caption bats birth_place debutyear statyear statvalue team position statlabel width birth_date debutdate number image article_title debutteam name throws
ruiz with the philadelphia phillies right david , chiriquí , panama 2006 august 25 , 2015 .267 850 65 387 philadelphia phillies catcher batting average hits home runs runs batted in 300 22 january 1979 may 6 51 carlos -rrb- . jpg ruiz on june 1 , 2011 -lrb- 2 carlos ruiz -lrb- baseball -rrb-
 philadelphia phillies carlos ruiz right
carlos ruiz -lrb- baseball -rrb-

carlos joaquín ruiz -lrb- born january 22 , 1979 -rrb- is a panamanian professional baseball catcher for the philadelphia phillies of major league baseball -lrb- mlb -rrb- .
his nicknames include chooch , bad dude and señor octubre .
he grew up in david , panama , and resolved to play major league baseball after his father and grandmother both died within two weeks of each other when he was seven years old .
he made his way through the phillies ' farm system from 1998 until 2006 , playing at each level of minor league baseball , until finally making his debut with the phillies in 2006 , fulfilling his childhood dream .
he battled adversity in his progression through the system , including feeling homesick , a position change and the language barrier -lrb- he spoke spanish , while most teammates and team officials spoke english -rrb- .
he spent his first full season in the major leagues in 2007 and has remained there since .
in 2008 , for his strong postseason performance , including a walk-off hit , during the phillies playoff run that concluded with victory in the 2008 world series , he earned the nickname `` señor octubre '' -lrb- mr. october -rrb- .
despite being one of the quietest players on the team , he was subsequently called the `` heart and soul '' of the phillies ; he serves as a constant source of encouragement and rebuke alike to his teammates .
over the following seasons , he was a part of the core group of players that led the phillies to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2007 until 2011 .
he had his best season in 2012 , holding a batting average of over .300 , earning his first appearance in the major league baseball all-star game , and finishing in the top 30 of the national league most valuable player voting .
in 2013 , he began the season with a 25-game suspension for using adderall , and subsequently spent time on the disabled list , ultimately playing in fewer than 100 games for the first time in his mlb career .
ruiz is the only player in the national league to catch four no-hitters , and one of only two catchers in major league baseball , the other being jason varitek .
