"He (Rich Aurilia) clearly is a highly productive player who can fill many infield needs, while his character and desire to win are unquestioned." - San Francisco Giants Senior Vice President & General Manager Brian Sabean (Press Release, 12/04/2006)

Brooklyn born Richard Santo Aurilia is a former MLB player, mainly as a shortstop. Richie had a 15 year career, including 9 with the Giants (as well as the Mariners, Padres and Reds). In 2001, he was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award when he led the NL in hits and hit .324.

Rich made his Major League debut on September 6, 1995 as a defensive replacement in a game against the Montréal Expos. This would begin his long, solid run as the Giants shortstop. On June 14, 1997, during his first stint with the Giants, Aurilia hit the first-ever grand slam in interleague play at the expense of the Anaheim Angels' Allen Watson, a former teammate.

In 2001, Rich was voted to the NL All-Star Team, awarded the NL Silver Slugger Award, and was the NL Hits Leader after posting 206 Hits, 37 HR, 97 RBI, .324 BA and a .941 OPS for the San Francisco Giants.

On 10/10/02, Rich slugged a pair of home runs, a solo shot in the 1st and a two-run smash in the 5th, to carry the Giants to a Game 2 win in the NLCS vs. the Cardinals. Overall, he hit 6 homers in 25 postseason games.

Aurilia appeared on the ABC soap opera General Hospital in 2003 and finished second in a pro on pro challenge on Guy's Grocery Games on September 20, 2015. His charity was the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac; BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)