Jason Andrew Varitek was born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan. His family moved to Longwood, Florida when Jason was 7. He's the second-oldest son of Donna and Joseph Varitek, and has three brothers: Justin, Jared and Joe.

Jason played in the 1984 Little League World Series when he was 12 years old. His Altamonte Springs team lost in the finals to Seoul, South Korea by a score of 6-2. He played shortstop, third base and catcher in his three LLWS games.


In high school, Jason played third base and catcher for Lake Brantley High School. The Lake Brantley Patriots won the state championship in 1990 and were later named the number one high school baseball team in the nation by USA TODAY.


Jason graduated from Georgia Tech, but not before leaving his mark. He was the first baseball player in school history to have his number (33) retired. Other distinctions include:

  • Baseball America's 1993 Player of the Year
  • Selected to Baseball America's "All-Time College All-Star Team"
  • Three-time Consensus All-American (1992, 1993 & 1994)
  • Inducted in to Georgia Tech Hall of Fame
  • 1994 College World Series runner-up
  • Most career games played (253)
  • Most career runs scored (261)
  • Most career base hits (351)
  • Most career doubles (82)
  • Most home runs in a single game (3)
  • Most career home runs (57)
  • Most career RBI's (251)
  • Most career total bases (610)
  • Most walks in a season (76)

He played with future teammates Nomar Garciaparra and Jay Payton and took part in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. After his 1994 senior season, Varitek won three different collegiate baseball awards:

  • 1994 Golden Spikes Award
  • 1994 Rotary Smith Award
  • 1994 Dick Howser Trophy

All three awards recognizing him as the outstanding American collegiate baseball player. Jason also has the distinction of being the first of only two players in Georgia Tech history to top 200 in both RBI and runs.


Jason also played for the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League during the summers of 1991 and 1993 around a stint with Team USA in 1992. After hitting a respectable .263 in '91, the switch-hitting backstop returned to win the CCBL's Pat Sorenti Award as the League MVP and the Thurman Munson Award with the highest batting avg. (.371) in 1993, while also compiling a .514 on-base percentage and a .552 slugging average. He is still in contact with his host family, the Kings.


Jason was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 1994 amateur draft, and the 14th pick overall. A pioneer of the loopholes in the draft process, he signed with a small team in the independent Northern League before agreeing to terms with the Mariners. He did not enter the Mariners minor league system until 1995, playing for the Port City Roosters.


In 1997, in what has been said to be one of the most lopsided trades in recent MLB history and in the Red Sox favor, he was traded from the Seattle Mariners with pitcher Derek Lowe, to the Red Sox in return for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.

Jason was called up only once during the 1997 season, but played 86 games in 1998. He became the Red Sox full-time catcher in 1999, playing 144 games that season.

The future team captain didn't start out wearing the number 33! Jason wore the number 47 from 1997 until August of 1999. The number 33 (his number at Georgia Tech and with the Port City Roosters) was worn by two different pitchers during his first years with Boston: Steve Avery wore #33 during the 1997-1998 season and then pitcher Kirk Bullinger wore it for most of the 1999 season.


On June 7, 2001, he cracked his left elbow while trying to catch a foul ball that wandered into the stands, and sat out the rest of the season; the Red Sox, atop the division by one game with a 34-24 record when he got injured, went 48-55 the rest of the way and finished 13 games behind the Yankees.


In 2004, Jason had a career-high .296 batting average with 18 home runs and 73 RBI's. During the 2004 World Series, Jason batted against St. Louis Cardinals' Jason Marquis, the first time two former Little League World Series participants have faced each other in the Major League World Series.


After the World Series, Jason became a free agent and re-signed with Boston on December 24th to a 4-year, $40 million contract. In addition, the Red Sox surprised Jason, who was considered the "unofficial" Captain of the team, by appointing him as the official Captain, only the third named Captain since 1923. Currently, there are only three other captains in Major League Baseball: Derek Jeter (New York Yankees) Mike Sweeney (Kansas City Royals) and Paul Konerko (Chicago White Sox).


In 2005, Jason was awarded with both the Silver Slugger Award and the coveted Gold Glove Award. His name plate and photo are attached to the large Gold Glove Award exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Click here.


In 2006, Jason was selected to represent the United States in the World Baseball Classic. On March 8th, he hit a 448-foot grand slam against Team Canada to bring Team USA back from an 8-0 deficit.

On July 18, 2006, Jason played his 991st game at catcher for the Boston Red Sox, breaking Carlton Fisk's club record. That game was a home game vs. Kansas City, during which Jason's achievement was recognized before the top of the 5th inning (after the game was official and couldn't be cancelled due to weather). He received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at Fenway Park for a few moments before play resumed.

On July 31, 2006, Jason was injured rounding the bases in a 9-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians (his 1000th Career Game as catcher) but said he believed the initial injury to the knee occurred while he was blocking home plate to make the tag against the Angels Mike Napoli on July 29, 2006. He had surgery on August 3rd to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, and although he started rehabilitation immediately, he was expected to be on the DL for several weeks. During his press conference prior to the surgery, ever the gamer, Varitek said he would continue assisting with the pitching staff, even if he was not behind the plate.


Once again, as in 2001 when he cracked his left elbow and sat out the rest of the season, his absence on the field was definitely felt. The Sox were 63-41 and led the AL East by a game before his injury, but while he sat out 33 games, Boston lost 23 to fall nine games behind.

During the weekend of September 1st - 3rd, 2006: Jason played two games in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. He caught 5 innings in the Friday, September 1st game and hit a home-run in his first at-bat. On Saturday, September 2nd, he DH'd for the team hitting second and from the left side and went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He rejoined the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, September 3rd, but was not in the line-up until Labor Day - Monday, September 4th. The Red Sox won that game 3-2 against the Chicago White Sox.


On September 19, 2006, Jason was honored for becoming the first catcher in Red Sox history to catch 1,000 games during a pre-game ceremony (the ceremony was delayed due to his injury). The Red Sox Captain was presented with a special award by Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, who held the Boston club record with 990 career games caught before Varitek surpassed that total on July 18 versus Kansas City. The Sox backstop caught his 1000th game on July 31 and as of the evening of the ceremony, had appeared in 1,009 games behind the plate.

That same night, Jason also received the 2006 "Red Sox Heart and Hustle Award" from the local chapter of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The honor is presented to a player who exemplifies the values, tradition, and spirit of the game of baseball. A national winner will be selected from the individual club honorees later this year.


On April 23, 2007, in another thrilling chapter in their storied rivalry with the New York Yankees, the Red Sox tied a major league record with the home run streak and got their third consecutive comeback win with a 7-6 victory. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Lowell and Jason Varitek connected against Chase Wright, making his second Major League start. On April 24th, Jason granted the request of the Baseball Hall of Fame and donated the bat he used to hit the Sox' fourth consecutive homer in the third inning the night before.

The folks in Cooperstown are typically very quick about getting such recent donations on display and Jason's bat was no exception.


On May 29, 2007, Jason hit a solo home run over the left field wall and into the street against Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers in the fifth inning tonight, putting the Sox up 2-0. It was the 568th RBI of his Red Sox career, tying him with Carlton Fisk for most career RBI by a Sox catcher.

On September 1, 2007, rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz, in his second Major League start, threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles with Jason behind the plate. During his post-game press conference, Buchholz gave the credit to Jason, "He played an incredible role," said the rookie. "The way he breaks down each hitter, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before - how much pride and passion he takes in everything he does. When he's back there calling a game you can see him thinking about what pitch we want to throw. You don't come across guys that often who 'think' the game while they're playing. He's a great attribute to what happened tonight and I'm glad to say I got to throw to Jason Varitek." Three no-hitters have been thrown by Boston Red Sox pitchers since 1965, and Jason Varitek has caught all of them: Buchholz, Derek Lowe (April 27, 2002 against Tampa Bay) and Hideo Nomo (April 4, 2001 against Baltimore). Varitek now shares the Major League record for catching no-hitters. Eleven others have done it, including Bill Carrigan, who caught three for the Red Sox, from 1911-1916. Hall of Famer Ray Schalk holds the record though, catching four no-hitters. Schalk played all but one of his 18 seasons with the Chicago White Sox before retiring in 1929.


On October 15, 2007, Jason hit the 10th post-season homerun of his career - a 2-run shot off of Cleveland Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook during Game 2 of the ALCS, that tied him with Johnny Bench and Javy Lopez for most homers by a catcher in the postseason. The 10 homers also ties him with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz for the most in Red Sox postseason history.


2007 World Series Champions - After winning their first Division title in 12 years, the Red Sox went on to win the ALDS against the Angels and the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians. On October 28th, they swept the Colorado Rockies and celebrated on the mound at Coors Field in Denver. Jason had the distinction of being the Series RBI leader with 5. Game 1 of the World Series also marked Jason's 15th post-season appearance - more than any other Red Sox player!

On November 9th, memories from the 103rd Fall Classic were put on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and will continue to be on display over the next 12 months. Included in the display is Jason's World Series road jersey. For more info, go to the Hall's site here.


2008 Milestones - March 25th: Jason started his ninth straight opener, the most Opening Day starts for a catcher in club history. It's the longest streak for any Red Sox player since outfielder Mike Greenwell started nine in a row from 1988 through 1996.

April 6th: Jason's seond homer of the season against the Blue Jay's Roy Halladay in the fifth inning (a bomb that hit the "Windows" restaurant in Rogers Centre) marked his 150th home run - all as a member of the Red Sox, moving him past Reggie Smith and into 16th place on the Sox' all-time list. His first major league home run came on May 10, 1998 off Kansas City's Jose Rosado in the fifth inning at Kaufman Stadium. It was a 2-run blast to deep left.


Off the field: Jason makes his off-season home in Suwanee, Georgia with wife Karen, whom he met through a mutual friend at Georgia Tech, and daughters Alexandra Rose (1/14/00), Kendall Anne (9/30/01) and Caroline Morgan (6/13/05). The announcement of Caroline's birth was made at Fenway Park during the eighth inning that day and was immediately followed by the Neil Diamond song, "Sweet Caroline", a Fenway Park favorite. During the season, The family lives in Newton, Massachusetts.


To read about Jason's charitable organizations and his work in the community, please see the Community page of this site.



*To those who continue to copy and paste this biography and its updates (all of which I researched and wrote myself) to the Jason Varitek page on Wikipedia.com: please be courteous enough to credit my site with a link addition on Wikipedia. I work hard to maintain and update this site and would appreciate it. Thank you!

#33 Jason Varitek | C

Name: Jason Varitek

Born: April 11, 1972

Place of birth: Rochester, Michigan

College: Georgia Tech

Major League debut: September 24, 1997

Team: Boston Red Sox

Position: Catcher, Team Captain

Years of ML experience: 9

Height: 6'2

Weight: 230 lbs.

Bats: Both

Throws: Right

At-Bat/Entrance Music: "Me & My Gang" by Rascal Flatts

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Contact

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Jason Varitek

c/o The Boston Red Sox

4 Yawkey Way

Boston, MA 02215-3904

Jason on the Cover