bonds for most in the majors...walked 12 times over a four-game span May 22-25, the first player to accomplish that since Seattle's Edgar Martinez Sept. 15-18, 2002...included was a 4-walk outing on May 23 vs. San Francisco, equaling his career and the franchise high...reached three milestones in May, the first coming in Game One of a May 8th doubleheader at Atlanta, when he overtook Dante Bichette as franchise's all-time leader in games played with 1,019...on May 15, Larry stole career base No. 218, passing Terry Puhl (217) for most steals by a Canadian-born player in major league history...Walker is already the Canadian leader in just about every statistical category as well...the final milestone was reached May 26, when Walker passed Bichette for most doubles in franchise history with his 271st...the only May low-light came in the fact that Larry failed to hit a HR in a full month for the first time since September of 1996...Walk's average fell to .243 on May 23 before he turned it around to bat .383 (44-for-115) over a 37-game stretch from May 24 to July 2, elevating his average to .306...that's the highest he'd reach, however, as he permanently dipped below the .300 mark on July 7...with his first inning double on July 9 vs. San Francisco, Larry became the franchise leader in career hits with 1,279, passing Bichette's 1,278...Walker has amassed 1,992 career hits overall and looks to reach the 2,000 plateau early next year...drew 4 walks for the second time this year on July 26 vs. Milwaukee...hit safely in 18 of 26 games in August yet still complied only a .250 average thanks to one multi hit game...went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and 6 RBI in Colorado's 20-9 victory over Arizona on Sept. 23 at Coors...the slam came in the first inning off Brandon Webb, the fifth of Larry's career but first since Aug. 11, 2000 at Montreal...the 6 RBI were tied for the second most ever for Walker and also tied him with Bichette for first place on the Rockies career list with 826...passed Bichette to become the franchise leader in RBI with a run-scoring single on Sept. 27 at San Diego...finished the season strong, hitting safely in each of his final seven games (.435, 10-for-23)...a lifetime .344 (95-for-276) batter during Interleague play, Walker again excelled against American League opponents...batted .327 (17-for-52) vs. the AL with 2 homers and 12 RBI...was 2-for-8 in two starts as the club's DH with one HR.

2002

Played in his eighth season as a Rockie, setting a franchise record for most years of service in a Colorado uniform ... hit .338 (161- for-477) with 40 doubles, 4 triples, 26 homers and 104 RBI ... made a run at repeating as batting champ but eventually finished second to Barry Bonds (.370) ... overall, ranked fourth in the majors behind Bonds, Manny Ramirez (.349) and Mike Sweeney (.340) ... reached the 100 RBI plateau for the fifth time in his career and third in the last four years ... tied for third in the NL with a 4.6 RBI ratio (at bats per RBI) ... had 33 go-ahead RBI, the second highest total in the NL behind only Vladimir Guerrero's 35 ... as for game-winning RBI, Larry was tied for third with 16 ... at season's end, 21 of Walk's 26 homers came off right-handed pitchers, 14 were solo shots, eight were two-run bombs and four were three-run HR's ... had 41 multi-hit games (27 two-hitters, 10 three-hitter and 4 four-hitters) ... posted a hitting streak of 10 or more games on five separate occasions, including a season-high 17-gamer July 15-Aug. 3 ... tied for the NL lead with 14 outfield assists (Guerrero), his most as a Rockie and second most of his career (16 in 1992) ... hit .452 (28-for-62) in 17 games vs. the American League, the highest Interleague average in the majors ... batted over .400 in back-to-back months (June and July), the first player to do so since Paul O'Neill accomplished the feat with the Yankees in April (.448) and May (.410) of 1994 ... Walker batted .410 (34-for-83) during June, adding 7 doubles, 7 homers and 21 RBI ... throughout the month, he hit safely in 20 of 24 games, with 10 multi-hit contests ... in July, Larry hit at a .438 (39- for-89) clip and added 12 doubles, 5 homers and 17 RBI ... hit in all but two of his 24 games ... that July performance earned Walker the National League Player of the Month award ... it was just his first such honor since April of 1997 ... on April 6, Larry surpassed Terry Puhl for the most games played by a Canadian-born player in MLB history (1,532) ... hit a 481-foot blast on June 3 vs. Los Angeles, the 10th longest HR in Coors Field history, the third longest at Coors by Larry and the seventh time he has hit one into the upper deck ... became the franchise's all-time leader in outfield assists on May 23 vs. San Diego when he threw out his 74th baserunner with the Rockies ... had been tied with Dante Bichette at 73 OF assists. ... recorded a pair of two outfield assist games (April 5 at LA and June 7 at Toronto), the ninth and 10th time he has done so in his career ... his home run on June 16 vs. Cleveland marked his 490th career extra-base hit with the Rockies, becoming the all-time franchise leader in that category (Bichette 489) ... had two or more hits in seven straight games, June 15- 22, falling one short of the franchise record of eight consecutive multi-hit games (Andres Galarraga July 23- 29, 1996) ... had a 17-game hitting streak, July 15-Aug. 3 ... throughout the streak, he batted .462 (30-for-65) with 9 doubles, 2 homers and 9 RBI ... it fell four games short of his career high 21-game streak (April 25 - May 21, 1999), but was tied for the longest by a Rockie in 2002 with Juan Uribe ... had three 4-hit games to tie his career high, now done 31 times ... hit a pair of home runs on Aug. 19 at Atlanta, his only multihomer game of the year and 26th of his career ... according to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Larry became the all-time Canadian walks leader on Aug. 31, passing Jack Graney (712).

2001

IN 2001...Larry appeared in 142 games for Colorado this season, making 126 starts.

• All 126 starts came in RF for Walker, he made three other appearances in right this season.
• He won his third NL batting title in four years, hitting .350 (174-for-497) with 35 doubles, three triples, 38 homers and 123 RBI.
• The 123 RBI this season were the second most in his career...Larry had 130 in 1997.
• In the field , Walker finished with a .984 fielding percentage...he had 243 putouts, eight assists, four double plays and four errors...his first assist came on Opening Day when Walker gunned down St. Louis' Fernando Viña at home plate in the first inning.
• Larry was named Rockie Player of the Month on three occasions this season, April, June and September.
• As a pinch hitter, Walker was 2-for-5 with three RBI.
• His first pinch hit of the season came on June 24 vs. Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks...it was his first hit in the pinch sine September 4, 1999 at New York...it also marked his second career hit off Johnson.
• At home, Walker batted .406 (102-for-251) with 26 doubles, three triples, 20 homers and 74 RBI...the .406 average was the highest home average in the majors.
• Away from Coors, he batted .293 (72-for-246) with nine doubles, 18 homers and 49 RBI.
• Against lefties, he batted .378 (56-for-148) with 13 doubles, 14 homers and 52 RBI...the .378 was the highest average by a left-handed hitter against left-handed pitching in the majors.
• Versus righties, he hit at a .338 (118-for-349) clip with 22 doubles, three triples, 24 homers and 71 RBI.
• With runners in scoring position, he batted .379 (47-for-124) with 19 doubles and 11 homers...his .379 RSIP average was tied for the fourth highest in the circuit.

ON TOP AGAIN...Larry won his third batting title in the last four years in 2001...he also won the batting crown in 1998 (.363) and 1999 (.379).

• He finished with a .350 average on the year, marking the fourth highest single season average of his career.
• The average tied Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle for the highest mark in the majors.
• Walker officially took the lead in the NL batting race from Moises Alou on September 5th.
• From the sixth of September through the end of the season, Larry batted .365 (23-for-63).

OUT OF THE GATES... Larry started the season off at a staggering pace in 2001.

• He batted .375 (33-for-88) during the month of April, with seven doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 30 RBI.
• He hit 11 home runs in April, becoming the first player in National League history to hit 11 or more April homers twice during their career. He also hit 11 in April during his MVP season of 1997.
• He opened the season with a 10-game hit streak, hitting safely from the fourth of April to the 13th.
• In the streak, he went 17-for-40 (.425) with 12 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, six homers and 16 RBI.
• He had 11 multi-RBI games in the month as well.

OFF AND RUNNING...Larry stole the 200th base of his career on May 22.

• Larry swiped his 200th at second base in the sixth inning of a 11-8 win over Los Angeles.
• He stole bases in back-to-back games on April 28 and 29 for the first time since September 6-7, 1998...Walker has swiped bases in consecutive contests 19 times in his career.
• On the season, he stole 14 bases, the most since his MVP season of 1997 when he swiped 33 bags...he also had 14 steals in 1998 and 1991.

LONG GONE..."Walk" hit 38 homers on the year, tied for the eighth most in the NL.

• Larry's homer on August 24 in Milwaukee set the new franchise mark for most career HR at 204...he took the lead from Vinny Castilla (203)...at seasons end, Walker has accumulated 210 home runs in a Colorado uniform.
• Walker hit his 300th career homer August 5 vs. Pittsburgh...he became the 21st active player to belt at least 300 homers in their career.
• The 38 long balls were the most since 1997 when he hit 49...they were also the second most in his 13 year career.
• He hit 24 off right-handed pitching and 14 off lefties...the 14 off lefties tied him for the third most in the NL.
• In 2001, Larry had two multi-homer games and now has 25 for his career...the first came on April 24 against Chicago when he went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two homers and five RBI...his second of the year came on September 24 vs. San Diego when he went 4-for-4 with five runs scored, two homers and three RBI
• On the season, Walker had six game tying and 12 go-ahead homeruns.

CROSSING HOME...Larry scored 107 runs on the season, the third highest total in 2001 for Colorado, behind Todd Helton's 132 and Juan Pierre's 108.

• He scored his 1000th career run on June 3 at Coors against San Francisco.
• On September 24 vs. San Diego, Walker scored five runs in one game, tying a career and franchise high...he last scored five runs on July 27, 2000...the others to score five in a contest for the franchise were Jeff Cirillo on June 28, 2000 and Walt Weiss who did it September 20, 1995.
• Walker scored multiple-runs in 27 contests this season...he scored two-runs in 23 games, three-runs in three games and five once.

NOT JUST ONE...Larry had 54 multi-hit games on the season, the third most on the team and tied for 10th most in the NL this season.

• Walker had two hits in a game, 42 times, 10 three-hit games and two four-hit contests.
• The two four-hit games tied a career high, now done 27 times in his career.
• From August 12th through the 19th, Larry strung together six multi-hit contests...over that stretch, he went 16-for-28 (.571) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, five RBI and seven runs scored...the streak was snapped when he went 0-for-4 in New York on the 22nd.
• Larry had 35 multi-RBI games on the year...22 two-RBI games, seven three-RBI contests, five four-RBI outings and one five-RBI game.

AS A DH...Larry was the team's DH when Colorado traveled to Texas and Oakland...in Texas, he went 3-for-12 with three doubles, a RBI with two runs scored in all three games...in Oakland, he started as the DH two of the three games and went 1-for-7 with a homer and run scored.

2000

Larry marked his 12th Major League season, his sixth with the Rockies... He batted .309 with nine homers and 51 RBI. Walker totaled 27 multi-hit games, and reached his season and career high, four hits, in three contests: April 19 at Arizona, July 27 vs. Los Angeles and Aug. 12 at Montreal...he's now reached his career high of four hits 25 times. He notched 13 multi-RBI games and the Rockies were 9-4 in those contests...he reached his season high, four RBI, with one swing Aug. 11 at Montreal, hitting his fourth career grand slam. From his outfield position, he played both right and left, and compiled a .994 fielding percentage, with one error in 173 total chances. With runners in scoring position, Larry hit .391 (27-for-69), which would've ranked among league leaders Todd Helton and Jeff Cirillo had Walker qualified. At home, he hit .359 (56-for-156). On the road, he batted .259 (41-for-158).

OUTFIELD ARTILLERY: Larry led the club with 10 outfield assists... He recorded half the assists, five, on one road trip, Aug. 10-17. In two games on the season, both on that road trip, he tied a club record with two assists (Aug. 11 at Montreal and Aug. 15, Game 1, at New York)...a Rockies outfielder has thrown out two players in a game 10 times now, four by Walker...Jeffrey Hammonds on April 29 was the only other Colorado player to record two outfield assists in a game this season. Eight of the assists came from his right field position, two came from left. On April 16 vs. St. Louis, he got his first assist, firing to second to force a runner in an outfield fielder's choice. On April 19 at Arizona, he came inches short of catching Jay Bell at first base in a play that would've been a groundout to right field.

FURTHER INTO CANADIAN HISTORY: Larry further solidified himself in 2000 as the greatest Major League player ever born in Canada... On April 19 at Arizona, he recorded his 1,448th hit to become the all-time Canadian-born hits leader...Jeff Heath (1936-49) held the previous record. On July 17 in Game 1 of a DH vs. Oakland, Walker drove in his 888th career RBI, surpassing Heath for the all-time Canadian lead...that day, Larry notched his career's 1,500th hit in the third inning, then surpassed Heath's career RBI with a mammoth shot into Coors Field's upper deck, a two-run homer. So, Walker concludes the 2000 season as Canada's all-time leader in hits, home runs, RBI, doubles and runs scored.

STRONG STREAK: Larry built his season's longest hitting streak, eight games, from April 21-May 1... Over the streak, he batted .471 (16-for-34) with three homers and nine RBI. Included in the streak was a classic at-bat April 28 vs. New York...in the third inning off LHP Mike Hampton, Walker drew 11 pitches, including seven consecutive fouls, before driving a triple to center...the hit also drove in the eventual game winning RBI.

SPEAKING OF TRIPLES: That triple off Hampton marked his first of a career-best seven triples... Four of those seven triples came in June. He'd surpassed his previous career-best, five in 1995, by late June...his sixth triple came June 26 vs. San Francisco on a night when he was 3-for-3 with three walks...in that game he reached safely in all six plate appearances, tying a club record.

ANOTHER SOLID MONTREAL SERIES: Walker turned in one of his best career series Aug. 11-14 at Montreal, against his former organization... He went 7-for-12 (.583) in the four-game set, with three doubles, one homer and five RBI. From the first inning Aug. 11, when Dustin Hermanson walked him, to the ninth inning Aug. 12, when he singled in a run off Steve Kline, Walker reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances (six hits, three walks, hit by pitch). He belted his fourth career grand slam Aug. 11, off Steve Forster.

INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS: Walker made two trips to the DL in 2000... On May13 the Rockies received results of tests that diagnosed Walker with stress-reaction irritation in his right elbow...the team placed him on the 15-day DL and he missed 23 games...on May 26, he was actually hit by a stray batting-practice ball off the bat of Masato Yoshii (the Rockies went on to lose that night, 2-1, with their only run coming on Yoshii's first career homer)...after Colorado activated him, Walker hit safely in seven of his first eight games and 14 of 17 in June. Then, on Aug. 21 (retroactive to Aug. 20), the Rockies placed him back on the 15-day DL with right elbow inflammation...when surgery was scheduled, the team moved him to the 60-day DL Sept. 5...all told, Walker missed 62 games while on the DL.

1999

Walker reported to spring camp wondering whether it would be his last in Tucson with the Rockies, but on the morning of the club's first exhibition game, March 4, he reached agreement with Colorado on a six-year extension...Larry then homered that afternoon in his first spring at-bat...only four days before Opening Day, in batting practice March 30 in Tucson, he strained a muscle on the right side of his rib cage; the club placed him on the 15-day disabled list April 6 (retroactive to March 29) and he missed his first Opening Day since 1989, when he started the year in Triple-A...he returned to the roster April 14 and started that night, but snow cut the game short...the next day, in his first official at-bat, he doubled for his 600th hit in a Rockies uniform...he hit safely in his first five games, went hitless in his sixth, then kicked off a memorable 21-game hitting streak, the longest of his career...during the streak (April 25 - May 21) Walker batted .506, only the eighth time in history a player has batted at least .500 over a streak of 20 or more...the stretch included a historic night in St. Louis April 28, when Walker went 4-for-5, tied a career high with three homers and established a personal best with eight RBI, tying a franchise record; two of his three homers sliced through driving Midwest rain...on April 29 at Busch, Walker threw out Placido Palanco at the plate, his first of 13 outfield assists and first of seven in outs at home...the next night at Pittsburgh, Walker homered twice and drove in four...in fact, he strung together four consecutive multi-RBI efforts, establishing club records for most RBI in four straight (17) and three straight (15), and ran away with the NL's Player of the Week...he slapped an RBI pinch single off Turk Wendell to continue the streak; the single boosted his average to .400, and he'd spend the next 13 days over the Ted Williams line...on May 17 vs. Cincinnati, Walker drove a line-drive off Pete Harnisch to right; he lapped the bases for his first career inside-the-park homer, the third in Coors Field history...he collected seven hits in the streak's final two games...on May 21 vs. Arizona, he blasted a game-ending homer off John Frascatore in the 11th; the shot was his second game-ending HR in a Colorado uniform and first of two in 1999 (also Aug. 18); the homer bumped his average to its season's high, .435...the next day, May 22, the streak ended vs. Arizona's Omar Daal (Walker was the only starting position player on either team without a hit)...he hit .506 (41-for-81) with 10 homers and 33 RBI over the 21 games...three weeks later, Larry embarked on an 18-game streak, which made him only the fourth player in the 1990s with multiple streaks of at least 18 in the same season...he hit .471 (33-for-70) over the 18 games with 11 homers and 27 RBI...from June 18-23, Walker homered in five consecutive games, tying Dante Bichette's 1995 club record...from June 18-24, he strung together six straight multi-hit games, two shy of Andres Galarraga's franchise record...at Qualcomm Stadium on June 26, after the Padres prematurely set off victory fireworks in the ninth inning, he doubled through the outfield smoke to score two runs, continuing the streak...Walker on June 28 at San Diego, drove in his 68th run, surpassing the 67 he totaled during the entire '98 campaign...in the second game of a split doubleheader July 3 vs. San Diego, Larry blasted two homers, his 23rd and 24th on the year, to surpass the 23 he totaled during 1998...Walker's 18-gamer ended with a Coors Field shutout, by San Diego's Andy Ashby July 4...on July 8 at Coors, he hit a 1-2 pitch off the Dodgers' Chan Ho Park for his 250th career homer...he went to the All-Star game in Boston with a Major League best .382 average; at that point since the 1998 break, he'd batted .390 (189-for-484) over the equivalent of a full season...Walker made his third consecutive All-Star start and fourth appearance...he left the historic park with a souvenir: a clump of grass from right field...on July 17 at Cincinnati, with the Rockies down to their last out and Walker down to his last strike, he smacked a game-tying pinch homer off closer Scott Williamson (his fourth career pinch HR), but Jeffrey Hammonds won the game with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the frame...the next night at Oakland, Walker's first-inning single gave him 2,500 career total bases...on July 27, his right arm recorded its 100th career outfield assist; four innings later, he got No. 101, becoming the first Rockies player to record two assists in one game in more than one contest (also 4/13/97 vs. Montreal)...in a "turn-ahead-the-clock" game Aug. 18 vs. Atlanta, Larry homered in the first inning off Kevin Millwood to give the Rockies the lead (Millwood's only run and one of two hits in 8.0 innings); then, in the ninth with the score 1-1, Walker hit a three-run homer off closer John Rocker to end the afternoon...the game winner marked Larry's 1,400th career hit and the game marked his 23rd multi-homer effort, fourth and final of 1999...he closed his season by hitting safely in his last 12 starts, including multi-hit efforts in his final six...he had an RBI in six straight games, Sept. 8-17...on Sept.17 vs. Los Angeles, he reached safely in every plate appearance for the fourth time in 1999...in the final month, he made the decision to undergo season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery, and he made his final appearance Sept. 21...Larry left his team's road trip Sept. 29 and Dr. Wayne Gersoff repaired frayed cartilage in his left knee Sept. 30...Walker's club-record .379 average was the fifth highest since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941...he led the majors in slugging (.710) and on-base percentage (.458), becoming the first player to win the percentage triple crown since George Brett in 1980 (the last NL player to lead the league in the three categories was Stan Musial in 1948; the last NL player to lead the majors in all three was Musial in 1943)...his .04349 margin of victory was the 11th highest in history...finally, his .461 average at home is believed to be a Major League record; Elias Sports Bureau has tracked home/road splits since 1974 and Walker's 1999 home mark is 43 points better than any other player's in that span.

1998

Larry compiled a .363 average to win the NL batting title by 10 points...he became the first Canadian-born player this century to win a batting title; St. Louis' Tip O'Neill won the American Association title in 1887...Larry captured the league lead Sept. 2 and held it the rest of the season, hitting .528 (28-for-53) in September...he batted .402 after the break, the best mark in the majors...Walker built a 20-game hitting streak, May 4-25; during the streak, the NL's second longest in '98, he hit .342 (27-for-79)...he hit safely in 49 of his first 56 games, but with nagging elbow soreness, he hit just one homer through April...on May 6 at Philadelphia, he hit a pinch grand slam off Jerry Spradlin...after his 20-game hitting streak ended, May 27, he hit safely in his next eight games...his second grand slam of the month (third career) came May 29 vs. Houston (Doug Henry)...despite the elbow, he made just one trip to the disabled list, June 18, and returned for the final series before the All-Star break...fans elected him to his second consecutive NL All-Star lineup and his third overall appearance; Walker, who garnered the sixth-most votes (1,744,944), started in center field at his home park and went 0-for-1 with a walk...he came out of the break cold, going 6-for-his-first-32 (.188) and his average slipped to .314, the lowest since April 5...he had two hits the next day, Aug. 19, and from that date on he hit .440 (78-for-177)...during a seven-game homestand, July 23-28, he was 15-for-27 (.556) with three doubles, two triples, four homers and nine RBI, boosting his average from .319 to .340; the surge took him from 10th place, 20 points behind the leader, to second place, just three points back...he sprained the middle finger on his right hand swinging at a 3-0 pitch in the second game of a DH at New York Aug. 18...he appeared as a defensive replacement in two games, Aug. 23 and 24, but could not swing a bat until a pinch-hit appearance Aug. 26 vs. Milwaukee; the injury kept him from starting until Aug. 27...after returning to the lineup, he had seven hits in his first 13 at-bats...he missed the entire Los Angeles series, September 14-16, with back spasms, which kept him from starting nine of the Rockies' final 17 games...Walk did pinch-hit in four games, including a key 11th-inning double, Sept. 20 at San Diego, which led to the game's only run in a 1-0 win...he pushed his final average over .360 in the season's last two games, vs. the Giants Sept. 26-27, going 5-for-8...he hit .350 or better vs. eight NL clubs...Walker was the first hitter other than Tony Gwynn to win an NL batting title since Galarraga won it in 1993, the Rockies' inaugural season.

1997

In November baseball awarded Larry, in a landslide vote by the BBWAA, the NL Most Valuable Player...the first native Canadian to win the most coveted individual honor, Walk received 22 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 359 points to outdistance Mike Piazza (263)...he came within four hits and 10 RBI of winning the first Triple Crown in 60 years...Larry topped the league with 49 homers, ranked second with a .366 batting average, and third with 130 RBI...he also led the league with 29 road homers and his .346 road average ranked third among NL hitters...he also led the league with a .720 slugging percentage, the fifth highest in NL history; he became only the 14th player to top 400 total bases in a single season (409), the most in the majors since Stan Musial had 429 in 1948...only nine players in the history of the game had amassed more total bases in a single season-Joe Dimaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in the AL, and Musial, Babe Herman, Rogers Hornsby, Chuck Klein and Hack Wilson in the NL...he was the first player to touch 400 total bases in the NL since Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves reached that number in 1959...he topped the league with a .452 on-base percentage...with 33 steals in 41 attempts he became only the fifth Major League player (Hank Aaron, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Ellis Burks) with at least 40 homers and 30 steals in one season...only Walker, Burks and Aaron had collected 40 homers, 30 steals and 200 hits in one season...Larry also won his third Rawlings Gold Glove...Walker committed just two errors in 246 total chances and set a club record with 132 consecutive errorless games...on the season he kept his average over .400 through July 1 and did not permanently dip below the magic mark until July 19...Larry hit .440 with six homers and 11 RBI in the first week...he tied a club record by hitting three homers April 5 in Montreal...the NL's April Player of the Month, Walker tied an NL mark with 11 homers in April...Larry blasted a 493-foot homer into the third deck Aug. 31, the longest ever hit by a Colorado player in Coors Field...he belted his 49th homer of the year Sept. 26 but sat out the last two games with a sore right elbow...he hit .400 or better vs. six clubs...despite a sore right knee, injured in the 10th game of the season, and a sore right elbow, Larry appeared in a professional career high of 153 games...he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Jan.13, 1999 to treat a bone spur.

1996

Larry opened in center field and homered in his first '96 at-bat (off Sid Fernandez)...on May 21 vs. Pittsburgh, Walker set a club record and career high with 13 total bases; he also established a personal best with six RBI...the next afternoon, he tied a club record with two triples, and with a double, he set the NL record for consecutive extra-base hits with six...Walker on June 8 vs. Atlanta was 4-for-4 with four runs scored, including a pair of solo homers...the next afternoon, on June 9, he slammed into the Coors Field fence in pursuit of a Jeff Blauser drive and broke his left clavicle...hitting .283 with 14 homers at the time, he missed the next 60 games...upon activation Aug.15, he returned to right field...on Aug. 28 he incurred a left shoulder spasm that limited him to 14 at-bats over the final month...Walker knocked in his 500th career run on April 24 with a homer vs. Philly.

1995

Walker's 31 home runs, 14 HBP, 72 extra-base hits, .607 slugging pct. and 300 total bases were second in the NL and he finished seventh in the MVP balloting ...in his April 26 Rockies debut, and Coors Field's inaugural game, he had three doubles, including one with two out in the ninth that sent the game into extra innings, an 11-9 win over New York...he homered in four consecutive May games ...Walker hit his 100th career homer, May 7 vs. Los Angeles off Hideo Nomo...Larry hit a game-tying three-run homer off Tom Glavine in Game 2 of the Division Series vs. Atlanta.

1994

He played first base for most of the year, taking strain off a right shoulder that required surgery...Larry still tied for the NL lead in doubles (44)...he was diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear, but stayed in the lineup at first base...on an infamous evening at Dodger Stadium April 24, Larry had a pair of "throwing" errors; Brett Butler led off the first with a double, which Walker fielded on the warning track, but when he turned to throw, the ball slipped out of his hand, bounced off his shoulder and landed at his feet; in the third inning, Larry made a running catch for what he thought was the final out but with Jose Offerman tagging on the play, Walker handed the ball to 9-year-old Sebastian Napier...Dr. Larry Coughlin operated on Larry Oct. 4 at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, repairing a slightly torn right rotator cuff and labrum.

1993

Larry turned in the first 20/20 season of his career...he hit his first grand slam, Sept. 1 at Cincinnati (off John Roper)...Walker earned his second straight Rawlings Gold Glove, teaming with Marquis Grissom for two-thirds of the golden NL outfield.

1992

In a breakout season, he earned his first Rawlings Gold Glove, and a Louisville Silver Slugger for offensive performance...he played in the All-Star Game at San Diego and garnered AP and Sporting News postseason All-Star honors...he finished fifth in the NL MVP balloting.

1991

Walker enjoyed the NL's best second half, hitting .338 in 72 games with 21 doubles, 10 HR and 41 RBI after the break...he played first base for 39 games, including Dennis Martinez's July 28 perfect game at Los Angeles (16 putouts, one assist).

1990

Larry finished tied for seventh in Rookie of the Year balloting, although he wasn't classified as a rookie for a period during the season...the BBWAA reinstated that status in a vote at the All-Star Game, clarifying and modifying the rookie rule to once again classify Walker as a rookie.

1989

Montreal recalled him Aug.16 and he made his big-league debut that night, starting in right field vs. San Francisco...in the contest, Larry walked three times and got his first hit off Mike LaCoss.

1988

On the DL all season, he suffered a right knee injury while playing winter ball at Hermosillo (Mexico), Jan. 16...his leg was in a cast for eight weeks and he rehabbed for seven months.

1987

At Double-A Jacksonville, he earned Southern League postseason All-Star honors and won the prestigious James "Tip" O'Neill Award as the top baseball player from Canada.

1986

A 19-year old at Burlington, Walker hit 29 homers in 95 games, leading the league with 74 RBI before earning a promotion to West Palm Beach in mid-July.

1985

Signed as a non-drafted free agent Nov. 14, 1984, Walker began his career at Utica.