The smooth-swinging Hatteberg was the Red Sox everyday catcher in 1997, hitting .277 and belting ten homers. He lost his job when the Boston Red Sox acquired top catching prospect Jason Varitek in a July 1997 trade that also brought closer Derek Lowe to Beantown. Hatteberg’s porous defense limited him to part-time duty from then on, although he did serve as the Sox’ primary backstop after Varitek went down with an injury in June 2001.
Hatteberg made history on August 6 of that season when he hit into a triple play and socked a grand slam in consecutive at-bats. “That’s going from the outhouse to the penthouse right there,” said Hatteberg, the first player in modern history to accomplish the feat.