Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played for multiple teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). Green was a first-round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit 40 or more home runs three times, led the league in doubles, extra base hits, and total bases, won both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and set the Dodgers then single-season record in home runs. Green also set the MLB record for most total bases in a single game, with 19, on May 23, 2002 vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. Green was in the top five in the league in home runs, RBIs, intentional walks, and MVP voting multiple times throughout his career.
Besides having the most total bases in a game, Green holds or is tied for the following major league records: most home runs in a game (four), most extra base hits in a game (five), most runs scored in a game (six), most home runs in two consecutive games (five), most home runs in three consecutive games (seven), and most consecutive at bats in a game with a home run (four). Green broke the record of 18 total bases (four home runs and one double) set by Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves (vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) in 1954. Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz matched Green’s 19 total bases (also four home runs, one double, and a single) against the Houston Astros on July 25, 2025.
At the time of his retirement, he was one of only fourteen players with at least 300 home runs, 1,000 runs and RBIs, 400 doubles, a .280 batting average, and 150 stolen bases; among the players in that club included Barry Bonds and George Brett.
Early and personal life Green was born in Des Plaines, Illinois, and is Jewish. His family moved to New Jersey when he was one year old, then to San Jose, California, and finally to Tustin, California, when he was 12 years old.An Heir Apparent Worthy of Hank Greenberg The Washington Post August 6, 1999 His father, Ira, played basketball at DePaul University for the Blue Demons during the 1960s, graduating in 1966, and his mother is the former Judy Schneider.
Green was one of the best-known Jewish major league ballplayers,"Ian Kinsler helping Jewish fans conquer Shawn Green withdrawal", Sports Illustrated, June 12, 2009, June 12, 2009 and the most prominent one with the New York Mets since Art Shamsky played right field for the 1969 World Series champion Mets."Mets Bolster Outfield With a Trade for Green", The New York Times, 2006-08-23, accessed November 4, 2007 Of Jewish major leaguers, only Hank Greenberg, with 331 home runs and 1,276 RBIs, has more major league home runs and RBIs than Green."With the glove and the bat, Jews sparkled on the diamond", New Jersey Jewish Standard, 2007-11-16, accessed 2007-11-17
Green opted to miss games on Yom Kippur, even when his team was in the middle of a playoff race.
While Green is often likened to Hank Greenberg, Green's grandfather in fact shortened the family name from Greenberg to Green, for "business reasons". Green was arguably the best Jewish baseball player since Sandy Koufax, although his stats (especially his home runs) declined in his last years. Green retired on February 28, 2008.
Green has a residence in the Orange County, California, city of Irvine. In 2002, he married Lindsay Bear in a mixed Jewish and Christian ceremony.Orange Coast Magazine: "The Dodger and the Damsel" February 2002 They have two daughters.His father Ira owns The Baseball Academy, where local youths learn various baseball skils including dynamics of Green's swing.
High school He attended Tustin High School in Tustin, California, where he tied the California Interscholastic Federation record with 147 hits during his high school career. He was a first team selection to the 1991 USA Today All-USA high school team, while ranking third in his class academically.
College and the baseball draft In , Green won a baseball scholarship to Stanford University, where he became a brother of the Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.
Green was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays as their first round pick (16th overall) in the 1991 amateur draft. The Blue Jays drafted him using a compensation pick from the San Francisco Giants, to whom they had lost Bud Black via free agency. Green ultimately struck a deal with the Blue Jays. They agreed that Green would play in the minor leagues during the summer, but go back to the university in the off-season.
Green received one of the highest signing bonuses at that time ($725,000; ($ today)), a portion of which he donated to the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Authority Breakfast Club (which provides breakfast for kids who would otherwise go to school hungry)."Shawn Green, 28; Professional baseball player with the Los Angeles Dodgers", OC Metro Business, 2001, accessed 2007-11-04
Minor league career In , Green played for the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League, and was selected to the league's all-star team.
Green spent most of and in the minors, where he compiled impressive numbers. In 1994, he hit .344—winning the International League batting title—while ranking third in runs, hits, and on-base percentage and hitting thirteen home runs with 61 RBIs for Toronto's AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs. He was an International League all-star, was voted the International League Rookie of the Year, and was also voted the International League's Best Batting Prospect, Best Outfield Arm, and Most Exciting Player in Baseball America'''s Tools of the Trade poll. In addition, he won the R. Howard Webster Award as the Chief's MVP, and was the Blue Jays' Minor League Player of the Year. Green then hit .306 in the 1994– Venezuelan Winter League.
Major league career
Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1999) Green made his Major League debut on September 28 as the second-youngest player in the Major Leagues. Though he did not play in the 1993 World Series, he was awarded a World Series ring. He appeared in just seventeen games in 1993 and 1994.
In 1995, his full rookie season, Green started in 97 games, hitting fifteen home runs and batting .288. Green set Blue Jays rookie records in doubles (31), hit streak (14), extra base hits (50), and slugging percentage (.509). He came in fifth in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year.
His and seasons were similar, in that Green was given limited at-bats, wasn't trusted to hit left-handed pitching, and produced only sporadically. Green was, however, more aggressive on the base paths in 1997 than in any previous year, stealing 14 bases while being caught only three times.
In 1998, Green was granted an everyday spot in the line-up and he delivered by becoming the first Blue Jay to become a member of the 30–30 club, in which he hit over 30 home runs and stole 30 or more bases in the same season. He also became the tenth Major Leaguer to hit 35 or more home runs and steal 35 or more bases in a season, joining among others Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. Green had never hit more than eighteen home runs in a season (major or minor leagues). He finished the season batting .278 with 35 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases (a career best).
In , Green proved his new-found power was no fluke. On April 22, he hit a home run into SkyDome's fifth deck, putting him in prestigious company with José Canseco, Mark McGwire, and Joe Carter. By the All-Star break, he had hit 25 home runs and knocked in 70 runs, earning him not only his first All-Star appearance, but also a chance to compete in the Home Run Derby at Fenway Park. Green hit only two home runs, however, and was eliminated in the first round. He finished the season batting .309 (a career best), with 42 home runs (5th in the league), 134 runs (2nd in the league, and a career best), 123 RBIs, and a .588 slugging percentage (fifth best in the league). Green also led the league in doubles (45), extra-base hits (87), and total bases (361). He hit a home run in every 14.6 at-bats. After the season, he was awarded a Gold Glove Award for his defense, and a Silver Slugger Award for his offense, and came in ninth in the voting for MVP.
In the off-season, Green expressed a desire to sign as a free agent with a team closer to his California roots after the season. The Blue Jays, facing the rising contract demands of Green and slugger teammate Carlos Delgado, decided not to leave the decision of which player to pursue until mid-way through the season. On November 8, 1999, Green was traded with Jorge Nuñez to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Pedro Borbón Jr. and Raúl Mondesí. Green quickly signed an extension with Los Angeles, agreeing to an $84 million ($ today)/six-year deal that included a $4 million ($ today) signing bonus.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2000–2004) With a lot of pressure riding on his now well-paid shoulders, Green struggled at times in 2000, his first season with Los Angeles. Still, he led the league in games played (with 162), and was fifth in the league in doubles with 44 (the second-highest total in Dodgers history), while driving in 99 runs. He also had one of the longest consecutive games on-base streaks in baseball history, at 53; five behind Duke Snider's modern day National League (NL) record. He hit home runs in five straight games; the only other Dodgers to achieve this feat are Roy Campanella (1950), Matt Kemp (2010), Adrián González (2014–15), Joc Pederson (2015) and Shohei Ohtani (2025). He hit .329 in late innings of close games.
Green had a career year in , batting .297 (.331 with runners in scoring position) with a .598 slugging percentage (a career best), 49 home runs (a career best), 121 runs (7th in the league), 125 RBIs (a career best), 370 total bases (5th in the league), and 20 stolen bases. His 49 home runs set a Dodgers single-season record (a record which stood until Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season on September 19, 2024), but only tied for fourth in the league, behind Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Luis González. For the fourth straight year he stole 20 or more bases, and batted .331 with runners in scoring position. Green came in sixth in voting for league MVP.
Green made headlines for two decisions that he made during the 2001 season. On September 26, he stood by his word and sat out a game for the first time in 415 games, to honor the most significant holiday on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. 5 Towns Jewish Time He also made a second notable decision on September 26, donating his day's pay of $75,000 ($ in 2025) to a charity for survivors of the New York 9/11 terrorist attacks.