Sledge's major league career began in 2004 with the Montreal Expos. He batted .269/.336/.462 with 15 home runs and 62 runs batted in in his rookie year. On September 29, 2004 he was the final out at the last Expos home game when he popped out to third base in 9-1 loss to the Florida Marlins
On October 3, 2004, he recorded the final hit and RBI in Expos history when he drove in Jamey Carroll on an RBI single in a game against the New York Mets.[2]
On November 29, 2007, Sledge was granted permission by the Padres to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional League.
On December 17, 2009, Sledge signed a contract with Yokohama BayStars for the 2010 season.
In October 2003, while training with the USA Olympic baseball team, Sledge became one of the first MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs.[3] Sledge was not subject to discipline by MLB as the substance was not barred under league rules at the time.[4]
Coaching career
Sledge retired after the 2012 season and spent 2015 as the assistant hitting coach for the Eugene Emeralds. In 2016, he was named hitting coach for the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Texas League.[5]
In late 2018, the Chicago Cubs hired Sledge as assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season.[6] He took over the position held by Andy Haines, who was hired to be the Milwaukee Brewers' hitting coach.[7] The organization did not tender Sledge a contract to return for the 2021 season.[8]
Personal life
Sledge is half Korean and half African American; his mother is Korean and his father is black. According to his father, his name is a combination of Terrence and Melvin, two names his parents had considered naming him when he was born. Sledge has two children.[citation needed]
References
^"Player Stats". Cape Cod Baseball League. Retrieved July 13, 2023.