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He graduated from Haverhill (MA) High School and went on to become a baseball star at Boston's Northeastern University. But it wasn't until he was 28-years-old that he got to play for his hometown team.
Carlos Pena had a pretty darned good 14-year MLB career—mostly with Tampa (5 seasons) and Detroit (4 seasons). He was signed by Boston as a free agent after a
very brief stint as a
Pinstriped Poser. In his one year with the Red Sox (just 18 games in 2006), he hit only one HR—but it was a game-winner. He complied 286 career home runs—clouting an American League-leading 39 in 2009. But that wasn't his best dinger output. After leaving the Red Sox For Tampa in 2007—perhaps his best overall season—he clouted 46 HRs and knocked in 121 while hitting .282 with a 1.037 OPS. He finished ninth in the AL MVP voting that year. Today, Pena turns 40 years-old.
Happy birthday, Carlos!
