Carlos Ruiz

Carlos Joaquín Ruiz (born January 22, 1979), nicknamed "Chooch", is a Panamanian former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Seattle Mariners. Ruiz stands tall, and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed.

As a seven-year-old, Ruiz resolved to play in the big leagues after both his father and grandmother died within two weeks of each other. Subsequently, he began attending college to earn a degree in physical education, but dropped out shortly after he began to attend the Phillies baseball academy.

Ruiz's upbringing contributed to his approach to the game. His mother insisted that he excel academically, and would not allow him to play baseball unless he did well in school. Baseball was his first love, and he was responsible for organizing the community's games:

Ruiz realizes the importance of his role with the Phillies, opining, "It's the catcher's job to bring energy and happiness to the game." over the course of his career he has thrown out 29% of attempted base stealers, which is exactly the average percentage of baserunners thrown out by catchers. Before games, he humorously imitates teammates to help keep the team loose and relaxed, furthering his role as a leader.

No-hitters caught In 2015, Ruiz tied Jason Varitek for the major-league record of most no-hitters caught, with four. Ruiz was also the first catcher since 1972 to catch two no-hitters in the same season and the first to catch a perfect game and a no-hitter in the same season. The no-hitters caught by Ruiz all came during his tenure with the Phillies: Roy Halladay: May 29, 2010, vs Florida (the 20th perfect game in major-league history) Roy Halladay: October 6, 2010, vs Cincinnati (the second no-hitter in major-league postseason history) Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Jonathan Papelbon: September 1, 2014, vs Atlanta (the first combined no-hitter since Seattle's six-man no-hitter in 2012) Cole Hamels: July 25, 2015, vs Chicago (NL) (the first time the Cubs had been no-hit since Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965)