Before being drafted by Texas, Aurilia was a standout at St. John's University, where he represented the Red Storm as an All-Big East selection in 1992.

[2] He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame, and his number 22 was retired by his local baseball league, Our Lady of Grace, where he played as a youngster in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York.

[4] Aurilia made his Major League debut on September 6, 1995, as a defensive replacement in a game against the Montréal Expos.

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.

2001 would prove to be a banner year for Aurilia as he collected a National League best 206 hits, all leading to a .324 batting average with 37 home runs, 97 RBI, an NL All-Star nod, and a Silver Slugger Award.

Production trailed off in 2002, but Aurilia shined once again in San Francisco's failed 2002 run for a World Series Championship.

After offensive stagnation in 2003, the Giants severed their nine-year relation with the shortstop, granting him free agency on October 27.

The lifetime National Leaguer could not get a grip on American League pitching, and was dealt to the San Diego Padres in July 2004.

Aurilia was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a neck injury that had been slow to heal, limiting his range of movement and causing headaches.

Aurilia posted better numbers in each of those categories during the 2008 season, where he remained generally healthy throughout the year, one factor that led him to have considerably more playing time (99 games started).