Career timeline: Magglio Ordonez

Jan. 28, 1974

Magglio Ordonez is born in Caracas, Venezuela. He was a soccer star as a kid before committing to baseball

May 18, 1991

Magglio signs as an international amateur with the Chicago White Sox, who pounce when the Astros cut him from their star-studded academy

Aug. 29, 1997

Ordonez makes his MLB debut against the Astros, who¡¯d cut him from their academy 6 years earlier. He goes 2-for-3 with a pair of singles up the middle

Aug. 30, 1997

Ordonez hits his first MLB home run, a no-doubt drive to left off of Jose Lima

July 16, 2000

Ordonez goes 4-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs to lift the White Sox over the Brewers

July 2, 2002

Ordonez posted four consecutive 30-homer seasons from 1999-2002. Here, he homered twice on a hot evening in which the White Sox and Tigers combined for 12 HRs

Feb. 7, 2005

Ordonez leaves the White Sox as a free agent for the division-rival Tigers, signing a five-year, $75 million contract

Sept. 30, 2007

Completing his late-career transition from slugger to pure hitter, the 33-year-old Ordonez won his first batting title in 2007, batting .363 with 54 doubles, 28 doubles and 139 RBIs