Matt Holliday
A powerful, clutch-hitting outfielder whose consistent bat and leadership were central to championship runs for both the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American baseball player·Birthday: January 15·Generation X
Biography
With the build of a linebacker and a swing that generated fearsome line drives, Matt Holliday arrived in the majors as a can't-miss prospect for the Colorado Rockies. He quickly became the heart of their lineup, winning a batting title in 2007 and then delivering one of the most dramatic hits in franchise history—a controversial, game-winning slide home in the 13th inning of the 2007 NLCS tiebreaker game. That moment propelled the Rockies to their first World Series. After a stint in Oakland, he found his perfect home in St. Louis, where his middle-of-the-order presence provided crucial protection for Albert Pujols. A key member of the 2011 World Series champion Cardinals, Holliday was the model of steady production, amassing over 2,000 hits and 300 home runs with a quiet, team-first demeanor that belied his on-field intensity.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Matt was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Matt Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Matt's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the National League batting championship in 2007 with a .340 average for the Colorado Rockies.
- Was named the 2007 NL Championship Series MVP after hitting .333 with two home runs.
- Won a World Series championship with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.
- Selected to seven MLB All-Star teams over his 15-year career.
Did You Know?
He was a highly recruited quarterback in high school in Oklahoma and committed to play football at Oklahoma State University before signing with the Rockies.
His younger brother, Josh Holliday, is the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State University.
He famously scored the winning run in the 2007 NL Wild Card tiebreaker game on a headfirst slide, a play still debated for whether he touched home plate.
“I just try to be consistent. I try to show up every day and be the same guy.”
