Ordonez spent his first six years with Chicago's minor league affiliate. On
August 29,
1997, Ordonez made his MLB debut with the
Chicago White Sox. In his first season, with the White Sox he appeared in 21 games and finished the season with a .319 batting average. In
1999, he was selected for his first of six All-Star games. After being granted free agency in
October 2004, he signed with the
Detroit Tigers on
February 7,
2005. His five-year, $85 million deal was the largest ever given out by the Tigers. He suffered an abdominal hernia later in that season. In
2006, he was much more successful and earned another All-Star nod. On
October 14,
2006, he hit the home run that sent the Tigers to the
World Series for the first time in 22 years. His
2007 season was also successful, earning another All-Star appearance as well as his third
Silver Slugger Award.