A five-tool threat, Bobby Abreu combined power, speed, and plate discipline across 18 major-league seasons. He finished with over 2,400 hits, 400 stolen bases, and nearly 1,500 walks. (Jerry Coli / Dreamstime)

On August 3, 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies included on their Wall of Fame a Venezuelan who in the United States was known as Bobby, but in his native country called by many “El Comedulce.”1

Bob Kelly Abreu Vásquez was born in Maracay, Aragua state, on March 11, 1974, the second of six children in the family raised with great effort by Nelson Abreu, a worker at the Kraft Heinz food company, and his wife, Águeda Vásquez de Abreu.

Living in a neighborhood called Sorocaima, Bobby began to show his affinity for sports, playing volleyball, soccer, basketball, foosball, and, of course, baseball.

His love for the sport that brought him fame and fortune was born thanks to his father. “He played baseball too. He was left-handed. And he was the one who took us together with my mother, but we followed my dad a lot, because he was good. My mom says that he didn’t want to sign (to professional baseball),” Abreu said. “The people of Maracay know my dad. He was a well-known man in Maracay and in San Carlos de Cojedes, where he was born. He was our idol and he was the person we followed to play baseball.”2

Bobby, along with his older brother Nelson, and younger brother Dennis, were the ones who applied themselves the most in that sport, all of them later signing to play professional baseball. But before they learned how to play the game, they learned a very good education, along with their other siblings, Nielsen, Anaís (who died in 2018), and Amarily.

“We grew up with the fundamentals and foundations of the home, and when I was about 10 or 11 years old, my father suffered an accident,” Abreu recalled. “My older brother was 15, and that’s the age when we’re all rebellious, and my mom had to deal with the six children alone, because my dad was in bed.”3 Despite experiencing very hard times in their adolescence, the Abreu family managed to prevent their children from taking a bad path on the streets of Sorocaima.

“Sometimes there was not enough to eat and we wanted to make enough food for everybody, making arepas.4 Today we laugh at that very beautiful remembrance, because with a little can of deviled ham we filled five arepas,” Abreu said. “My mother is the fundamental pillar in my life, in my career, because she has been there since we had nothing. My dad was my hero, even though he didn’t see me play in the major leagues, and my mom taught us to respect the values of the home, but it was a pretty hard stage, because we lived in a neighborhood where you could take any path, but we always we stood right there.”5

Bobby began to stand out in baseball from a very young age and represented the state of Aragua in several tournaments, before joining the Houston Astros academy, which was led by Andrés Reiner, who years later became a special assistant to the general manager of the organization.

“I got there at the age of 15. Andrés Reiner for me, and for many of my colleagues, was like our father, who guided you, gave you the best advice, ‘dedicate yourself, you have to work hard, you’re never tired, you have to work twice as hard as others to be able to improve,’” Abreu said. “Andrés Reiner, really, was the best thing that has happened to me as a counselor, because apart from signing me as a scout, he was watching you, how your things were going, if you were doing things well or badly. He knew how to talk to you and we really always carry him with us, because he has been an exemplary person for all of us.” Abreu signed with the Astros on August 21, 1990, and traveled to his first spring training, in the United States, in 1991.

“Before I got to the training camps I was scared. The farthest I (had gone) from my house was to San Carlos de Cojedes, two hours from my house, and always with the family. On that occasion (spring training), I had to be alone, without my father or my mother,” Abreu recalled. “I had to go traveling with Roberto Petagine, Raúl Chávez, Henry Centeno, my compadre, may he rest in peace, Argenis Conde, (Jesús) Aristimuño, who was our coach, and I was behind them, because I had never been even in an airplane, nor in an airport. When I (got) to Miami, at immigration, you have to be alone and when the guy started to speak English to me, I wanted to cry. I wanted to go home.”

Despite the fear, Abreu arrived at his first spring training remembering Reiner’s advice.

“I come to spring training, at 17 years old, and you are rubbing shoulders with older people, and you come to see that the baseball that you played as an amateur was not the same as the one that you played as a professional,” he said. “When they start talking to us about fundamentals, I already came with Andrés Reiner’s class, who had to do everything running, jostling, you’re never tired here. They would say that Venezuelans never get tired,” he stressed. “At that time I was supposedly playing shortstop. I would stand there, but I didn’t have those good hands. That’s why they sent me to the outfield.”

One of his early mentors was legendary Dominican outfielder César Cedeño, a four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, and a Houston Astros Hall of Famer.

“At that time I was a switch-hitter. I stood right-handed, and César Cedeño saw that I always took BP from the left side. He asked me, ‘How come you hit with both hands and the BP is always left-handed? From now on you are only going to hit left-handed.’… And I ended up hitting left-handed.”

“César Cedeño helped me a lot in hitting. I was taking his advice and I had a good season.”

Abreu played right field throughout his career and was listed as 6 feet tall and 220 pounds.

Abreu debuted with a .301 average in the Gulf Coast League in 1991, and continued to climb the circuit each year, from Class A to Triple A in 1996, also trying to apply what he saw on television from his idols.

“When I began to watch baseball games, I liked Ozzie Guillén a lot, because of the way he played, because he was a great leader and knew how to use his skills. He was not looking to do more than he could do,” he said.

“Also Roberto Alomar. I saw Roberto Alomar a lot, when he went to the World Series with Toronto, also when he was in Baltimore. When I was in the minor leagues, the Baltimore games were on TV a lot and I watched him hit, how he stole the bases, how he played the ball with ease and elegance, with confidence and intelligence, he was always ahead of the plays, and Roberto Alomar was one of the people I admired. The other was Ken Griffey Jr. So I saw those patterns and I wanted to get details from them to continue growing on the game and be like them.”

In 1993, when Abreu was 19, he received one of the hardest blows in his life, the death of his father, Nelson, to whom he wanted to pay a lifetime tribute.

“My dad was called ‘El Comedulce.’ When he passed away, in 1993, I asked the media to call me ‘El Comedulce’ in his honor,” he said.

Abreu not only honored his father with his nickname, but with greater determination in his goal of reaching the major leagues. In 1994 he hit .303 in Double-A and developed more power by hitting 16 home runs and driving in 73 runs.

Little by little he earned his place among the best prospects in the organization and as a more complete player, stealing 24 bases in Triple A in 1996.

“I was looking for my opportunity to reach the major leagues,” he said during spring training. “I think as you go through the minor leagues and start watching the big-league games, you say, ‘Hey, I want to be there.’ More when you go to spring training.”

“The Astros had all four fields and the major-league field next to it.That’s where I want to be,” he recalled. “You have to work hard and you tried harder every day to get to the major leagues.”

The reward for that effort came in the last month of the 1996 season, after Abreu batted.283 with 86 runs scored, 14 doubles, 16 triples, 13 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 132 games in Triple A.

“(Manager) Tim Tolman calls me to his office, and as a baseball player, you don’t want to go to the office. What did I do wrong? Are they going to scold me or are they going to kick me out?” he recalled. “He tells me, ‘Congratulations, because you are going to Pittsburgh.’”

The Astros were finishing a series against the Pirates. “I didn’t believe it. The first thing I did was cry, give (Tolman) a hug and call my mom to say, ‘Mom, you have a major-league son.’”

His big-league debut came at Three Rivers Stadium, where he couldn’t hide his nerves during batting practice.

“I remember that in my first BP I didn’t hit the ball out of the cage. It was pure fly and fly. The nerve hits you,” he said. “In my first at-bat, I was shaking. My legs were shaking. (Manager) Terry Collins tells me, ‘Abreu, you’re going to hit.’ I was so nervous.”

Abreu was called to pinch-hit for reliever Chris Holt in the top of the ninth inning, but he didn’t get to have his first at-bat.

“That first at-bat they had a left-handed pitcher in the bullpen and Mike Simms was the right-handed pinch-hitter. They brought in the lefty (Dan Plesac) and they brought in Simms (as a pinch-hitter). It took me like 13 at-bats to get that first hit.”6

His first hit came in his 11th major-league game, on September 24, 1996, at the Astrodome against the New York Mets. His first victim was Bobby Jones; pinch-hitting in the eighth, Abreu sent a line drive to right field. Afterward, he started three games, getting a hit in each, with his first double and his first RBI coming September 28 against the Florida Marlins.

The next season, 1997, Abreu became the starting right fielder for the Astros and after a slow start in the first two months, in which he averaged .245, an injury took him out of action and he underwent surgery in Houston to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist.

He returned to the field on July 3, but in a substitute role, so in the middle of the month he went to the minor leagues to get more playing time, returning to the majors in September.

Despite Abreu’s being well regarded within the organization, the Astros did not protect him and he was taken in the November 18, 1998, expansion draft to stock the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I was playing in Venezuela. My agent, Peter Greenberg, called me and he tells me, ‘Tampa picked you in the draft.’ I was happy, because I was going to have the opportunity to play,” Abreu said. “Two hours later he calls me again. ‘Peter, what happened? Bob, I have other news for you: They traded you to Philly, they traded you for Kevin Stocker, it’s a good trade for you.”

In a matter of minutes he had moved through three organizations, ultimately ending up with the Phillies, whom he joined in the spring of 1998.

“I went to spring training in Clearwater, in ’98, and I had a good season my first year,” recalled Abreu, who was the undisputed starter and hit .312 with 17 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases, showing signs of a potential that was about to explode.

In Venezuela, in the Winter League, he also displayed that superstar potential and won the batting title with a record .419 average while playing for Leones del Caracas.

“It was very important, because I remember that that year I went to work against lefties, because I was hitting well against righties, but I needed to hit lefties better and use the right midfield and hit home runs toward the opposite field,” he recalled. “In Venezuela, I faced many left-handed pitchers and that allowed me to work on that. Winter ball helped me a lot to work on what I was failing.”

The following season, 2000, Abreu established himself as an undisputed figure for the Phillies by finishing with the third-best batting average in the National League (.335), setting career highs in all offensive categories by finishing with 118 runs scored, 183 hits, 35 doubles, 11 triples (NL leader), 20 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 109 walks, in what was the first of his eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more walks.

“That was a great season. I was fighting for the batting title with Larry Walker and Luis González. I went 20-20 (homers and steals), drove in 93 runs,” Abreu said. “It was a very good year. I was hitting well all year.”

In 2001 Abreu became the first Venezuelan to join the 30-30 club, after finishing with 31 home runs and 36 stolen bases, an achievement he repeated in 2004, when he hit 30 homers and stole 40 bases, the year in which he participated in his first All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger Award, repaying in a big way the contract the organization gave him in 2002 for five seasons and $64 million.

“That season you wanted to show more of yourself. You had been doing seasons of 40 doubles, you stole 20 to 30 bases, you hit 20 homers, but you wanted more, you wanted to teach more about your game and show all your tools. Hitting, stealing bases, playing defense, taking bases on balls, I tried to get better in all my numbers and be an all-around player.”

Already one of the most complete players in the major leagues, Abreu experienced one of the most exciting moments of his career when he was chosen for his second All-Star Game, in Detroit, where he participated in a memorable Home Run Derby.

“I didn’t expect it, but when they told me, ‘You’re in the Home Run Derby. You are going to represent Venezuela. It was the only one that was made representing countries. You have to understand what it means to represent your country and the weight you have to do things well.”7

Abreu reached the All-Star Game with 18 home runs, but he had no expectations other than putting on a good show for his country.

“They tell me, ‘Bob, you’re the first to hit.’… My legs were shaking, I was nervous, and I was just asking to hit a little home run in Detroit, in a huge stadium, completely packed, and I knew that all of Venezuela was watching me on television.”

“When I took out the first ball I felt a relief. I was already calm. Then, with the pitcher I had, Ramón Henderson, I started hitting home runs and that was crazy.”

Abreu stole the show and hit 24 homers in the first round, breaking the record of 15 set by Miguel Tejada.

“Venezuela was paralyzed watching the Home Run Derby. I was just asking God and my dad to help me hit at least a home run. One came out and I began to break some of Miguel Tejada’s records,” he said.

Abreu hit six home runs in the second round to advance to the final with catcher Iván Rodríguez, whom he dispatched with 11 homers, also a record at that time, surpassing the Puerto Rican’s five, and ended up hoisting the championship trophy with a total of 41 home runs, a record for the event at the time.

“It was a very beautiful moment that I lived, a very special moment,” he commented. “I was living a dream. I woke up from that dream when I got to the hotel. When I turned on the television, ESPN was showing what I did, and I was crying alone in the room.”

In 2006, Abreu entered the next to last year of his contract with Philadelphia, making him one of the most coveted pieces on the trade market that season.

On July 30, 2006, he waived his no-trade clause and accepted a trade to the New York Yankees, where he would have a chance to play in the postseason, something he hadn’t done since 1997 with the Astros.

“I thought I was going to spend my entire career with Philadelphia. That opportunity was given to go to the Yankees, to the Big Apple, Yankee Stadium. … “I had the no-trade clause in my contract and I agreed to go to New York.”

Abreu went to the Yankees along with Cory Lidle in a trade for C.J. Henry, Matt Smith, Jesus Sanchez, and Carlos Monasterios.

He made the most of that big stage and he began to perform. He came from Philadelphia hitting .277 and in 58 games with his new club he hit .330 to help the Yankees capture the AL East championship with a 97-65 record.

In the Division Series, Abreu hit .333 with four RBIs, but he couldn’t stop New York from being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in four games.

In 2007 he hit .283 with 40 doubles and 101 RBIs to help the Yankees return to the postseason, but again they lost in the Division Series, also in four games, to the Cleveland Indians.

New York took the option of his 2008 contract for $16 million and the Venezuelan responded with a .296 average, 100 runs scored, 39 doubles, 20 home runs, and 100 RBIs, but they did not offer him a new deal and he became a free agent.

“It was a very nice experience playing for the Yankees, because of the city, the organization, that name weighs heavily,” said Abreu. “It was nice to play with ‘The Captain’ (Derek Jeter), with Alex Rodríguez, and I met two people who were my buddies, like Robinson Canó and Melky Cabrera.”

“I thought I was going to re-sign with the Yankees, because I was a free agent. It didn’t happen and I signed with Anaheim,” said Abreu, who reached a deal for one season and $5 million.

Abreu didn’t slow down and for the seventh straight season he finished with at least 100 RBIs (103) and hit .293, helping the Angels win the AL West title.

In 2009 he played in the postseason for the last time and in the Division Series he was 5-for-9 with four runs scored, two doubles and an RBI to be key in the three-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox.

In the American League Championship Series, Abreu had to face his former Yankees teammates, who ended up winning the ALCS and the World Series, both in six games.

“We went to the playoffs, to the league finals to play against the Yankees. We lost that year, when they were champions, and I didn’t have that luck to win a World Series,” Abreu said. “I have been blessed to play alongside great players. Playing with Vladimir (Guerrero) was excellent. There was Maicer Izturis, (Mike) Napoli. I was one of the oldest and we enjoyed a lot.”

After the 2009 season, Abreu signed a two-year, $19 million deal with the Angels, with a $9 million option for 2012 if he had 550 plate appearances in 2011 or a combined 1,200 in 2010-11.

In 2010 he hit 41 doubles and 20 home runs, but for the first time since 1998 he fell short of 100 RBIs, and for the first time since 1997 his batting average dipped below .280; he hit just .253.

In 2011 his performance dipped further as he hit .253 with just 30 doubles, 8 home runs, and 60 RBIs, but he reached 585 plate appearances to exercise the option on his contract.

In 2012 Abreu’s place in the lineup was no longer guaranteed. With Albert Pujols as designated hitter and with Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells covering the outfield corners, Abreu didn’t have a day-to-day game in manager Mike Scioscia’s lineup.

On April 27, after Abreu hit just .208 (5-for-24), with three doubles and five RBIs in eight games, the Angels released him to call up their best prospect, Mike Trout.

“I arrived in 2009 and he started in the major leagues in 2011. I saw him in spring training and he was with us playing up front. He was a very mature person in the game, respectful in the game and respectful as a person. Excellent person,” Abreu said of Trout. “He is a very humble person, who respects everyone, and when I saw him in spring training I knew that when they gave him the opportunity to play he was going to lose sight of them.”

So it was. Trout’s impact was immediate and at the age of 20 he batted .326 and hit 30 home runs, leading the majors in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49), unanimously taking the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and being second in the voting for the Most Valuable Player Award, removing the unanimity of the winner of the first Triple Crown since 1967, Miguel Cabrera.

Abreu didn’t last long without a job, nor did he have to make a lengthy move, after signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 4, 2012.

With the Dodgers he also didn’t see regular action and in 92 games he hit .246.

Unable to get a satisfactory contract, Abreu did not play in the majors in 2013; he played winter ball in 2013-2014 with Leones del Caracas, showing that he still had one more cartridge to burn.

In Venezuela, he batted .322/.416/.461, with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 28 RBIs in 50 games. In the postseason he batted .441/.533/.932, with 22 runs scored, 5 doubles, 8 home runs, 26 RBIs, and 13 walks in 16 games.

On his way to turning 40, the Philadelphia Phillies granted Abreu a minor-league deal on January 21, 2014, with an invitation to spring training. Abreu was released on March 27 after hitting .244/.404/.366 in 17 games.

On March 31, the New York Mets gave Abreu a minor-league contract. At Triple-A Las Vegas, he hit .360/.473/.507, with 8 doubles, 1 home run and 18 RBIs in 26 games, and the Mets brought him up.

In 78 games with the Mets, Abreu batted .248. He played his last major-league game on September 28, the last day of the regular season, against the Astros, the team that signed him and the one he made his major-league debut in 1996.

“Something curious. … Fate is fate. When I get to the big leagues, I got my first hit against the Mets and my manager was Terry Collins. And I gave my last hit with the Mets, my manager was Terry Collins and I gave it against the Houston Astros,” said Abreu, who played right field that day.

In his first at-bat he grounded out to second base. In the third inning he took a walk, the 1,476th of his career, while in the fifth inning, against Nick Tropeano, he singled to left field, his 2,470th hit to end his career, leaving Citi Field to a standing ovation.

“In baseball the first at-bat and the last at-bat are the most nervous at-bats you have. In that last at-bat I was very anxious and excited, I had to control myself,” Abreu recalled. “After I hit that hit to left field, Terry Collins gives me the sign, ‘What do you want to do?’ I told him, ‘I’m done. I retire here.’ I retired through the big door, with the hit I needed to say goodbye.”

Collins, Abreu’s first and last major-league manager, smiled and replaced him with a pinch-runner. Another Venezuelan born in Maracay, José Altuve, the Houston Astros second baseman, went to say goodbye to one of the best baseball players that Venezuela has produced.

“Altuve went to first and gave me a congratulatory hug. I couldn’t control myself. At that moment there was an ovation in the New York stadium,” he recalled. “It gave me chills. I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, but it was very nice to say goodbye that way, with a very pleasant ovation, because they appreciated the way I played ball and I enjoyed it to the fullest.”

Despite not winning numerous individual awards, only a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger, and participating in only two All-Star Games, Abreu retired as one of the most consistent players of his generation, with extraordinary hitting ability and an outstanding discipline that allowed him to play eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more bases on balls, and finish with a lifetime average of .291/.395/.475, with 1,453 runs scored, 574 doubles, 288 home runs, 1,363 RBIs, and 400 stolen bases.

Abreu is one of only four players in history with at least 200 home runs, 1,200 walks, and 400 stolen bases, joining Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Rickey Henderson, as well as Barry Bonds.

Abreu also joined Bonds in the exclusive group of five players in major-league history with at least 1,000 runs scored, 1,000 RBIs, 2,000 hits, 1,000 walks, 250 home runs, and 400 stolen bases.8

Abreu first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020, obtaining 22 votes for 5.5 percent, enough to stay on the ballot.

In 2021 his vote rose to 8.7 percent and in 2022 it fell to 8.6 percent. It climbed to 15.4 percent in 2023, fell again with 14.8 percent in 2024 and rising to his best voting in 2025, 19.5 percent.

His consistency has slowly earned Abreu some support for his Cooperstown candidacy.

“I think we have to keep thinking positive. I very respectfully say that there are numbers. I’m placed with select groups, with Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Rickey Henderson. Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds. … So you see that you do have numbers, because there are people who are in the Hall of Fame and you are with them, so you see that you have numbers to be there,” he said. “There is a group with Willie Mays and myself, with 150 games and more played for 13 consecutive seasons. … You have to stay positive and ask God to make it happen.”

Although he still doesn’t have enough support to enter Cooperstown, Abreu has already achieved immortality in Philadelphia, where he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2019.

“When they called me to tell me that I was going to the Wall of Fame, I said, ‘I did it. So many stars that have played for that team and your mind takes you back to your childhood, to that young man who grew up and wanted to play ball, wanted to play major-league baseball and then it takes you to put a plaque where you are immortal, because your immortality is reflected there with that team, and you just say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for all of this. It is a blessing from God to give me that gift.’”

And while he waits for sufficient support to join the only Venezuelan in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, Luis Aparicio, Abreu dedicates himself to his business as an entrepreneur, as owner of two professional teams in Venezuela, Panteras de Miranda (basketball) and Mineros de Guayana (soccer), without abandoning the sport he loves, baseball, helping to train new talents in his own academy, the Bob Abreu Baseball Academy 53.

“The academy is a dream I’ve always had. I always wanted to have a facility where I can provide the kids with the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career, as well as teach them all the techniques they need to help them achieve their dream of signing and going far,” Abreu said of his academy, located in San Diego, Carabobo state, which is part of the MLB Trainer Partnership Program.

“I want to prepare them, educate them in every aspect. At the academy, we give them English classes, because that’s important for their entrepreneurship, and they also have school classes. It’s something different from what we see in Venezuela at the academy level, with a complete facility to provide the kids with comprehensive development so they can achieve their dreams.”9

Last revised: September 15, 2025

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseballreference.com, MLB.com, espn.com, and latimes.com.

NOTES

1 A nickname meaning a person that eats a lot of candy.

2 Carlos Baerga: entrevista con el ex Grandes Ligas Bobby Abreu. June 28, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Vjv2mVSeg. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations attributed to Bobby Abreu come from this interview.

3 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu. August 5, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7PqmPh99Y.

4 Arepas is a type of flatbread made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling like cheese, meat, chicken, etc., and is a very popular meal in Venezuela.

5 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu.

6 Abreu had 11 plate appearances before his first base hit.

7 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu. All quotations related to the Home Run Derby are from this interview.

8 The other four are Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Craig Biggio, and Joe Morgan.

9 Author interview with Bobby Abreu, August 7, 2023.

Alfonzo was mentioned alongside Derek Jeter in 2000: “Cooperstown could be their final stops.”2 He was just 27 going into the 2001 season, and it was reasonable to expect several more prime years. Yet he never produced at the same level again, owing in part to a string of injuries. His big-league career ended in 2006, but he played on in the minors, independent ball, Mexico, Japan, and his homeland as late as 2013. Alfonzo then returned to the Mets’ minor-league organization, becoming a coach and manager.

Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo Pino was born on November 8, 1973 in Santa Teresa del Tuy, in the state of Miranda, southeast of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. His parents were Edgar Alfonzo, a truck driver for a medical supply company, and Mercedes Pino, a preschool teacher. Edgardo was the youngest of four children, three of whom were sons.

Baseball runs in the Alfonzo family. The oldest brother, Edgar Jr., played in the minors from 1985 through 1996, also becoming a minor-league coach and manager. Middle brother Robert (born in 1972), a Mets farmhand for 70 games in 1993 and 1994, became a scout.3 Three of Alfonzo’s nephews — Edgar Alfonzo III, Giovanny Alfonzo, and Javier Betancourt — also played in the minors and the Venezuelan winter league. A second cousin, Eliézer Alfonzo, was a big-league catcher for parts of six seasons from 2006 through 2011.

Alfonzo grew up in Soapire, a tiny town of perhaps 500 people just north of Santa Teresa del Tuy.4 He described his youth simply in 1998: “Go to school, play ball, nothing else.” He credited brother Edgar, six years his senior, with teaching him the game.5 By that time Edgar Sr., who did not play baseball himself, had changed his mind about letting his sons do so. Previously, Edgar Jr. had been able to play only when work took his father out of town.6

Around the time Edgardo turned 11 years old, Edgar became a professional ballplayer, joining the winter league’s Caracas Leones for the 1984-85 season. Edgardo therefore saw his first pro ballgame.7 That Leones club included various local heroes: Andrés Galarraga, Tony Armas, and Omar Vizquel (like Edgar Alfonzo, then a 17-year-old rookie). Their veteran leader was Gonzalo Márquez, who died in a tragic car accident in December 1984.

Vizquel, one of the finest shortstops ever, was a role model for young Edgardo (who also pitched as a youth). So was another first-rate Venezuelan shortstop, Dave Concepción. Vizquel, Alfonzo, and Ozzie Guillén all chose to wear uniform #13 in Concepción’s honor.8

At the age of 16 in 1990, Edgardo got his first big-league tryout, courtesy of Edgar. It was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in front of scout and former star Twins pitcher Camilo Pascual at Estadio Universitario de Caracas, home field of the Leones. By the end of the workout, Alfonzo had developed swelling in his knee, making Pascual leery about signing him.9

Later that year, Edgar helped his brother again by talking to Gregorio Machado, a Mets scout in Venezuela. Edgardo went to the city of Valencia in November 1990 and tried out before another Mets scout, Julio Román. He made a good impression, and Román wanted to see him again. After the second tryout, Román signed Alfonzo in February 1991 for $10,000.10

It took Alfonzo four seasons to reach the top level. He hit .331 in rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, earning team MVP honors.11 He followed by batting .350 in 78 games in Class A in 1992. As he rose through the Mets system, his primary position was shortstop, although he also played the other infield spots. As it developed, third base became his primary position in the majors, followed by second. At Double-A Binghamton in 1994, skipper John Tamargo called Alfonzo “a manager’s dream” in view of his all-around skills, approach to the game, and how he dealt with other people.12

Meanwhile, starting in the 1992-93 season, Alfonzo was also playing winter ball in Venezuela. His first team was Navegantes de Magallanes. At his brother’s suggestion, he went with Magallanes, archrival of Caracas, because it would have been harder to win a spot on the Leones roster.13 Alfonzo had a rough time in the field early on, once committing (by his count) 12 errors at shortstop in one week. Yet the atmosphere at home continued “a hardening process that made him unflappable.” John Tamargo, who also managed Magallanes in the 1990s, said, “It makes New York City look like Romper Room.”14

Going home also gave Alfonzo time with his sweetheart, Delia Campos, who had grown up down the street from him in Soapire.15 They were married the day after the 1994-95 Venezuelan winter season ended. Alfonzo had pondered for three straight winters, wondering whether the time was right and asking his agent, Peter Greenberg, for advice. He decided to wait until he had gained more stability in baseball. When the Mets placed him on their 40-man roster in November 1994, he felt he really had a future.16

At that time, however, Major League Baseball was in the midst of its most crippling strike. There was a side effect on players who weren’t U.S. citizens. When the Labor Department certified the strike, it authorized the Immigration and Naturalization Service to block any foreigner from getting the type of visa (typically the P-1 classification) needed to play in the majors. This kept the owners from importing strikebreakers, but Alfonzo and others couldn’t return to the United States until the strike was settled.17

The strike officially ended on April 2, 1995, and Alfonzo jumped from Binghamton to the majors (he didn’t play in Triple-A until an injury rehab assignment in 2001). Opening Day for the Mets that year, April 26, was in Colorado against the Rockies. Alfonzo’s most vivid memory of that day was the cold. It snowed before the game, and the groundskeepers had to shovel out the field.18

Alfonzo had begun to play second base in 1994 after flashy shortstop Rey Ordóñez was promoted, so he backed up Jeff Kent there. He had also been asked to play third base that winter so Bobby Bonilla could spend more time in left field. Bonilla was traded in late July, opening up more time for the rookie. However, Alfonzo missed most of August with a herniated disc in his back. He returned in early September and finished the year hitting .278 with 4 homers and 41 RBIs in 101 games.

Alfonzo posted very similar numbers (.261-4-40 in 123 games) in 1996. The Mets moved Jeff Kent to third that year and made José Vizcaino the regular second baseman, Alfonzo backing up both of them. On July 29, however, the Mets sent both Kent and Vizcaino to Cleveland in the deal that brought Carlos Baerga to New York. Baerga was a second baseman, but the Mets put him at first base and made Alfonzo the starter at second.

Edgardo and Delia also welcomed their first child, Eduardo Luis, that year. The second Alfonzo son, Daniel Antonio, arrived during the 1999 season.

Alfonzo began to emerge with the bat in 1997. He hit .315 in 518 at-bats, with 10 homers and 72 RBIs. Baerga was back at second base, and Alfonzo shifted to third. Back home in Venezuela that winter, he had become a celebrity, and longtime observers of the game there were already ranking him among the best third basemen in the nation’s history. Magallanes shortstop Álvaro Espinoza (a Mets teammate in 1996) said, “Hitting-wise, defense-wise. He’s the best player in this league right now.” His increased confidence was also visible in a greater role in the clubhouse.19

Alfonzo remained at the hot corner for New York in 1998, and though his average slipped to .278, his home run production climbed to 17. He also came in second in the NL Gold Glove voting for the second straight year.20 The Mets viewed him as a key part of their team and signed him to a four-year contract worth $18.4 million.21

Previously, the team had signed veteran star Robin Ventura to be their new third baseman. They’d also let the disappointing Baerga become a free agent, and Alfonzo moved back to second base. Rey Ordóñez was a Gold Glover at short, and first baseman John Olerud was also a superb fielder. The four of them in total committed just 31 errors in 1999. Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated called it “an infield that makes up in agility and surehandedness what it lacks in speed.”22 The quartet was pictured on the magazine’s cover that September 6, with the caption, “The Best Infield Ever?”

Not long before, the New York Times had compared Alfonzo to the other premier second basemen of the day. “Roberto Alomar is slicker, Craig Biggio is grittier. Jeff Kent possesses more power and Jay Bell is having a special season. However, Alfonzo might be the most complete player at his position this year.”23

Indeed, Alfonzo’s batting had also stepped up markedly. He set career highs in homers (27) and RBIs (108) while batting .304 and slugging .502. He won the NL’s Silver Slugger award for second basemen that year. On August 30 at the Houston Astrodome, he had the finest single game of his career, going 6-for-6 with three homers. He added a double and two singles for 16 total bases; he also scored six times.

Alfonzo had earned recognition as a clutch hitter, too. His average with runners on base was significantly higher than with the bases empty. Manager Bobby Valentine said, “He gets in an RBI situation and doesn’t worry about it, he just hits.”24 Looking back, Alfonzo cited his patience and selectivity at the plate. “My mentality was, try to go the other way…let the ball come to me and explode to it.”25

The Mets and Cincinnati Reds finished the 1999 regular season with identical records of 96-66, second in their respective divisions. There was only one wild-card playoff spot at that time, so the teams faced each other in a tiebreaker. Rickey Henderson led off the game at Cinergy Field with a single, and Alfonzo homered off Steve Parris. That was all Mets starter Al Leiter needed, as he threw a two-hit shutout.

New York advanced to the NL Division Series. Alfonzo was the hitting star of Game One with two homers: a first-inning solo shot off Arizona ace Randy Johnson and the game-winning grand slam in the top of the ninth off Bobby Chouinard. He also homered in the decisive Game Four, which sent New York into the NL Championship Series against Atlanta. Alfonzo went 6-for-27 with four doubles as the Mets lost to the Braves in six games.

Alfonzo made his only appearance in the All-Star game in 2000. Although his homer and RBI totals dipped slightly (25 and 94), he hit .324 and set career highs in slugging (.542) and on-base percentage (.425). That June, the New York Post quoted teammate Matt Franco on Alfonzo: “He’s just a model of consistency. He is a great teammate. He is on an even keel. He plays immaculate defense [though he never did win a Gold Glove]. He is a tremendous, tremendous hitter. He’s just the best player we have.”26

During the 2000 playoffs, a New York Times article said that Alfonzo, by clubhouse consensus, was the team’s leader in October. He burnished his reputation for clutch hitting that postseason, especially in Game Three of the NL Division Series against San Francisco. The Giants were four outs away from going ahead, two games to one. They brought in closer Robb Nen, who had not blown a save in four months. Alfonzo stroked a game-tying double, and the Mets won five innings later. Teammate Darryl Hamilton said, “When we get in a situation where we need a hit…everybody on this team wants Fonzie at the plate.”27

When the Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win the NL pennant in 2000, Alfonzo insisted that his brother Edgar be in the clubhouse to join in the celebration. They shared a bottle of champagne, hugging and crying joyfully together.28 The New York Yankees beat the Mets in five games in the World Series, though, and Alfonzo managed just 3 hits in 21 at-bats.

Coming off a career year, Alfonzo was shedding his “unheralded” and “underrated” labels. Alas, his batting fell off markedly in 2001. He hit just .243, with 17 homers and 49 RBIs. An injured back landed him on the disabled list from mid-June to early July but troubled him much of the season.29

Despite the down year, in spring 2002 the Mets offered Alfonzo a three-year contract extension worth $18 million, which he turned down.30 His average rebounded (.308), but his homer and RBI totals (16 and 56) were still well below his peak. His left hand bothered him for much of the early season after he dove for a ball.31 He also spent time on the disabled list again, this time with a strained oblique muscle in August. The 2002 season also featured a return to third base, since the Mets had traded Robin Ventura and acquired Roberto Alomar to play second.

Alfonzo became a free agent that fall. He very much wanted to stay in New York, which had become home, and would have for a two-year contract worth $17 million. However, the Mets’ best offer was two years for $11 million. As it turned out, he got a longer contract with bigger money from the San Francisco Giants: a four-year, $26 million deal, topping offers from the A’s and Padres.32 Meanwhile, the Mets unsuccessfully wooed Japanese third baseman Norihiro Nakamura (who flopped after signing with the Dodgers in 2005).

Alfonzo showed his appreciation of Mets fans by buying ad space on top of 30 New York City cabs for 30 days. The message read, “Fonzie NY / Edgardo Thanks You!” The ads hit the street on Valentine’s Day 2003.33

Alfonzo replaced departed free agent David Bell at third base in San Francisco.34 His first year there was solid but unspectacular: .259 with 13 homers and 81 RBIs in 142 games. He struggled in the first half but picked up as the season progressed. The Giants won the NL West that year but got knocked out in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champs, the Florida Marlins. Alfonzo, however, had an excellent NLDS: 9-for-17 with four doubles.

The 2004 season was fairly similar for Alfonzo, with a .289 average, 11 homers and 77 RBIs. Again he got off to a slow start, this time because of a hamstring pull in spring training.35 He warmed up in May, though, and hit more consistently throughout the year.

Alfonzo started well in his third year with San Francisco. He was hitting .306 when he strained his quadriceps in June. He returned a month later, but by then Pedro Feliz was getting most of the time at third base. Alfonzo hit .240 the rest of the season. He asked to be traded “somewhere where they can trust me, believe in me and have faith in me.”36

That December, the Giants granted the wish, trading Alfonzo to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 40-year-old Steve Finley. In retrospect, both were labeled high-priced disappointments. San Francisco GM Brian Sabean speculated that among other factors, Alfonzo had some “culture shock” after leaving the Mets. He added, “He gave the effort, it’s just the performance didn’t turn out the way it could have.”37

In March 2006, Alfonzo represented his homeland in the World Baseball Classic. He hit 5-for-16 with a homer and two RBIs in five games, but Venezuela was eliminated in the second round.

After Alfonzo joined the Angels in camp, manager Mike Scioscia sought to maximize his playing time, saying, “This guy is a professional hitter when he’s right.”38 But when the regular season started, Alfonzo went ice-cold, going 5-for-50. He found his reserve role frustrating. Angels GM Bill Stoneman tried to trade Alfonzo but found no takers, even when he offered to absorb the veteran’s salary. Thus, the club released Fonzie on May 21. He was thankful, saying, “I didn’t want to be stuck here for the whole year.”39

Four days later, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Alfonzo to a minor-league contract and assigned him to New Hampshire in the Eastern League (Class AA). Jays manager John Gibbons knew him from his time as an instructor in the Mets farm system and recommended the signing to GM J.P. Ricciardi.40 Alfonzo got just six hits in 37 at-bats for Toronto, though, and was released on June 12. “The guys loved him,” said Gibbons, “But he’s slowed down a little bit. No question. It’s a business.”41

Alfonzo’s next stop was independent ball. He signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. After just four games with the Bluefish, the Mets gave him another chance, assigning him to their top farm club, Norfolk in the International League. Mets special assistant Tony Bernazard said that Fonzie would play all over the infield and that bringing him back to New York was “part of the equation.”42 However, Alfonzo hit just .241 with 3 homers and 19 RBIs in 42 games and was not called up. He was granted free agency that October.

At this juncture in Alfonzo’s career, the Venezuelan league gained renewed importance for him. For much of his big-league prime, his action at home was minimal, first because the Mets were concerned about injury risk and later because he stayed in the U.S. for off-season training.43 He appeared in just eight games for Magallanes in the six seasons from 1998-99 through 2003-04, and 33 in the two winters after that. In 2006-07, though, he got into 32 games.

Alfonzo returned to the Atlantic League in the summer of 2007, joining the Long Island Ducks. That June, he noted that “a lot of factors” had led to his decline, even though in his own mind, he was still the player he used to be with the Mets. He added, “Last year, I…began developing some bad habits. I still need to get my timing and confidence back. But I think it’s coming around.” Ducks manager Dave LaPoint and co-owner/first base coach Bud Harrelson believed that Fonzie would get another shot in the majors. “He’s just too good,” said LaPoint. “He can help a lot of teams.”44

It didn’t work out that way, though, since Alfonzo’s play was reasonably solid but not eye-catching. He returned to his original position, playing 62 games at shortstop, as well as 25 at third. In 105 games overall, he hit .266 with 5 homers and 56 RBIs.

During the winter of 2007-08, Alfonzo played 54 games for Magallanes. He showed that he could still be productive, hitting .335 with 5 homers and 33 RBIs. That earned him a minor-league contract and an invitation to spring training from the Texas Rangers. However, the Rangers released him in late March. Alfonzo signed with Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League and played 55 games in that circuit. He returned to the Long Island Ducks in June and hit well (.329 with 8 homers and 27 RBIs in 59 games).

The 2008-09 season was Alfonzo’s best at home. He hit .320, and his 8 homers and 42 RBIs were both winter-career highs. As a result, Japan’s most prominent franchise, the Yomiuri Giants, gave him a tryout at their spring training camp. It went well enough that he signed a one-year contract for $380,000. Alfonzo called it an honor to be with the Giants and said he’d play his hardest to contribute.45 He remembered playing Opening Day 2000 with the Mets in Tokyo and was happy to return. Although he got into just 21 games for Yomiuri, with merely 6 hits in 41 at-bats, his experience was positive. He said Yomiuri treated him very well and politely, recognizing his work with the Mets.46 The Giants won the Japan Series in 2009, but if Alfonzo made it to the postseason roster, he did not appear in any games.

Alfonzo still thought he had two or three years of baseball left in him, and went back to Venezuela in hopes of getting another invitation to a big-league camp. His strong preference was for another chance with the Mets, since he still felt loyal toward the team and its fans.47 After 18 games with Magallanes in 2009-10, Alfonzo gave it a last shot in the Atlantic League in 2010. The Newark Bears, managed by Tim Raines, signed Alfonzo and his old Mets teammate Armando Benitez that March.48 In 26 games with the Bears, he went 12-for-78.

Following that stint, Alfonzo’s remaining playing days came at home. In the winter of 2011-12, after 15 seasons with Magallanes, he moved to a new club, Tigres de Aragua. He played his last 15 games for Aragua in the 2012-13 season. All told, he hit .293 in 594 regular-season games in his homeland, with 28 homers and 244 RBIs. He appeared 13 times in the Venezuelan postseason and was a member of five championship teams. Three of those were with Magallanes (1993-94, 1995-96, and 1996-97). The other two came with Aragua (2007-08, as a playoff reinforcement, and 2011-12).

Alfonzo rejoined the Mets as a club ambassador in 2013. He managed the World team in the All-Star Futures Game at Citi Field in New York on July 14. The following year, he was named to the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets farm team in the NY-Penn League (short season Class A). As bench coach, he learned from manager Tom Gamboa. He was also a minor-league special instructor. In addition, he worked closely with countryman Wilmer Flores (whom his brother Robert had helped sign) in spring training 2014. After Gamboa retired at the end of the 2016 season, Alfonzo became Cyclones skipper in January 2017.49

Not long before the Cyclones’ 2017 season began, the Mets selected Daniel Alfonzo with their 38th-round pick in the amateur draft. Daniel had played for Bayside High School in Queens, not far from where his father had starred. The young man went to college at Adelphi rather than turn pro.50

The Cyclones struggled to a 24-52 mark in 2017, the worst in franchise history since its inception in 2001 (when Edgar Alfonzo managed the team).51 That August, Alfonzo talked about learning how to develop young pitchers, especially with limited workloads. He also spoke about mental preparation; he emphasized teaching prospects to learn as much as possible about baseball.52

A few weeks earlier, Alfonzo was asked about becoming a big-league manager someday. He replied that he too was still in the process of learning and getting to know the game more.53 He reiterated in March 2018 that he didn’t have the mindset yet and that he needed more experience; coaching in the big leagues was an attractive prospect.54 In his second year, Brooklyn posted a much-improved record of 40-35.

Edgardo Alfonzo was still just 44 at the 2018 season’s end, so he should have many years in baseball to come. As for his future roles, he said it best himself: “Who knows? Time will tell.”55

Last revised: October 2, 2018

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Jan Finkel and fact-checked by Alan Cohen.

Sources

Online

http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve (Venezuelan statistics)

http://npb.jp/eng/ (Nippon Professional Baseball site)

Notes

1 Jack Curry, “The Anonymous Alfonzo,” New York Times, August 27, 1999, D3.

2 Andrew Marchand, “Amazin’ Alfonzo a Pro’s Pro,” New York Post, June 8, 2000 (https://nypost.com/2000/06/08/amazin-alfonzo-a-pros-pro/).

3 Buster Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry,” New York Times, January 14, 1998, C1. The mother’s name was shown as “Mercedes Porfiria” in Thomas Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz,” New York Daily News, January 18, 1998 (http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/serious-biz-fonz-mets-alfonzo-homeland-hero-venezuela-article-1.794431). Porfiria is most likely her middle name. The fourth Alfonzo sibling is confirmed to be a sister in Alexander Mendoza, “Javier Betancourt Valora la Experiencia con Leones,” LVBP.com, January 12, 2015 (https://www.lvbp.com/2062_javier-betancourt-valora-la-experiencia-con-leones). Research has not yet uncovered her name.

4 Henry Schulman, “Bond of brothers,” SFGate.com, March 2, 2003 (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Bond-of-brothers-Giants-Alfonzo-shares-success-2666571.php).

5 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

6 Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry.”

7 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

8 Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman, Mets by the Numbers, New York: Sports Publishing (2008).

9 Matthew Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo,” MetsMerizedOnline.com, April 20, 2018 (https://metsmerizedonline.com/2018/04/mmo-exclusive-mets-great-edgardo-alfonzo.html/).

10 Ibid.

11 Schulman, “Bond of brothers.”

12 Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry.”

13 Ibid.

14 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

15 Ibid.

16 Jennifer Frey, “Mets Prospect Stuck on Long Honeymoon,” New York Times, February 22, 1995, B11.

17 Ibid.

18 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

19 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

20 Marty Noble, “Fonzie: Voters Made Gold Glove Error,” Newsday (Melville, New York), November 10, 1999 (https://www.newsday.com/sports/fonzie-voters-made-gold-glove-error-1.314426). Ken Caminiti won the NL Gold Glove at third base in 1997 and Scott Rolen in 1998.

21 “Alfonzo Signs 4-Yrs with Mets,” CBSNews.com, February 5, 1999 (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alfonzo-signs-4-yrs-with-mets/).

22 Tom Verducci, “Glove Affair,” Sports Illustrated, September 6, 1999 (https://www.si.com/vault/1999/09/06/8110328/glove-affair-a-new-man-at-third-has-dressed-up-the-mets-infield-turning-a-good-defense-into-a-great-oneand-new-york-into-a-playoff-contender). The Mets gave up just 20 unearned runs overall in 1999.

23 Curry, “The Anonymous Alfonzo.”

24 David Waldstein, “Alfonzo Earning Title of ‘Mr. Clutch,’” New York Post, July 5, 1999 (https://nypost.com/1999/07/05/alfonzo-earning-title-of-mr-clutch/).

25 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

26 Marchand, “Amazin’ Alfonzo a Pro’s Pro.” Cincinnati’s Pokey Reese won the NL Gold Glove at second base in both 1999 and 2000.

27 Tyler Kepner, “When It Matters Most, Alfonzo Is the Mightiest Met,” New York Times, October 14, 2000, D1.

28 Schulman, “Bond of brothers.”

29 Tom Keegan, “Fonzie: I’ll Be a Star Again,” New York Post, August 22, 2001 (https://nypost.com/2001/08/22/fonzie-ill-be-a-star-again/).

30 John Harper, “The Art of the Deal,” New York Daily News, December 22, 2002 (http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/art-deal-edgardo-alfonzo-new-home-turns-giant-drama-article-1.504215).

31 Michael Morrissey, “Healthy Alfonzo Starting to Find Power,” New York Post, June 9, 2002 (https://nypost.com/2002/06/09/healthy-alfonzo-starting-to-find-power/).

32 Murray Chass, “With Sigh of Relief, Mets Trade Ordóñez,” New York Times, December 16, 2002, D7. Harper, “The Art of the Deal.”

33 “Fonzie’s Swan Song,” Adweek, February 20, 2003 (https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/fonzies-swan-song-61976/).

34 Jeff Kent, San Francisco’s star second baseman for the previous six years, had also left as a free agent. But the Giants signed Ray Durham to fill that hole, precluding another position switch for Alfonzo.

35 Glenn Reeves, “Alfonzo’s slump is a cause for concern,” East Bay Times, April 21, 2004 (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2004/04/21/alfonzos-slump-is-a-cause-for-concern/).

36 Bill Shaikin, “Alfonzo Wants Regular Playing Time,” Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2006 (http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/20/sports/sp-angrep20).

37 Susan Slusser, “Giants Get Finley — Alfonzo to Angels,” SFGate.com, December 22, 2005 (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Giants-get-Finley-Alfonzo-to-Angels-2556092.php).

38 Shaikin, “Alfonzo Wants Regular Playing Time.”

39 Bill Shaikin, “Alfonzo Is Released; Jason] Bulger Is Called Up,” Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2006 (http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/21/sports/sp-angrep21).

40 “Blue Jays recall Alfonzo, place John] McDonald on DL,” ESPN.com, May 29, 2006 (http://www.espn.com.au/mlb/news/story?id=2462481)

41 “Blue Jays activate McDonald, recall Russ] Adams, release Alfonzo and outright Luis] Figueroa,” ESPN.com, June 12, 2006 (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:LvaPnyiIE84J:www.espn.com/espn/wire%3Fsection%3Dmlb%26id%3D2481108+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us).

42 Mark Hale, “Happy Days: Mets Welcome Back Fonzie,” New York Post, July 16, 2006 (https://nypost.com/2006/07/16/pedro-in-hospital-happy-days-mets-welcome-back-fonzie/).

43 Keegan, “Fonzie: I’ll Be a Star Again.”

44 Jeff Pearlman, “These Ducks are waiting for ‘the call,’” ESPN.com, June 22, 2007 (http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070621).

45 “Yomiuri Giants give Alfonzo 1-year deal,” ESPN.com, February 9, 2009 (http://www.espn.com.au/mlb/news/story?id=3894804).

46 Kevin Kernan, “Alfonzo yearns for one more Amazin’ shot,” New York Post, November 14, 2009 (https://nypost.com/2009/11/14/alfonzo-yearns-for-one-more-amazin-shot/).

47 Ibid.

48 Josh Levitt, “Armando Benitez and Edgardo Alfonzo Back Together Again,” BleacherReport.com, March 26, 2010 (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/369265-armando-benitez-and-edgardo-alfonzo-back-together-again).

49 Anthony DiComo, “Franchise favorite Alfonzo to manage Brooklyn,” MLB.com, January 5, 2017 (https://www.mlb.com/news/edgardo-alfonzo-to-manage-brooklyn-cyclones/c-212914644).

50 Laura Amato, “Commodores standout opting for college route,” TimesLedger (Queens, NY), June 23, 2017 (https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/24/alfonzobase_2017_06_23_q.html).

51 Edgar Alfonzo also managed the Cyclones in 2007 and 2008.

52 Matthew John, “Edgardo Alfonzo making most of first season as Cyclones skipper,” TimesLedger, August 19, 2017 (https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/edgardoalfonzo_2017_08_18_q.html).

53 Jordan Lauterbach, “Ex-Met Edgardo Alfonzo managing Brooklyn Cyclones,” Newsday, July 21, 2017 (https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ex-met-edgardo-alfonzo-managing-brooklyn-cyclones-1.13813081).

54 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

55 Ibid.

Henderson Álvarez III wasn’t a World Series champion pitcher, but he forged a notable baseball career. Many faithful Miami Marlins fans remember him best from his no-hitter on September 29, 2013, against the Detroit Tigers.

Born in the city of Valencia, in Venezuela’s Carabobo State, on April 18, 1990, Álvarez started his professional baseball career in 2007 at the age of 17 after signing on October 17, 2006, with the Toronto Blue Jays as an international undrafted free agent.

The rookie right-handed pitcher made his debut with the Blue Jays in the Dominican Summer League. He started his career with a 1-2 won-lost record and a 5.61 ERA, pitching 25⅔ innings. He is listed at an even 6-feet tall and 205 pounds.

In 2008 Álvarez moved to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. He almost doubled his innings pitched (46⅓) but with a similar ERA (5.63) and again a negative won-lost record (1-4).

The Blue Jays saw potential and promoted Álvarez to the Lansing Lugnuts in the Class-A Midwest League in 2009. Before that, he pitched in one game in the Venezuelan Winter League for Los Tiburones (Sharks) de La Guaira in the 2008-09 season.

The 2009 season marked another step in Álvarez’s climb toward major-league baseball. He was an all-star with Lansing,1 with a 9-6 won-lost record (his nine wins led the team) and a 3.47 ERA in 124⅓ innings pitched. He struck out 92 and walked 19.

This earned him a promotion to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the advanced Class A-Advanced Florida State League for the 2010 season. He was again an all-star and was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game. In 2010 his stats were a bit below those of the year before: an 8-7 won-lost record, 4.33 ERA in 112⅓ innings pitched.

Álvarez returned to his country and played for Los Tiburones in the 2010-11 Venezuelan Winter League as a relief pitcher in 10 games with a 2.13 ERA in 42⅓ innings pitched.

In the United States, 2011 was a key year for Álvarez. He started the season with the Dunedin Blue Jays, throwing 8⅓ innings in two games, then was promoted to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double-A Eastern League. For a third time he was named an all-star and made a second appearance in the All-Star Futures Game. His stats with the Fisher Cats showed a distinct improvement: an 8-4 won-lost record and and a 2.86 ERA over 88 innings. He struck out 66 and walked 17.

On August 9, 2011, after right-hander Carlos Villanueva was placed on the disabled list with a forearm strain, Álvarez was promoted to the Blue Jays.2 His first game under manager John Farrell was a start against the Oakland Athletics the next day. He worked 5⅔ innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. The Blue Jays came from behind and won the game, 8-4, the win going to reliever Casey Janssen. 

Álvarez lost two August starts when his teammates scored only one run in each. His first major-league win came in Baltimore on August 31, 2011: a 13-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He worked eight innings, allowing only three base hits and walking no one. This was a major landmark for Álvarez: at 21 years and 135 days, he became not only the youngest Blue Jays pitcher to win a game since 1997, but also the youngest starting pitcher to record a win for the Blue Jays since 1979. He finished the season 1-3 but with a solid 3.53 ERA over 63⅔ innings of work.

It was a successful start, even though the team placed only fourth in the American League East Division with an 81-81 record.

In 2012, again with the Blue Jays, Álvarez played in 31 games, a season of ups and downs. He recorded his first complete game and first shutout, 4-0 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on May 4, 2012. Brandon Morrow had pitched a shutout the day before, so the duo became the first to throw back-to-back shutouts for the Blue Jays since 1993.

Álvarez, however, had the lowest strikeout rate in the league (3.80) and also was ejected by umpire Marty Foster for throwing at a Texas Rangers batter on May 26, 2012. The team (73-89) finished fourth. Álvarez had a 9-14 won-lost record and a 4.85 ERA in 187⅓ innings pitched.

On November 19, 2012, the Venezuelan pitcher was traded to the Miami Marlins in a massive 12-player deal. The Blue Jays traded Álvarez along with Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, and Anthony DeSclafani to the Marlins in exchange for Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, José Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio, and financial compensation.

In the 2013 season, Álvarez earned national headlines. The season had started poorly for him, however. In the preseason 2013 World Baseball Classic, he pitched for the Venezuelan national team, but was the losing pitcher against Puerto Rico as Venezuela was eliminated in the group phase.

The day before Opening Day, Álvarez was placed on the Marlins’ disabled list with shoulder inflammation. “He is going to be down, he’s taking a break” said Marlins manager Mike Redmond. (The severity of his injury was unknown at the time.3) In fact, Álvarez was out for the first half of the season. He pitched in some minor-league games for two Marlins affiliates, the Jacksonville Suns and the Jupiter Hammerheads, before returning to the majors, making his Marlins debut on July 4 against the Atlanta Braves and holding the Braves to three runs over five innings. His first Marlins win came on July 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 2-0 victory with Álvarez throwing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball.

Even though Álvarez had missed nearly half the season, 2013 was a better season for him than for the Blue Jays. He had a 5-6 won-lost record and a 3.59 ERA in 102⅔ innings pitched in 17 games. The Marlins’ team ERA was 3.71 and they finished in last place, with a record of 62-100. One notable game for Álvarez was played on September 2 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. In the top of the third inning, with the Marlins down 3-1, he came to bat and hit a three-run homer down the left-field line off Travis Wood – the only home run of his major-league career – providing what turned out to be the runs that won the 4-3 game.

All told, Álvarez hit .220 in 115 major-league plate appearances, with 9 RBIs.

It was in the very last game of the 2013 season that Álvarez truly made the headlines. Against the Detroit Tigers, he threw a no-hitter, the 284th in regular-season major-league history and the first ever at Marlins Park. He just allowed three baserunners, on an error, a walk, and a hit batter. The Marlins won 1-0 – a walkoff win on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the ninth inning. The last time major-league baseball had seen a no-hitter in the final game of the season had been in 1984. It was a huge moment for Álvarez, and many anticipated a great 2014 season. 

Before the 2014 season, Álvarez pitched in five games (2-0 won-lost record, 2.74 ERA in 23 innings pitched) for the Tiburones de La Guaira in the 2013-14 Venezuelan Winter League.

It was just the beginning. With the 2014 Marlins, the Venezuelan pitcher started strongly, with a two-hit, 2-0 shutout of Seattle on April 19. Two other shutouts followed. On May 6 he held the Mets to six hits in a 3-0 win and on June 3 he shut out Tampa Bay, 1-0, on eight hits.

 All told, Álvarez in 2014 recorded the strongest stats of his major-league years. He started 30 games and had a 12-7 won-lost record and a 2.65 ERA in 187 innings pitched. He struck out 111 and walked 33. He was selected for the National League All-Star team and his three shutouts led the major leagues. He had to deal with a minor shoulder injury4 but he finished a Marlins losing season (77-85) as the winningest pitcher on the team. He received one vote in the 2014 NL Cy Young Award balloting.

After his strong 2014 season, Álvarez was rightfully chosen as the 2015 Opening Day starting pitcher. Though he gave up only two runs in six innings, the game was a 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.5 With a major shoulder injury in April and a fruitless attempt to come back in the second half of May, Álvarez lost every one of his four starts that season. He had to undergo shoulder surgery on July 28.6 The 2015 major-league season was the first major-league season in which he didn’t record a win: 0-4, 6.45 ERA, just 22⅓ innings pitched.

Álvarez was granted free agency by the Marlins on December 2, 2015, and signed with the Oakland Athletics on December 28.

His 2016 season in the Athletics’ organization didn’t earn Álvarez a return to the majors.7 Dealing with his injuries required additional shoulder surgery,8 after he had played briefly with two minor-league affiliates, the Nashville Sounds (5 games, 1-0, 18⅔ innings, 3.86 ERA) and the Stockton Ports (5 games, 13⅓ innings, 0-1, 4.73 ERA), and a sole game in the fall league with the AZL Athletics.

Álvarez became a free agent on October 7, 2016, pitched for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (2-1 in seven starts), then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on August 22, 2017.

He made three starts (2-0 won-lost record, 2.84 ERA, 19 innings pitched) with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, then on September 11 was promoted to the major-league club, starting three games (0-1, 4.30 ERA, 14⅔ innings pitched). The Phillies had a 66-96 record that season.

In 2018 and 2019 Álvarez pitched for Los Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Triple-A-level Mexican League. He was 6-1 in the Spring league and 3-4 in the Autumn league.  

Álvarez was signed by the Washington Nationals on November 16, 2018, but failed to be promoted, playing in for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League (24 starts, 1-4 won-lost record, 5.94 , 53 innings pitched). He was released by the Nationals on July 1, 2019.

In the 2018-19 Venezuelan Winter League, Álvarez played for his hometown squad, Los Navegantes del Magallanes. With the baseball team from Valencia, he pitched in 10 games and went 3-6 with a 6.64 ERA in 40⅔ innings pitched.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Álvarez pitched in 2020 for the champions of the independent American Association, the Milwaukee Milkmen.9 He was the winning pitcher in Game Two of the finals against Sioux Falls, throwing seven shutout innings in mid-September.10

During that season Álvarez signed on August 9 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the contract was voided on August 16.11

Later that year, Álvarez remained active, playing for Los Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League.12 Once you could find his tweets in @HendersonA37 and his posts at @alvarez3737 on Instagram. As he tweeted on September 27, 2020, “en este momento es importante tener jugadores de experiencia en los roster.” (At this moment [MLB playoffs], [it] is important to have experienced players in the rosters.)13

Álvarez continued pitching for Magallanes in winter league ball the next three seasons and pitched in three games – he was 1-0 – in the 2021 Caribbean Series.

His 2022 and 2023 seasons were both in Mérida, Yucatán, pitching in the Mexican League for Los Leones de Yucatán, starting 17 games and finishing with a record of 7-4 (4.43 ERA) in 2022 and 6-4 (3.68 ERA) in 2023.

In 2024 Álvarez continued pitching Mexican League baseball, starting four games for the Saraperos de Saltillo (Norte Division) and two for the Guerreros de Oaxaca (Sur Division), for a combined 1-2 (5.40 ERA).

Álvarez clearly kept plugging away, pitching professional baseball wherever and whenever he could, into his 35th year.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author relied on Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org. Additional information has been contributed by Bill Nowlin.

Photo credit: Henderson Álvarez, Getty Images.

Notes

1 “Alvarez Participates in MLB Futures Game,” milb.com, July 2, 2010. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100702&content_id=11861122&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t424&sid=t424.

2 “Jays’ Alvarez Set for Major League debut against A’s,” Toronto Star, August 10, 2011. Thanks to Adrian Fung.

3 Michael Jong, “Henderson Alvarez Suffers Setback in Return from Injury,” SB Nation Fish Stripes. https://www.fishstripes.com/2013/5/3/4296272/miami-marlins-news-henderson-alvarez-injury-shoulder-setback.

4Juan C. Rodriguez, “Marlins Shelve All-Star Alvarez with Shoulder Inflammation,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Deerfield Beach, Florida), August 1, 2014. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-08-01/sports/fl-marlins-notes-0802-20140801_1_henderson-alvarez-colin-moran-jake-marisnick.

5 Clark Spencer, “Henderson Alvarez, Named Marlins’ Opening Day Starter,” Miami Herald, March 29, 2015.  http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article16857254.html

6 Drew Silva, “Henderson Alvarez Undergoes Shoulder Surgery,” NBCSports.com, July 28, 2015. http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/07/28/henderson-alvarez-undergoes-shoulder-surgery/.

7 “Henderson Alvarez’s Rehab on Pause After Shoulder Discomfort,” ESPN.com, June 19, 2016. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/16340382/henderson-alvarez-shut-oakland-athletics-due-shoulder-discomfort.

8 Jeff Todd, “Henderson Alvarez Undergoes Shoulder Surgery,” mlbtradeumors.com, September 20, 2016. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/09/henderson-alvarez-set-for-shoulder-surgery.html.

9 “Deal with Pittsburgh Falls Through,” rotowire.com, August 17, 2020. https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/player.php?id=11198&refer=SportsRef.

10 Curt Hogg, “Champs! The Milwaukee Milkmen Defeat Sioux Falls to Win the American Association Championship,” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, September 17, 2020. https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/2020/09/17/milwaukee-milkmen-win-2020-american-association-baseball-championship/3489912001/.

11 “Deal with Pittsburgh Falls Through.”

12 https://twitter.com/HendersonA37/status/1312092257894498304. Note: as of June 2023, these two Twitter posts were no longer available.

13 https://twitter.com/HendersonA37/status/1310279029199704067.

Asked about the game over the years, he would repeat, “It was a gift from God.”1 Indeed, it seems it was.

Wilson Álvarez became the fourth youngest pitcher in history to accomplish the feat.2 He was the 13th Chicago White Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and his was the 14th hitless game in franchise history. It was the first for a Venezuelan pitcher. And this was just his second major-league start.

The world of major-league baseball first heard the name of left-hander Wilson Álvarez in July 1989, when the Texas Rangers called him up for a spot start on July 24. In his native Venezuela, Álvarez was already a well-known name, mostly in Maracaibo, his hometown, where he had been in the news since he was a boy starring in the little leagues.

Wilson Álvarez was born in Maracaibo on March 24, 1970, the son of William Álvarez, an upholsterer, and Ada Álvarez, a homemaker. Maracaibo is one of the most baseball-crazy corners of the world, the place where Luis Aparicio became an idol and where every kid dreams about being a major-leaguer. Wilson and his three brothers, William, Walter, and Willy, were no different. (There was also a daughter, Wendy.)

It was Ada who took the time to take her sons to the Santa Lucía Little League field every weekend for games and during the week for practice.

Maracaibo is the epicenter of the Little League system in Venezuela, home to the Coquivacoa Little League, the first Venezuelan league affiliated with the Williamsport, Pennsylvania-based organization. In 1955 Frank Poteraj, an American oil worker, committed to bring organized baseball for boys to the area and founded the league, encouraging the subsequent affiliation of other leagues. As of 2017, 23 of the 37 affiliated leagues in the country actively operate in the state of Zulia, and of the five Latin American teams that have won the Little League World Series title, two have been from Maracaibo.

It was in these challenging and competitive surroundings that Wilson Álvarez grew up, learned baseball, and began to shine. While in Little League between the ages of 11 and 16, he pitched 12 no-hit games, gaining notoriety as a top prospect.

In August 1984 Venezuela celebrated the induction of Luis Aparicio to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The National Sports Institute issued a commemorative magazine.3 Aparicio’s picture was on the cover and most of the issue was dedicated to his legacy. The last page, however, showed a picture of 14-year-old lefty Wilson Álvarez, who had recently thrown a 21-strikeout no-hitter in a national youth baseball tournament.

Aparicio’s induction in Cooperstown was celebrated on August 11, 1984. Exactly seven years later, and around the same time in the afternoon that Aparicio made his acceptance speech, the kid from the back cover was pitching a no-hitter, and for one of Aparicio’s old teams, the White Sox.

After the hype surrounding his amateur career, the 16-year-old Álvarez was signed on September 23, 1986, by the Texas Rangers as an international free agent and was assigned to Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League. In his first season, he started one game, had nine appearances as a reliever, and allowed 12 runs in 9⅓ innings pitched, finishing his first professional season with a record of 0-1 and an 11.57 ERA.

A couple months after the winter season Álvarez traveled to his first spring training in the United States and was assigned for 1987 to the White Sox’ team in the Gulf Coast League. He posted a record of 2-5, 5.24 in his first 10 starts. He was promoted to the Class-A South Atlantic League, going 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA in six starts for the Gastonia Rangers. He finished his first year with a combined 3-10 won-lost record and a disastrous rate of 5.2 walks per nine innings.

“Those days were tough,” he recalled. “It was tough to adapt to a new culture, new friends, language, food and all. The expectations were high back home and I felt things were not going on the right direction, although I trusted that I could pitch and do my job.”

Álvarez grew to become 6-feet-1 and 175 pounds.

Álvarez was always a very shy person, very quiet. Some people confused his lethargy with laziness. During his first two years in the minors, the results were disappointing, but only in terms of stats – something not overly significant for a minor leaguer; the “stuff” was there. His fastball was lively; he was working on his command, curveball, and slider.

The level of play in the Venezuelan League was higher than rookie ball and Single-A. During those years, a mix of major leaguers and top-ranked prospects made this winter circuit one of the most competitive. It is not a secret that the aim of Caribbean baseball is winning, not on player development as in the minor leagues.

Between 1987 and 1990 Álvarez’s game was getting shaped by the competitiveness of winter baseball. He became a fan favorite with Zulia, a team managed by Manny Trillo in ’87, Pete Mackanin in ’88 and ’89, and Rubén Amaro Sr. in 1990.

In 1989 Mackanin took the team and his star young arm to another level, winning the league title and the 1989 Caribbean Series in Mazatlán, México. Led by catcher Joe Girardi and first baseman Carlos Quintana, the team also featured top-caliber major-league prospects including Phil Stephenson, Cris Colón, Pete Castellano, Eddie Zambrano, and major-league journeyman infielder Angel Salazar.

Playing with bright major-league prospects and for coaches like Trillo, Amaro, and Mackanin helped shape Álvarez’s character. “Zulia was a very competitive team,” he recalled. “Those guys played with hard-core passion for the game and for the franchise. Most of them were hometown locals just like me and it was a matter of pride to win. It was a completely different scenario than what we were seeing in those years in the minors. The Venezuelan League was about passion. It was tough baseball. Many, many good players were there … major leaguers, foreign players, people wanted us to win and there was a lot of pressure and fun and they had confidence in me, which I always appreciated.”

The Rangers sent Álvarez to Triple-A Oklahoma City for a brief stint in 1988, but he spent most of the season with Class-A Gastonia, where he was 4-11 but recorded a 2.98 ERA. He started 1989 in the Florida State League for the Port Charlotte Rangers, where, going 7-4 with a 2.11 ERA in the first half of the season, he showed at age 19 that his three years of professional experience were really paying off. His strikeout-to-walk ratio improved and his curveball and changeup command was effective after coming back from the Winter League. He was promoted to Double A, joining the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League the first week of July.

The big-league club was challenging Oakland in the divisional race and after several years the White Sox had a shot at the postseason. They knew their farm system was loaded with great talent from Latin America thanks to the labors of assistant GM Sandy Johnson.

Rangers general manager Tom Grieve decided to start showing off his talent pool by calling up players who could either help or become fodder for trades. In June the White Sox called up 20-year-old Dominican outfielder Sammy Sosa. And on July 24, after just three weeks in Tulsa, Álvarez was called up to start against the Toronto Blue Jays in place of the injured Charlie Hough. The 19-year-old became the first player born in the 1970s to play in the major leagues.

Álvarez’s first pitch, to Junior Félix, was a strike. On his fifth pitch, Félix hit a single to center field. Tony Fernández was up next and he hit a home run to left. On a 2-and-2 count, Kelly Gruber went back-to-back deep to center field. George Bell walked. Fred McGriff got four balls in a row. Manager Bobby Valentine took Álvarez out of the game, bringing in Dominican veteran Cecilio Guante in relief.

The rookie departed after facing five batters and surrendering three hits and two walks for three runs. Having recorded no outs, he carried an earned-run average of infinity.

“Most people thought (calling up Álvarez) was because (White Sox GM Larry Himes) was at the game,” Grieve told the Chicago Tribune. “The purpose of that callup was to win that game and he was the best one we had for that job.”4

“They called me up to show me so they could trade me,” Álvarez declared. “I was devastated. I thought it was going to be almost impossible to get back to the majors. The next day they sent me down back to Tulsa and the day after they told me I was traded to the Chicago White Sox.”

Álvarez took the news badly. His confidence was hurt. The Rangers needed to add a veteran bat for the rest of the season and the White Sox were an aging team with a poor farm system. Chicago sent veteran All-Star Harold Baines and Venezuelan infielder Fred Manrique to Texas for Álvarez, skinny outfielder Sammy Sosa, and infielder Scott Fletcher.

A few days later Álvarez was pitching for the Birmingham Barons of the Double-A Southern League. He pitched just six more games the rest of the season and then returned to Zulia, where his confidence returned with the comfort of playing at home.

The 1990 season offered a fresh start for the lefty and after his solid performance in Venezuela he was sent to Triple-A Vancouver. That year he married Daihanna, who was pregnant; he started the season with a record of 7-7 and an ERA of 6.00. He was demoted to Double-A Birmingham by midseason.

On the personal side, his wife gave birth prematurely to their first child, a boy. After complications from a pulmonary infection, the baby died on August 11, just five days old.

“That was hard. We were so excited for the birth of the baby. I couldn’t concentrate on baseball. Losing a child was something we couldn’t understand and we were both so young and hopeful that all was going to be fine with my career, our family. But it wasn’t.”

Álvarez finished the season with seven more starts in Double A, going 5-1 and improving his ERA to 4.27. Birmingham pitching coach Rick Peterson helped him face his emotional struggles.

By spring training of 1991 Álvarez was coming off his best season in winter ball, having gone 3-3 in nine starts for Zulia with an ERA of 1.38, establishing himself as one of the top hurlers of the circuit at the age of 20. He looked like a veteran on the mound and was ready to prove to the White Sox that he belonged in the majors. His fastball was in the mid-90s, and he had better command of his slider and curveball. The White Sox assigned him again to Birmingham and after 23 starts, he was 10-6 with a 1.83 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 152⅓ innings. The stuff was there and the moment to return to the majors was getting close. The White Sox were reshaping their team, and Álvarez was in their plans.

To ensure that Álvarez was fit for the job, the White Sox called him up on August 11. He would face the Baltimore Orioles that Sunday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. It was his second major-league start.

“I couldn’t believe I was getting back and pitching on the same day when we lost our baby,” he said. “I had a million things on my mind, I was nervous because I was afraid that I was not going to be able to make an out like in 1989. I didn’t know what to think or do because of the chance to pitch back on this level. When we arrived on the bus to the ballpark I realized I had left my bag with all my clothes and equipment at the lobby of the hotel. The team sent a person to get my stuff where my wife was waiting. When the bag arrived I got dressed and ran to the bullpen with the belt on my hand to prepare for the game and only was able to warm up for a half-hour.”

That afternoon the baseball gods were behind Álvarez. Facing a tough Orioles lineup with hitters like Cal Ripken, Randy Milligan, Chris Hoiles, and Dwight Evans, he managed to make outs step-by-step, with his solid fastball, circle change, slider, and splitter. Everything worked just fine. The White Sox scored twice in the top of the first and Álvarez struck out the side, all three swinging, in the bottom of the inning. The White Sox scored two more runs in the second, and after walking Dwight Evans in the second, Álvarez resumed mowing Baltimore batters down. The next baserunner reached on a walk in the sixth. Álvarez walked five batters in all, and his catcher, Ron Karkovice, made an error in the seventh, but Álvarez didn’t give up a hit. The White Sox defense did its part with a memorable sliding catch in the seventh inning by center fielder Lance Johnson that helped preserve the gem. Álvarez had himself a no-hitter.

“He didn’t realize he was there,” recalled teammate and countryman Ozzie Guillén. “I’d heard about his performance in the little leagues in Venezuela and in Chicago we knew him as the kid we got in the Harold Baines trade. I never got to actually know him until that day when we needed a pitcher and he came over for a start. I always think that he didn’t believe he was pitching that day and he just let go all his talent from the mound.”5 It was a historic achievement for a Venezuelan pitcher. The whole country watched the game on television and the no-hitter became a national storyline of pride and greatness – a mark for a whole generation.

For the next seven days, every major newspaper in Venezuela sold out their advertising pages to one company or another, each congratulating Álvarez for his game. Even a month after the game, the congratulatory messages were around – billboards in streets with his picture and graffiti on walls with thank-you messages. Everybody was part of the celebration.

Álvarez was the second major-league pitcher to hurl a no-hitter in his second major-league start. He stayed with the White Sox for the rest of the season and established himself in the pitching rotation. He ended his major-league season with a record of 3-2 in nine starts, with a 3.51 ERA.

After his no-hitter, Venezuelan fans followed every game that Álvarez pitched over the next 12 years, hoping to see another no-hitter. It became part of the fan psyche.

After the season Álvarez went back to Venezuela to pitch for Zulia and was received as a hero in his hometown. For Zulia he became the first winner of the pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (8-0), ERA (1.47), and strikeouts (64). He was named the Pitcher of the Year and led the Águilas to the league championship and a spot in the 1992 Caribbean Series.

After his 8-0 record and extraordinary year of 1991, Álvarez became better known as El Intocable (The Untouchable).

Álvarez started the 1992 season as a reliever for the White Sox but he struggled, in large part due to a walk rate of almost six per nine innings. He joined the rotation in mid-June and ended the season with an ERA of 5.20, starting only 9 games out of 34 appearances. That winter he returned to Venezuela; he pitched six games with a 4.08 ERA.

By this time, major league baseball had become more and more aware of the workload of Latin players and began limiting performances in winter ball for key players. The White Sox saw Álvarez as an important part of their plans, and fans in Venezuela had to adjust to seeing fewer major-league stars.

“I wanted to pitch every year and all season in Venezuela,” said Álvarez. “The (White Sox) considered that pitching in Venezuela was a risk, but also necessary to keep in shape during the off months. For me it was a continual growing but also a matter of pride, to be able to pitch in front of my family and friends and for the team who gave me so much. Even with limitations, I tried by all means to pitch back home.”

Álvarez was excited to pitch in “El Juego de la Chinita,” a celebratory game honoring the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, the patron of Maracaibo. This game has been played on November 18 since 1933; Luis Aparicio made his debut in professional baseball in El Juego in 1953, playing for Gavilanes.

“It was special to pitch that day. It’s a spiritual thing. It’s the energy of the fans. The ballpark is packed with over 25,000 people all excited and being part of the celebration that embraced the city. Those games were special and it was an honor for me and for my family to be in the center of the mound representing what we are,” Álvarez said.

In 1993 Álvarez was a full-time starter for the White Sox alongside Jack McDowell (Cy Young Award winner in 1993), Cuban-American prospect Alex Fernandez, and Jason Bere. This quartet won 67 out of the White Sox’ 92 victories as they clinched the AL West. Álvarez (15-8) led the starters with a 2.95 ERA.

The White Sox advanced to the ALCS, against Álvarez’s nemesis, the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the first two games of the series. Álvarez took the mound for Game Three.

“It was a huge game for me, for all people behind me, and I always remembered when I could not record an out in 1989. It was the time to be the face of my team and step up,” he said.

Álvarez threw a real gem, a complete-game 6-1 win at SkyDome, allowing only seven hits and two walks. The win lifted morale and Chicago won the next game, but couldn’t contain the Blue Jays’ offense in the final two games. The Blue Jays won the ALCS and followed with a World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 1994 Álvarez was named to the American League squad for the All-Star Game. He pitched the bottom of the eighth inning, retiring the side in order. For the season he was 12-8, 3.45.

Álvarez spent 1995 and 1996 as a solid member of the White Sox rotation, starting 64 games. He improved his strikeout-to-walk rate and won 23 games (8-11 and 15-10, with ERAs of 4.32 and 4.22).

At the July trading deadline in 1997, Álvarez was 9-8 with a 3.03 ERA. The White Sox looked revamp the team with a younger roster. It was Álvarez’s final year before free agency. Rather than lose Álvarez the White Sox traded him to the San Francisco Giants along with pitchers Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernández in a nine-player deal.

“I was not comfortable with the Giants,” Álvarez said. It was a difficult change switching leagues. I struggled. I never felt comfortable in the dugout. Roberto and I got into a place where we never felt totally welcome. Barry Bonds was not the nicest person in the world and he was the leader of that clubhouse. Overall it was not a good experience.”

During his time with the White Sox, Álvarez was 67-50 but lost 30 games in which the team scored two or fewer runs. After his stint with the Giants he became one of the most sought-after lefties in baseball. The New York Yankees were a top contender for his services, but he chose to sign with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays for five years and $35 million.

Álvarez said, “Signing with Tampa Bay was a decision my family and I took. We stayed living in the Sarasota area after signing with the White Sox and being close to home was the most important factor in place. My daughters were going to school and I was just several miles from the new ballpark. They also offered me the chance of being the number-one starter in the rotation. It was a new challenge and I took it.”

Álvarez became the first starter in the Devil Rays’ history and threw the first official pitch at Tropicana Field. But his season didn’t go as planned. He ended up with a 6-14 record and an ERA of 4.73. Again run support was lacking, perhaps understandably on an expansion team. Álvarez felt some pressure from fans who were expecting a solid performance from the new team and their highly-prized free agent.

Tampa Bay was an inconsistent team. The Devil Rays had signed big names such as Álvarez, Roberto Hernández, sluggers Fred McGriff and José Canseco, and future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. The rotation was not deep and the bullpen was inconsistent, and the team finished with a 63-99 record. The Devil Rays improved to 69-93 in their second season. Álvarez was 9-9 (4.22).

Álvarez came back to Venezuela and played winter ball in 1999, winning some key games for Zulia, including five games in the postseason that helped the team reach the finals. Zulia won the title, Álvarez’s fourth title with the team. He pitched the opening game for the 2000 Caribbean Series, but lost the game on unearned runs.

When the 2000 season arrived, expectations were high for the Devil Rays but injuries plagued their roster. Five days before the start of the season, Álvarez was placed on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis.6 He had to undergo arthroscopic surgery. The 18-month rehab process cost him two seasons; he pretty much had to learn again how to throw a baseball. Returning to the field in 2002, he was able to pitch in only three games before June.

“It was the most frustrating time of my life” Álvarez said. “I didn´t think it was too bad at the beginning but then the recovery was not progressing and the surgery was the option. It was hard for me because I wanted to show fans in Tampa that I could bring something for the team, but my condition was not there. I had to relearn how to pitch, how to gain velocity, how to move my arm. The process is long and painful and sometimes you feel like quitting, but my family supported me at all times to go back and compete. I gave everything I could to Tampa Bay, but the injury came in a very wrong time for me and for the team. I understand the frustration of fans and the organization.”

In 2002 Álvarez was able to pitch only 75 innings in 23 games; it was more of a process to regain confidence in his pitches and to work on a change of approach. He was no longer the power lefty and was about to become a specialist. He had to rely more on location.

By the end of the season Álvarez had reinvented himself as a pitcher, with a fresh shoulder, but the Devil Rays released him. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers who planned to use him as a reliever. He turned in a solid performance, posting a record of 6-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 21 games, assuring himself a spot in the bullpen as a lefty specialist and occasional starter. In 2004 he pitched in 40 games, 15 of them as a starter.

After signing a new free-agent contract with the Dodgers after the 2004 season, Álvarez was set back again with shoulder injuries in 2005 and on August 1 he opted for retirement instead of another surgery.

On December 30, 2005, Álvarez pitched one last time for Zulia, taking the mound before a handful of fans in Maracaibo with the team eliminated from contention. He wore his number-47 jersey for the last time and retired the side in one inning of work. It was a sentimental afternoon in honor of a local boy who had reached the highest levels of the game.

After Álvarez’s no-hitter, five more Venezuelan-born pitchers (as of 2017) pitched no-hit games: Anibal Sánchez in 2006 for the Marlins, Carlos Zambrano in 2008 for the Cubs, Johan Santana in 2012 for the Mets, Félix Hernández, a perfect game in 2012 for the Mariners, and Henderson Álvarez in 2013 for the Marlins. (The list should be six: Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game for the Tigers in 2010 when umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly called a batter safe at first base.7) For each one of these pitchers, Wilson Álvarez was an inspiration due both to his successful 14-year major-league career and the impact the no-hitter had in a baseball crazed-country.

Wilson Álvarez was the first Venezuelan pitcher with over 100 wins in the major leagues, compiling a record of 102-92 with a 3.96 ERA in 355 games. He made the All-Star team in 1994. In Venezuela he pitched for 12 seasons with a record of 29-18 and a career ERA of 2.49. He was elected to the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame in 2010.

After retiring Álvarez became the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Orioles (Rookie) near his residence in Sarasota, Florida. He and his wife, Daihanna, had three daughters, Vivianna, Vanessa, and Valentina. He has returned to the Venezuelan League as a pitching coach for Caribes de Anzoátegui and Águilas del Zulia, where he remained a fan favorite and an icon of the team, being part of four of the five titles in the history of this franchise.

Álvarez reflected, “When you retire it is like all that attention that you had, is gone, from one day to another and it never comes back. So another stage of your life begins and you discover it while still being young.”8

In the 2016-17 season, Álvarez as pitching coach helped guide a young staff to a solid season. Zulia went to the finals for the first time since 2000 and won the title in six games over Cardenales de Lara. In the Caribbean Series the team lost to the Criollos de Caguas of Puerto Rico in the semifinals.

Álvarez’s number-47 jersey remained one of the top sellers among fans, and on December 14, 2016, the team officially retired his number.

“This is the most important moment of my life because I’m here with my family, my teammates, my friends and my beloved team,” Álvarez responded.9 His parents and siblings were at the ceremony, after which he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Álvarez established a music label, “47Music,” run by his wife, to support new artists in the Latin Pop genre.

Despite the passage of time, new generations of fans in Venezuela still hear the echoes from August 11, 1991, when a country shouted together: “Wilson threw a no-hitter!”

From Álvarez: “It was a gift from God.”

Sources

This article draws on personal interviews and both on- and off-record conversations with Wilson Alvarez between 1995 and 2017.

The author also consulted ¡A La Carga!, the official magazine of Águilas del Zulia (Maracaibo, Venezuela: Tripleplay Sports Productions, 1997-2002), Baseball Zone (Maracaibo: Tripleplay Sports Productions, March 2001), Diario Panorama (Maracaibo) and the Dallas Morning News.

Notes

1 All quotations by Wilson Álvarez are from interviews with the author unless otherwise attributed.

2 The younger ones were Amos Rusie (7,367 days), John Ward (7,411 days), and Vida Blue (7,725 days.) Alvarez was 7,810 days old.

3 Revista IND. (Caracas, August 1984).

4 Alan Solomon, “Alvarez: The Making of the Sox’ No-Hit Kid,” Chicago Tribune, August 13, 1991: B1.

5 Conversation with Ozzie Guillén about Álvarez’s no-hitter, March 24, 2017.

6 articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/01/sports/sp-14936.

7 See Andres Galarraga and Jim Joyce, with Daniel Paisner, Nobody’s Perfect (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2011).

8 eljuegoperfecto.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html.

9 noticiaaldia.com/2016/12/wilson-alvarez-este-es-el-momento-mas-importante.

The younger Aparicio was much more than an outstanding baseball player whose endurance, defense, and speed during an 18-year old major-league career earned him a spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame. He was a symbol of the growth and development of the game of baseball in Latin America — specifically in Venezuela and in his hometown of Maracaibo. Aparicio’s place among the greatest players in baseball signified the climax of a cycle of progress for the game of baseball, which has become the national sport of Venezuela and an intrinsic part of its cultural heritage.

To fully understand the significance, impact, and legacy of Aparicio’s career, one needs to take a journey back into the first steps of the game in Maracaibo.

The emergence of baseball in Maracaibo began around the turn of the 20th century when an American businessman, William Phelps (who later became a media mogul and philanthropist), opened the first department store in town, the American Bazaar. While he imported baseball equipment from the United States, he also saw the need for educating local children about the game in order to sell his merchandise. Phelps became a baseball enthusiast and taught schoolkids the rules of the game, which they quickly understood. He served as the first umpire of documented games and built the first baseball field in the coastal city of Maracaibo.

From the sport’s inception around 1912, baseball quickly became a favorite pastime of people of all classes. Several fields were created throughout the small urban area, and both adults and children were fascinated with the sport. In just a few years, the game spread throughout the region and it was soon established as a professional game. People fell in love with the game, and were willing to gather and pay to watch the best players and teams. They called it “the game of the four corners.” The game of baseball had found its stage in the country.

Through the years, the region had a constant flow of American workers from oil companies who helped shape the identity of the city as well as the influence of American culture. Baseball was no exception. By 1926, a heated rivalry between Vuelvan Caras and Santa Marta was catching the attention of followers and local sports media. In fact, the first big hero of local professional baseball was a shortstop from Vuelvan Caras, Rafael “Anguito” Oliver. Early on, the media shone a spotlight on the role of the shortstop.

Oliver became an icon and two brothers were some of his biggest fans — Luis and Ernesto Aparicio Ortega. The Aparicio Ortega brothers (in the Latin American custom, they used their father’s and mother’s surname) were also natural athletes; Luis enjoyed soccer but ended up practicing baseball with Ernesto. Both became quality infielders. Luis, however, became the big star, the super athlete, while Ernesto, who had great playing tools, concentrated on learning the game as a science. He became a successful manager, coach, and team owner, transmitting his knowledge over generations.

Luis gained fame for his great plays and intelligence in the position of shortstop. He became a reference, a master, and a key player sought by many teams throughout the country. He played in both professional leagues in the country, in Caracas and Maracaibo. He became the first player “exported” from Venezuela when he signed with Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic in 1934.

Also in 1934, Ortega and his homemaker wife, Herminia Montiel, welcomed their son Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel. By the time Aparicio was born in Maracaibo on April 29, his father was shining as one of the first baseball superstars of Venezuela and Latin America. Ortega was an All-Star player and one the most famous players ever of Venezuelan baseball. “An artist in the shortstop position,” many called him.

Uncle Ernesto became a mentor to Luis. In Gavilanes, where his father also played, little Luis got his first job in baseball: batboy. His father and uncle taught him the secrets of the game. He also had the chance to learn from players of all nationalities, including Cuban, Dominican, and American players.

Baseball was his life. Aparicio recalls his mother washing baseball uniforms for his team and talking about baseball all day. From the age of 12, when he played shortstop for a team called La Deportiva, Aparicio displayed the grace and elegance he learned from his father. From then on, Aparicio was a member of several teams in Maracaibo, Caracas, and Barquisimeto. He was constantly moving with his family, depending on the time of year and which team his father was playing for.

That was his life: baseball, the stardom of his father, the knowledge of his uncle and whatever the game brought to the family table.

In 1953, Caracas hosted the Baseball Amateur World Series, and Luis Aparicio, then 19 years old, was selected to represent Venezuela. It was his first big tournament, and he played shortstop, third base, and left field. Although Cuba won the tournament, Aparicio was recognized both in the stands and in newspapers as the most electrifying player, who made great plays and showed security and maturity in all positions. Fans waved white handkerchiefs during this tournament, praising the teenager with great speed and a solid glove. All eyes were on him for the first time, but the name of his famous father would always be on his shoulders if he chose to be a professional player.

Soon after the Amateur World Series, the day arrived. Aparicio had to tell his parents he was quitting school to become a professional baseball player. His mother was not happy with the decision. His father, on the other hand, told him something that would stand out in his mind for the rest of his career. “Son, if you are going to play baseball for a living, you will have to be the number one always,” said his father. “You will never be a number two of anybody, always be the number one.”1

That winter, the best four teams in Venezuela played in the country’s first national tournament. The teams — Gavilanes and Pastora from Maracaibo, and Caracas and Magallanes from Caracas — rotated their games in four cities and it was the first tournament played under the umbrella of major-league baseball.

Aparicio signed with Gavilanes and his debut was scheduled for November 17, 1953, in Maracaibo. That day it rained, and his debut was postponed until the next day, November 18, which is a special holiday in Maracaibo. The city celebrates the day of its lady patron, the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, and festivities are held all around. Among them is the special baseball game between the crosstown rivals Pastora and Gavilanes.

Aparicio’s father, Ortega, who also played for Gavilanes, led off the game against Pastora’s Howie Fox, a major-league veteran. After the first pitch, Ortega went back to the dugout and pointed to his son with his bat, signaling it was time for Luis to take his father’s bat and replace him at home plate for his first official at-bat.

The crowd of 7,000 gave a 15-minute standing ovation to this simple but magical gesture. They were recognizing Ortega — known as “The Great of Maracaibo” — for his outstanding career, his talent as the best shortstop in Venezuelan baseball, for his dedication on the field, and for more than 20 years of contributing to the development of the game in Maracaibo. At the same time, people were showing Luis the huge burden he had on his shoulders for carrying his father’s name, and for the responsibility he had on the field from that moment.

Aparicio Jr., at 19 years old, understood the situation and embraced it with maturity. “I knew the responsibility on me. I knew about the expectations people had everywhere I stepped on a field. I just had to be great as my father, otherwise people would consider me a total deception,” he said in later years. “It was destiny.”2

Panorama, the local newspaper, wrote the next day: “Aparicio´s son’s debut was patronized by the Virgin herself.” For a very Catholic-religious region, this was a big deal.3

Aparicio ended up being named the best shortstop of the tournament. By December, the Cleveland Indians were negotiating with him. Gavilanes manager Red Kress, who was a coach for the Indians, spoke with general manager Hank Greenberg about signing Aparicio, but Greenberg replied that he thought Luis too small to play baseball. Chico Carrasquel, who was playing for Caracas and Chicago at the time, talked to Chicago White Sox general manager Frank Lane and told him about Luis, asking him to sign the youngster before someone else did. Caracas’s manager, Luman Harris, also talked to Lane. Soon after, Lane sent an offer and a contract for Aparicio with a $10,000 check. Young Luis became a member of the White Sox.

Aparicio’s days in the minor leagues were hard. His English was very limited. He knew he belonged in the majors, but the learning process was strict. Carrasquel was the big-league shortstop. After spring training in 1955, Aparicio was sent to Memphis in the Double-A Southern Association. He thought about going back to Venezuela and quitting the White Sox, but both his father and Carrasquel convinced the novice of his potential and explained to him the process of reaching the majors, a road even tougher for Latinos, especially in those years. Carrasquel, who was the big baseball idol in Caracas, became Aparicio’s mentor and a father figure for him. Aparicio also recalls meeting a singer that season in a small bar in Memphis, a young man named Elvis Presley.  

In October 1955, the White Sox traded Chico Carrasquel to the Cleveland Indians, leaving the door open for Aparicio. When Lane announced the trade, a Chicago journalist said: “You are trading your All-Star shortstop? You will need a machine to replace Chico.” Lane replied, “Yes, that’s precisely what we have — a machine, and his name is Luis Aparicio.”4

Aparicio was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1956. He was the first Latin American player to win the award. He finished with a .266 batting average and a league-leading 21 stolen bases, and also led the league in sacrifice hits. The stolen base as a strategy was becoming less and less used in baseball in those years. Aparicio revived the essence of the stolen base from the moment he reached the majors. He injected the White Sox with the game of speed, the Caribbean game, where speed is a key. He was praised for his defense but during his first season had 35 errors.

Luis needed work on his throw. Venezuelan journalist Juan Vené, who covered Aparicio’s entire career, recalled, “Fans were afraid to sit behind first base and they were really aware of the throw every time Aparicio was fielding a grounder because the ball often ended into the stands.”5

His debut met everyone’s expectations at home, but he knew he needed to do more. After his first season, when he returned home with his wife, Sonia, Aparicio said, “By seeing how so many people have gathered to welcome me at the airport just to say hello and congratulations, it makes me realize that I still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to go beyond their expectations. I need to put the name of my country and my people up high; I feel my game represents them.”6

In 1958, Aparicio won his first Gold Glove, was named to his first All-Star Game, hit .266, and led the league in stolen bases for the third consecutive year, with 29. Chicago ended up in second place for the second year in a row behind the Yankees. The situation in the American League was tough. The Chicago White Sox was an outstanding club but the Yankees were the Yankees, and in those years they simply dominated baseball. There were no playoffs. To go to the World Series they just needed to finish first in the American League. The White Sox needed to reach one more step, and they did it in 1959.

Dámaso Blanco, a former infielder for the San Francisco Giants, remembers 1959: “I went to Chicago in August 1959 with the Venezuelan baseball team for the Pan Am Games and they took us to Comiskey Park to watch the White Sox and Luis Aparicio. It was my first MLB game ever and I was very anxious. Aparicio hit a single on his first at-bat and we all noticed that people started to yell: ‘Go! Go! Go!’ At first we did not understand what was happening and then our guide explained people were actually rooting for Aparicio to steal second base. I can’t really describe how proud we felt listening to a full Comiskey Park rooting for a fellow Venezuelan and the team leader of the ‘Go Go White Sox.’ ”7

That season, the White Sox won 94 games and finally won the pennant. Among the keys to their success were Aparicio’s base-stealing skills and his defense along with his double play partner and close friend, Nellie Fox. For Chicago it was a magical era. It was their first trip to the World Series since 1919. This team was the complete opposite of the Black Sox. It was fun to watch. Aparicio remembers: “We were so close, like a family. We enjoyed our game and the fans of Chicago so much during 1959. Having guys in the team like Ted Kluszewski, Jim Rivera, Sherm Lollar, and Early Wynn was just amazing. We just had to win the league because we were good, having fun in the field, and playing very seriously.”8

Aparicio ended up second to his double-play partner Fox in the voting for the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He stole a career-high 56 bases that year. He realized no one in baseball was better than him at stealing. His speed was a key to victory. He led the team in runs with 98. “Before the season Al Lopez, our manager, told me he wanted me to focus on my base stealing,” Aparicio said long after his career ended. “They wanted me to spice things up in the club and that was going to be our key to win games that season.”9

After their great season, the White Sox lost the World Series to the Dodgers in six games. Aparicio hit .308 (8-for-26), and although he was thrilled to participate in the fall classic, he was deeply frustrated in not winning the Series. “The people were very excited in the city, because they waited 40 years to see their team in a World Series. They were disappointed, but at the same time they treated us like winners,”10 he recalled. This first trip to the Series made Aparicio realize how important it was to be a winner and how hard a team needed to work to win it all.

Hoping to return to the World Series in 1960, the White Sox instead slipped to third place. They fell to fourth place in 1961 and fifth in 1962. The Sox wanted to rebuild their team, and in January of 1963, Aparicio and veteran outfielder Al Smith were traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Ron Hansen, Pete Ward, Dave Nicholson, and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The trade was a jolt to Luis, but he was moving to a contending team built around a foundation of power and pitching. Aparicio added speed to the Baltimore lineup, winning two more stolen base titles in 1963-64 to give him nine consecutive seasons as the American League stolen base champion, an all-time record. More importantly, he helped solidify the Oriole defense. Luis and future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson formed one of the best shortstop-third base combinations of all time.

In 1966, the Orioles won the American League pennant, and Aparicio once again faced the Dodgers in the World Series. Although his offense was not as solid as it was in 1959, he still contributed with four hits and great defense during the series, which the Orioles swept in four games. It was first and only championship ring of his career. He came back to Maracaibo as a hero, dedicating his part of the title to his parents, who were his biggest supporters.

In November of 1967, Luis was traded back to the White Sox. As a veteran player, he became the team leader and mentor. During his second stint in Chicago, his glove was still his great tool, though his speed was not the same. He worked on his offense and in 1970, at the age of 36, batted a career-high .313.

Before the 1971 season, Aparicio was traded to the Boston Red Sox and played with them for three more seasons. In two of them was he was selected to the All-Star Game. In 1973, at the age of 39, he batted .271 in 132 games and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts.

Vené remembers March 26, 1974: “Luis was in the Red Sox spring camp when he got the notice that he was being released. He wanted to play one more season; he was 40 and still felt he had it. When he went back to the hotel he had a letter from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. It was an open contract that had a note saying: “You put in the amount to play for the New York Yankees.” 

Aparicio sent the envelope back with a note that said: “Dear Mr. Steinbrenner, thank you very much for your offer but I just get released once in my lifetime.”11 That was the end of Aparicio’s playing career. He went back to Maracaibo that day with his family.

From 1956 to 1973, no other shortstop was more dominant in his position than Luis Aparicio, who won nine Gold Gloves. He was a profound influence on the game during his era with his speed, helping to revive the stolen base as an offensive weapon. He was selected to 10 All-Star teams. He played in two World Series and won one, and he set the most significant personal record for himself: No player had played more games at his beloved position in the major leagues than he (2,583). (The record has since been broken by Omar Vizquel.) He finished his career with 2,677 hits, a .262 batting average and 506 stolen bases.

After 10 years of eligibility and a huge crusade by many Hispanic journalists pushing his candidacy for the Hall of Fame, he was elected to the Hall in 1984, becoming the first Venezuelan to ever receive this form of baseball immortality. “This is a triumph of Venezuela for all Venezuelans,” said Aparicio when he heard of his election.12

His biggest regret is that his father didn’t live long enough to see his son elected to the Hall of Fame. Luis Aparicio Ortega died on January 1, 1971. After his death he was honored with his election to the Hall of Fame of Venezuelan Sports. The Maracaibo baseball stadium was officially named Luis Aparicio Ortega “El Grande de Maracaibo.” After the creation of the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Aparicio Ortega brothers, Ernesto and Luis, were also inducted.

After retirement, Luis moved back to Venezuela and worked during the Venezuelan league in winter as manager. He managed Caracas, Zulia, Lara, La Guaira, Magallanes, and Cabimas. He was a celebrity and his retirement was not easy for him. They were hard times, not economically because he was very organized financially, but emotionally. He spent more time with his family and was part of many local projects of many kinds.

In the early 1980s he became a television commentator for Radio Caracas Television during the Venezuelan League. In fact, when he got the notice about his selection to Cooperstown, he was working with RCTV. Although he enjoyed it for a while, television was not his passion, but at least something to stay close to the game, if he was not managing.

In the 1990s Luis was back to the field with Tiburones de La Guaira in the winter league as a manager and coach. Aparicio moved to Barquisimeto. He enjoyed spending time with his family and especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His family suffered a big setback when his daughter Sharon was the victim of a crime in Venezuela. After this incident, he concentrated even more on his family. He continued to enjoy and follow baseball and kept his participation in baseball and Hall of Fame events with the help of his son Nelson.

After his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Aparicio’s status of celebrity increased greatly. He became known as the most important and influential Venezuelan athlete of all time, the most revered and followed. He also made several trips a year to the US to participate in autograph sessions, fan festivals and former player activities. He was a constant supporter of Hall of Fame gatherings, including All-Star games and Cooperstown induction weekends.

 His solid and impeccable image and personality caught the attention of ESPN International and ESPN Deportes who invited him as a special color analyst for the international broadcasts of Venezuelan baseball from 2011 to 2013, alongside veteran and famed Spanish-broadcasters such as Emmy-award winning Ernesto Jerez.

Aparicio has since become an active baseball follower and his voice is present through his social media accounts, where he has provided opinions and personals perspective of issues around baseball. Most notably in 2017 he was invited to participate in a ceremony honoring the Latino members of the Baseball Hall of Fame prior to the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami, Florida. Aparicio respectfully declined the invitation and publicly stated: “Thank you for the honor @mlb, but I cannot celebrate while the young people of my country are dying while fighting for freedom”13

Aparicio did not attend the 2017 Hall of Fame induction for the same reasons and actively became a strong opponent of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and the regime that has ruled Venezuela since 1998.

Maracaibo still remembers every November 18 as part of the festivities around the Virgin holiday, the anniversary of Luis Aparicio’s debut. At the Aguilas del Zulia game, Aparicio has made the ceremonial first pitch. Every year the Luis Aparicio Award is given to the best Venezuelan player of the major-league baseball season. It was a tribute to his career and to the memory of his father.

In 2006 the Chicago White Sox unveiled the Luis Aparicio statue at the U.S. Cellular Field in the center-field concourse and created by artist Gary Tillery. Aparicio attended the event with Sonia celebrating 52 years of marriage and with his son Luis Jr and daughter Karen. The sculpture is part of a two-player series depicting Aparicio waiting to catch a ball from his longtime double-play partner Nelly Fox, whose widow, Joanne, also attended the ceremony. “This is my biggest moment in baseball. I thank the White Sox organization for giving me the opportunity to play baseball, and I thank God for giving me the ability to play this game. The only thing I can say is baseball is so much of me, I even met my wife playing baseball.”14

The 2014 season of the Venezuelan Winter League was played in honor to the 30^th anniversary of Aparicio’s induction to Cooperstown and he was honored at every ballpark of the league and the league reinforced and emphasized the biggest honor ever made to a Venezuelan baseball player: the retirement of his number 11 from every team in the country.

Much more than a great player, Aparicio was recognized as a great human being. Most people knew Luis for his playing feats, but ignored his great heart and family values. During his career the integrity he brought to the game was one of his strongest assets. He gave everything he had to win and help his teams. He played simultaneously for 19 years in Venezuelan baseball, doubling the amount of work year round. As a major-league player he played fewer than 130 games in a season only once.

Maybe his greater value was how he embraced and understood his position and his significance on and off the field for the people of Venezuela, a country filled with social problems that universally celebrates the achievements of its people. He was much more than an icon.

People always expected the best from him, and he gave nothing but the best both as a player and as a human being, working hard enough and using his abilities to be among the greatest players of all time. He had huge shoes to fill under the shadow of his father and he never let this issue pressure him during his life. Luis Aparicio assumed a social responsibility and went beyond expectations.

Aparicio was named the Athlete of the 20th Century in Venezuela. Beyond his recognition for being the best player ever born in the country, his integrity and family values always accompanied him. Moreover, he is the role model for future generations and the “godfather” of the dynasty of Venezuelan shortstops in the history of the major leagues. Panorama published a letter Aparicio sent to his mother in March 1956: “To Herminia de Aparicio, Maracaibo. Dear Mom: You are finally the mother of a big leaguer. Try to figure out what it means to me to become ‘a big leaguer.’ Today I’ve cried alone, when they told me they were sending my luggage to Chicago because I had made the big league team. Tears came out by themselves and I just thought about Dad. Mom, please tell Dad that my debt with him is finally paid. Kisses, your son, Luis.”15

Luis has said: “When my father asked me to be always a number one, I always kept that on my mind. I think I didn’t disappoint him. I wanted him to be proud of me, and I know he definitely was. That’s the achievement of my life.”16   

Last revised: January 23, 2018

An earlier version of this biography originally appeared in SABR’s “Go-Go To Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox” (ACTA, 2009), edited by Don Zminda.

Sources

In addition to the sources in the Notes, the author also consulted

Verde, Luis. The History of Baseball in Zulia (Maracaibo: Editorial Maracaibo SRL, 1999).

Perfiles: Luis Aparicio. ESPN International. 2002-2007. 

Author interviews with Luis Aparicio, Juan Vené, Dámaso Blanco, Angel Bravo. Luis Verde, Nelson Aparicio, and Rafael Aparicio.

¡A La Carga! Tripleplay Sports Productions, Maracaibo, Venezuela. Various televisión episodes 1998-2002.

www.eljuegoperfecto.com

www.baseball-reference.com

Notes

1 Author interview with Luis Aparicio, July 2008.

2 Aparicio interview.

3 Diario Panorama (Maracaibo, Venezuela), November 19, 1953.

4 Carlos Cárdenas Lares, Venezolanos en las Grandes Ligas (Caracas: Fondo editorial Cárdenas Lares, 1990), 78.

5 Author interview with Juan Vené, Cincinnati, August 2007.

6 Diario Panorama, October 10, 1956. 

7 Author interview with Dámaso Blanco, Cincinnati, August 2007.

8 Aparicio interview.

9 Ibid.

10 Ibid..

11 Vené interview.

12 Revista IND, Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Caracas, Venezuela. August 1984. 

13 Luis Aparicio, via Twitter, July 11, 2017.

14 Scott Merkin, “Aparicio, Fox honored with statues,” MLB.com, July 23, 2006.

15 Diario Panorama, March 2, 1956. 

16 Aparicio interview.

Tony Armas was born on July 2, 1953, in Puerto Piritu, Anzoátegui state, a town in eastern Venezuela, 235 kilometers (about 150 miles) from Caracas. His father, Jose Rafael Armas, was an electrician, while his mother, Julieta Machado de Armas, was engaged in household chores, taking care at home Antonio and his 12 brothers.

“My parents were able to keep me on track,” Armas said. “We were a very poor family, and lived on what was achieved. My dad was a farmer too.”

In a place having beautiful beaches, the Armas family also had land that they worked. “We used to plant all kinds of beans, all kinds of fruits. We were poor and planted all kinds of fruit for the sustenance of the house,” Armas said. “As the oldest I was the one who was in charge of that, to load sacks of corn, pumpkin, watermelon, everything that was harvested. I think my strength came from there.”

There was no Little League or the Criollitos of Venezuela in those days, no organized movements that help children and young people today to start polishing their skills. Armas began to imitate his idols playing baseball in the street with older people in his neighborhood.

“There were no baseball schools, no little– league baseball. You become a baseball player through hard work,” he said. “I played caimaneras (baseball in the street) with adults, as everyone did in those days. I played since I was a boy, since I was in school. It is not like today, when children are born with a uniform. Right now they have coaches, all benefits that a little boy may have from birth until (he) reaches his youth. At that time, no, at that time you had to make yourself as a player.”

At 17, Tony played for the first time on a team in an organized league, Deportivo Pachaquito, and began to develop his skills on defense. 

“I ended up not playing the tournament,” he recalled. “I started the championship, but didn’t finish it, because there was a National Youth Championship, to be played in Cumaná city and as I was 17, I was called from the Double A to the youth team to go play.”

Armas had an outstanding performance, starring as his team won the Anzoátegui state title.  He was called to the national team to play for the World Youth Championship in Maracaibo. That was where he caught the attention of the former major leaguer Pompeyo “Yo– Yo” Davalillo, a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Davalillo, brother of the former All– Star Vic Davalillo, played in the majors in 1953 with the Washington Senators, but a broken leg shortened his career and he devoted his life to trying to recruit players from Venezuela to play in the United States.

“Pompeyo Davalillo had checked me in both the national junior and youth world championships. I also went to a worldwide Double– A championship, in Cartagena, Colombia. I didn’t have much chance to play, because I was very young and we had players who were better prepared than me at that time. I did not play, but I had a pretty good time. I kept playing and in 1971 Pompeyo Davalillo arrived at my house, talked to me, said he thought I could make it to the majors, that I could go far in baseball. He spoke with my parents and that’s how I started my career.”

On January 18, 1971, Armas signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $5,000. At the same time he signed for 30,000 bolivars to play Venezuelan winter ball with the Caracas Lions, a club that had previously featured two of his idols, Vic Davalillo and Cesar Tovar. Tovar played in the majors from 1965 to 1976 with the Twins, A’s, Rangers, Phillies, and Yankees, with a lifetime average of .278; Davalillo batted .279 between 1963 and 1980 with the Indians, Angels, Cardinals, Pirates, Dodgers, and Athletics.

“I was a fan of Caracas and my favorite players were Cesar Tovar and Vic Davalillo. I also admired Joe Ferguson, a power hitter who came as a foreign player.” Ferguson, who played 14 seasons in the majors with Dodgers, Cardinals, Astros, and Angels, played with the Lions in Armas’s rookie year in Venezuela and batted .294 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs, an inspiration for the young prospect.

“I think they signed me because I was a good outfielder. I was not a good hitter,” he said. “You learn to hit with constant work.”

Pittsburgh assigned Armas to play with Monroe and with Bradenton in 1971, dividing his time between rookie ball and Class A, where he combined for a .230 batting average; it was clear he had to work harder to improve his offense.

“I was a good outfielder and I realized I had to work twice (as hard as) the Americans to keep my job. That’s the way it was at that time, not like now, when someone comes to the majors with a lot of money and have to call you up. Plus there are more teams now. That is the reality of my career.”

In 1972 Armas batted .266 with 9 homers and 51 RBIs in Class– A Gastonia, and in 1973 he got the opportunity to play at Double A in an unusual way, after being a batboy for almost two weeks.

“Not that I was happy with what they were doing, but actually they had a lot of players in spring training. There were about 80 players in camp and on the field there were nine. I had no chance to play,” he said. “The manager of Class A needed a batboy and from among those 80 players they called my name. So I spent a week doing that. It bothered me a little bit, because I didn’t go up there to collect bats. I went to earn a spot. There was a Mexican named Mario Mendoza who helped me a lot; what I did was thanks to him, because I told him I wanted to go home, I was not up there to collect bats. He told me to stay calm, that I was being observed to see what kind of character I had, whether I was spoiled. I followed his advice and stayed. The next week was all the same. We arrived on Monday and started the game the same, ‘Armas, you’re the batboy.’ It turns out that on Wednesday, in a game between Double A and Triple A, the Double– A center fielder got injured. The manager shouted that they needed an outfielder and then he said, ‘Armas, get in there.’  I went in, and I stayed.”

His bat began to speak for him with Sherbrooke in the Double– A Eastern League; he hit .301 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs in 84 games, despite suffering a broken arm that had him away from action several days.

The young prospect continued his rise in the organization and, after another season in Double A in 1974, he was promoted to the Charleston (West Virginia) Charlies (Triple A) in 1975. With Charleston again the next season he showed some power, hitting 21 homers, and earned a call– up to the Pirates. Armas debuted on September 6, 1976, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Three Rivers Stadium. He replaced Richie Zisk in left field in the ninth inning. He played in four games during his call– up. On October 3, in the last game of the season (the second game of a doubleheader), Armas got his first start, in the lineup as the center fielder and batting sixth. He got his first major– league hit off Pete Falcone of the St. Louis Cardinals, a single to center field to lead off the bottom of the fifth.

Falcone was locked in a pitching duel with Jerry Reuss, and the game went into the bottom of the ninth scoreless. Armas came up with a runner on second base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth and singled to right field to give the Pirates a 1– 0 walk– off victory to end the season.

Still, Armas faced trying to break in to an outfield populated by Al Oliver, Omar Moreno, and Dave Parker.

“I had no chance to play, because the Pirates had many good players,” he said. “At the time I was in that organization was (Roberto) Clemente, Al Oliver, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Richie Zisk, and I had no opportunity to climb. In 1977 (I was out of options), so they had to keep me on the roster or trade me. At the last minute, they traded me to the A’s. It was there that I got the chance to show my full potential.”

Armas was sent to Oakland on March 15, 1977, along with pitchers Dave Giusti, Doc Medich, Doug Bair, and Rick Langford, and outfielder Mitchell Page, for pitcher Chris Batton and infielders Tommy Helms and Phil Garner.

Oakland, a rebuilding team, relied on the talents of Armas, who hit 13 homers and drove in 53 runs in 118 games. The next two seasons, he played in only 171 games because of injuries.

“In Oakland I obviously had to work hard, because no Latin at that time had a safety spot in the big leagues,” he said. “Thanks to Oakland I received the opportunity to play every day and I was able to prove myself.”

In 1980 Armas was healthy and able to deploy his strength to become one of the most feared sluggers in the American League. That year he hit 35 homers and drove in 109 runs, with a respectable .279 average.

The following year, in a strike– shortened season, Armas tied three other players for the American League lead in home runs with 22. (The others were Dwight Evans, Eddie Murray, and Bobby Grich. Armas drove in 76 runs, took part in his first All– Star Game, and finished fourth in the voting for the MVP award. He was chosen by The Sporting News as the Player of the Year.

Thanks to Armas and Rickey Henderson, the Athletics advanced to the playoffs and swept the Kansas City Royals in the Division Series. Armas was 6– for– 11 with two doubles and three RBIs. His bat cooled off in the ALCS against the New York Yankees (2– for– 12 with five strikeouts); Oakland was eliminated in three games.

Armas’s power caught the attention of the Boston Red Sox. He hit 28 homers for the A’s in 1982 and set an AL record for the most putouts in a game by a right fielder (11, on June 12 against the Toronto Blue Jays). After the season the Red Sox acquired Armas and catcher Jeff Newman in exchange for third baseman Carney Lansford, outfielder Garry Hancock, and Jerry King.

“They wanted a player who would protect Jim Rice and they made the deal,” said Armas, who was surprised by his departure from Oakland. For Boston, Armas played center field, although he wasn’t a particularly fast fielder, but with Rice and Dwight Evans he helped form one of the most powerful outfields in Red Sox history. 

“It was a good team,” Armas said. He hit a career– high 36 homers, with 107 RBIs, topping 100 for the second time in his career, finishing with 107. Rice led the club with 39 homers and 126 RBIs, but Evans fell short with 22 homers and 58 RBIs, playing only 126 games in the final season of future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

“It was a real experience to play with a superstar like Carl Yastrzemski was,” Armas said. “I met Ted Williams in spring training, and it was a great experience to meet those two legends.”

Despite his power, Armas heard some boos from Red Sox fans because of his anemic .218 average and 131 strikeouts in 145 games. “At that time, Latinos and black people were not beloved in Boston. I came to Boston and they started to boo me. I spoke with my lawyer and told him to get them to trade me. I didn’t want to play in Boston anymore. There was a pressure in playing for that team. They talked with me and said, ‘Hey, you came over here to help Jim Rice and Dwight Evans.’ ‘Yes, but I can’t, this way. It is very difficult to play like this.’ At that time it was different from the way it would be now – if I had been signed to a $120 million contract, I wouldn’t have cared if they shouted at me and booed me. But at that time you had to earn your place and play hard.” 

A year later the Venezuelan, led by his power, changed those boos into ovations. Injury– free, Armas played 157 of the team’s 162 games and home runs steadily found their way into the stands. He finished as the American League leader in both home runs and RBIs (43 and 123). He dominated the circuit with 77 extra– base hits and 339 total bases.

“You never have those goals. Your goal is having a good year, but I never thought I would be the home– run king or the RBI champion when there were many superstars in the majors – Reggie Jackson, Jim Rice, Dave Kingman, Lance Parrish, Dwight Evans, many good players. That I could compete with these superstars made me proud, and that year, thank God, I was able to play an almost full season.”

Armas’s remarkable season earned him his second All– Star Game and his only Silver Slugger Award, and he placed seventh in the MVP voting. 

Injuries cropped up again in 1985 and Armas was limited to 103 games; his production declined sharply to 23 homers and 64 RBIs.

In 1986 Armas got into 121 games as the Red Sox advanced to their first World Series since 1975. And if the defeat in 1975 was painful, after the famous Carlton Fisk homer in Game Six forced a deciding seventh game, the loss to the New York Mets was even worse.

“These were frustrating days for me,” admitted Armas, who was the greatest home– run hitter in the American League from 1980 through 1985, with 187 round– trippers, but he hit only 11 in 1986. “In the ALCS I hurt and I couldn’t play anymore, because my right ankle was swollen.”

If Armas’s home runs had seemed to become a constant in Boston, so had injuries. During his career he spent 12 stints on the disabled list, but no injury was as painful as the one in the fifth game of the ALCS against the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

In the second inning, Armas chased down a long fly ball hit by Doug DeCinces. “Many of my leg injuries were from running, but the one in the ankle was because I was hooked in the center– field fence,” he recalled. “Now they are cushioned but back then, the walls were all concrete.” Dave Henderson took over for Armas for the rest of the playoffs. Henderson had an immediate impact.

“I tried to play, but I couldn’t anymore,” Armas said. “And that’s when Dave Henderson replaced me and he did a good job.” Henderson’s ninth– inning homer in Game Five against Anaheim spared the Red Sox a loss, and he drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 11th.  Though Armas’s ankle improved, Henderson made the most of his opportunity; Armas was sentenced to the bench.

In the World Series, Armas was limited to one pinch– hitting appearance in Game Seven, after 15 days without playing.

“The ankle still bothered me, but I could pinch– hit. I could not run at 100 percent,” he recalled. “It was difficult, but I had a strong desire to appear in the World Series. Even if it was just an at– bat, it doesn’t matter, and I appeared in the World Series, which is what anyone wants.”

Armas pinch– hit for pitcher Bruce Hurst in the seventh inning with the game tied 3– 3. The Venezuelan struck out swinging in what it was his last at– bat in a Red Sox uniform. 

About Game Six, he was philosophical. “What happened is what happens so often in baseball. We were winning an easy game. At the end we felt champions but Bill Buckner‘s error left us without the victory. Then we lost the World Series,” said Armas. “We lost by an error that cost us the Series. These are things that happen in baseball.”

“The pitching also faltered. Roger Clemens couldn’t do the job, Dennis Boyd couldn’t do the job, many players didn’t do the job,” he said. “For me it was frustrating because I was playing every day, but then I couldn’t help the team in the World Series because of an injured ankle. That’s not easy for any baseball player.”

After the season Armas became a free agent and, a likely victim of collusion, signed with the Angels but not until July 1, 1987. “The team owners got together and agreed to not sign free agents that year and I was one of those affected,” he recalled. “I had offers from Mexico, but spent all that time practicing in Caracas with Pompeyo Davalillo, who was working with the Angels at the time. That’s where I signed.”

After so much downtime, Armas was sent to Triple A for the first time in more than a decade. He played in 29 games for Edmonton before returning to the majors for the last month and a half of the season. He batted.198 in 28 games.

Armas’s days as a regular came to an end in California, where he was used primarily against left– handed pitchers by manager Cookie Rojas, with whom he had a difficult relationship in 1988. “I started to play against left– handed pitchers and that was hard,” he said. “There was a time when I began to play every day and in a week I hit like five homers – but that’s when I had the mishap with Cookie Rojas.”

“One day we went to Oakland to play and Chili Davis, who was the regular, did not want to play; people were booing him, because he’d played the year before with San Francisco. Oakland was going to start Dave Stewart and they said I was not going to play because I was playing against lefties only. Then I got a chance to start playing against some righties, and I hit two home runs in that game (August 14). Rojas didn’t put me to play anymore and there came all the controversy with the journalists, saying that if I was hitting well, why I did not play. He said it was because he was the manager, and I told them to talk to the manager, that if they did not play me, it was a matter of him.”

From July 28 to August 14, Armas hit.440 with 4 homers and 12 RBIs over a 16– game stretch, including 11 starts, so some sportswriters suggested more playing time for the Venezuelan, even against righties.

“There was this controversy with journalists and Cookie Rojas blamed me because I spoke with the press. Once a newspaper did an article and it was sent to him in Boston and I was called to his office and he asked me why I had told the newspapers that I wasn’t playing. ‘Look, Cookie, I haven’t talked to the press in a long time. They just are realizing what you’re doing to me.’ ‘So you want to play?’ And I got to play against Roger Clemens in Boston. I said, ‘Cookie, if you think you’re going to intimidate me because it is Roger Clemens, you’re wrong. If he was going to give me four strikeouts, I’ll get four strikeouts. If I’m going to hit him, I’ll hit him.’”

And Armas homered against Clemens (two days earlier he had hit one off Bruce Hurst), and then he hit another the next day, on his return to California, against the Yankees. It was Armas’s most explosive month of the year and his last major production in the majors:.386 with 8 homers and 19 RBIs in 24 games in August. Nevertheless, his differences with Rojas continued.

“It came out another article in California, after he took me out in a game for a pinch– hitter, even when I had a hit and a home run. I showered and went to the hotel. I did not talk to any journalist. When we got to California he called me to his office, and we hadn’t an argument, because I’m not used to that, but he said why I had talked again to the press. ‘No, no. I have not spoken to the press.’ But they were already realizing who he was.”

The relationship ended on September 24, when Rojas was fired as the manager of the Angels. Armas returned to the Angels the following year, his last in the major leagues.

“My third year in California was in the same role, as a pinch– hitter and playing against lefties, and because my knee was bothering me and I couldn’t take it anymore, I retired. I could have played for three more years, but unfortunately the knees did not allow it.”

Armas remained active in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he was already a legend for his power. He was the first Venezuelan to lead the majors in homers and RBIs, but his 251 career home runs led all Venezuelans. He was also the home– run king in Venezuelan winter ball, after hitting his 97th home run in the last at– bat of his career in the 1991– 1992 season. (His mark was surpassed by Robert Perez in 2008.)

Armas played a few more seasons in Venezuela, but the knee hampered him badly and he’d have to take off a week now and again. “I thought it was better to retire than continue to suffer, but I thank God for giving me the opportunity to get where I got. Thanks to baseball I am who I am.”

The home run was always Armas’s calling card; it also happened to be his farewell letter. He was an investor in the Caribes de Oriente club and he was able to fulfill another dream there, playing with his brothers Marcos and Julio, all three taking up positions as outfielders. 

“That was a great thing,” Armas said. “It’s never been written in any book. I was with the right team on the right day.”

Both brothers followed in the footsteps of his older brother, but only Marcos managed to make the majors, with the Athletics for a brief period in 1993.

Tony and his wife, Luisa de Armas, had six children. The third was their son Tony Armas Jr., who played 10 major– league seasons with the Expos, Nationals, Pirates, and Mets, between 1999 and 2008. 

“I have much to thank my dad for. Since my childhood he always took me to the stadiums. When you are a child you are like a sponge, absorbing all the information and always trying to imitate someone,” said Armas Jr. “When I decided to play baseball, he said to me, ‘I was a hitter, but if you don’t want to be a hitter, don’t do it.’ He told me, ‘Son, do what you want to do. I support you.’ That was important. My parents, at that time, supported me the most.”

After he stopped playing, Armas remained active in baseball, mainly in winter ball, as coach of the Caracas Lions. Tony Armas Jr. also played with the Lions. “That was special,” said Armas Jr. “It was one of the most special times. I grew up in the Caracas stadium of Caracas, because he always took me there when he played. He felt the same way.”

In 1998 Armas was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, thanks to his all– time home– run leadership in the Caribbean Series, with 11. In 2005 he was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and in 2013 into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2009 Armas was the hitting coach for the Venezuelan team in the World Baseball Classic, working next to Andres Galarraga, who eclipsed all his home– run records in the majors. (In 1996 Galarraga hit 47 homers and drove in 150 runs with the Colorado Rockies to set the single– season marks for a Venezuelan.)

“Tony was a role model for all the boys that had power,” Galarraga said. “I was fortunate to sign with the Lions and privileged to play with him in Venezuela. He taught me many things, gave me some batting tips and that kind of thing.”

“I always knew that many good players would follow, because in Venezuela we had many academies and we had many players out there,” said Armas. “After Galarraga came Bob Abreu, who was a complete player, Magglio Ordonez, and now Miguel Cabrera, who is even more complete. There is always someone who opens the doors.”

And Armas, 62 in 2015, continued to share his knowledge with the younger generation in Venezuela, as a coach of Leones del Caracas (the Caracas Lions) in winter ball. “He loves to teach, because baseball is his life,” said Armas Jr. That’s never going to change with him. He ends a winter season and during the break goes directly to become a manager in the Bolivarian League with Deportivo Anzoátegui. He is always working with the boys and never stops. He’s always traveling; he is never in one place. That is what he likes to do.”

“Baseball has given me a lot. Now I’m giving to baseball, trying to help young people,” said Armas, who still lives in his native Puerto Píritu. “I am very proud of my career, proud of baseball, and proud of what I do right now, because in my time there were no hitting coaches and I’m proud to work with so many young boys to help them become better players.”

Sources

Author interviews with Tony Armas on November 12, 2014, and August 5, 2015. All quotations attributed to Armas come from these interviews.

Author interview with Andrés Galarraga on July 30, 2015. All quotations attributed to Galarraga come from this interview.

Author interview with Tony Armas Jr. on July 28, 2015. All quotations attributed to Armas Jr. come from this interview.

articles.latimes.com/1987– 08– 19/sports/sp– 773_1_tony– armas

articles.latimes.com/1988– 08– 25/sports/sp– 1345_1_tony– armas

articles.latimes.com/1988– 09– 01/sports/sp– 4439_1_home– run

articles.latimes.com/1988– 09– 24/sports/sp– 2381_1_interim– manager

el– nacional.com/deportes/lvbp/Antonio– Armas– puesto– acepte– recogebates_0_289171243.html

vidaydeportes.com/entrevista– exclusiva– antonio– armas

Cárdenas, Augusto. “El jonronero de Venezuela,” Diario Panorama, December 18, 2005.

Cárdenas Lares, Carlos Daniel. Venezolanos en las Grandes Ligas (Fundación Cárdenas Lares, 1994).

Few players can transition from pitching to a nonpitching position; even fewer successfully can reinvent themselves as pitchers after rising through the ranks as position players. Rafael Betancourt is one of those few major-league position players who became successful pitchers, in his case for over a decade after starting his professional career as a shortstop.

Betancourt identified the two most difficult moments during in his career as the time when he was told to convert from playing shortstop to pitching and his 2001 elbow surgery that resulted in an 18-month absence from pitching.1

Betancourt was notorious for his slow pace and tedious between-pitch routine, which included incessant cap tugging and pawing at the mound.2 In a July 2007 game, he was penalized for taking too much time to throw a pitch. Twice a ball was added to the count when the reliever exceeded the 12-second limit between pitches.3

Rafael Jose Betancourt was born on April 29, 1975, in Cumaná, Venezuela, a son of Rafael Betancourt Sr., who taught sociology at Universidad de Oriente in Cumaná, and Evelia Franco, who raised Rafael Jr., Francisco, and Evelyn. There were additional siblings from his father’s side, Xermis and Xenás.

Rafael Jr. was raised in a middle-class home with a school-oriented mindset led by his mother, but on the baseball side one of his favorite players growing up was Cleveland Indians shortstop (and future teammate) Omar Vizquel. After high school Rafael enrolled in Instituto Universitario Isaac Newton in nearby Puerto La Cruz to study computer engineering.

On weekends Rafael would return home to play baseball for local amateur teams. One of those weekends, in May 1993, Boston Red Sox scouts conducted a tryout in Cumaná, and Rafael was one of those on the radar of several teams.

In a November 2022 interview, he explained, “My mother wanted me to go to school. She was never into baseball. She wanted us to attend school and forget about any distractions beyond education. But my brother and my father knew that I was passionate about the game and talented for my age, so they pushed me to go to that tryout.”4

After the tryout, the boys of the family returned home with some news for Evelia. The Red Sox were offering a contract to Rafael as a shortstop.

“My mother saw our faces and she didn’t even want us to talk to her,” Betancourt recalled. “My father had to ask her for her blessing and support, so I could achieve my dream of becoming a professional baseball player. She really wanted me to attend school.”

Betancourt signed with scout Willie Paffen of the Boston Red Sox on September 13, 1993, receiving the largest signing bonus to date for a Venezuelan-born player at $47,500.5 Initial reports suggested that the 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop could run well and cover much ground. Paffen successfully lobbied for Betancourt’s services among 10 other teams vying for the 18-year-old.6

Betancourt started his professional career in 1994 playing shortstop for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox. He struggled during his first season, hitting .111 with no extra-base hits in 63 at-bats and committing nine errors in 91 chances over 20 games. His offense improved the following season, as Betancourt raised his average to .256 in 168 at-bats but slugged only .286 while striking out over twice as often as he walked. His fielding improved, though he split time between shortstop, second base, and third base. The Red Sox moved Betancourt to the Michigan Battle Cats in the Class-A Midwest League. His batting average dropped to .167 in 168 at-bats over 62 games, and his .932 fielding percentage at shortstop wasn’t helping him advance.

After a game in Fort Myers, Florida, the Red Sox director for minor leagues, Bob Schaffer, told the 20-year-old that the organization wanted him to try as a pitcher.

“Bob said they wanted me to pitch because they liked my arm and accuracy, and I said a straight ‘no’ right there. It was really tough to digest for me, as I was always the shortstop, I idolized Vizquel and wanted to be on the field always.”

“Now I thank them for bearing with me, because they could have just fired me for saying no. But they were patient and asked me to trust in the process and that I would have their support. From that day all started to change and I started to make progress right away, the progress that I had not seen in my first two years,” he recalled.7

The Red Sox converted Betancourt from shortstop to pitcher during 1997 spring training. The 21-year-old right-hander rejoined the Battle Cats as a reliever. Betancourt enjoyed more success on the mound than at the plate: He allowed no runs during an 11-game span from June 15 through July 23. Over 12 innings, he allowed only six hits, recorded 17 strikeouts, and issued no walks. The blossoming reliever earned his first two saves.8

Betancourt’s stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio characterized his pitching throughout his career. He finished his first professional season pitching with 11 saves and 1.95 ERA over 32 1/3 innings for Michigan. He recorded 52 strikeouts against only two walks; his 14.5 strikeouts and 7.8 runners allowed per nine innings led all Midwest League pitchers.9 Years later, Betancourt admitted, “I was a good defensive shortstop, but never was a real good hitter. And Boston had Nomar (Garciaparra), so they turned me into a pitcher.”10

That offseason in Venezuela, Betancourt worked with Boston’s legendary pitcher Luis Tiant.11 Betancourt became a father during the offseason; his daughter Raniel was born to him and his wife, Griselda, in February. Over the next two seasons, the aspiring pitcher split time between Rookie ball, Class-A Sarasota, and Double-A Trenton, maintaining high strikeout-to-walk ratios but not overpowering hitters. His 13 saves at Trenton were fifth among Eastern League relievers. However, the Red Sox released Betancourt in November 1999 and sent him to pitch in Japan for the Yokohama Bay Stars, with the understanding he would return to the Red Sox organization.12 The Venezuelan didn’t fare much better in Japan, compiling a 1-2 record and a 4.08 ERA over 28 2/3 innings; he recorded 16 strikeouts and an uncharacteristically high 11 walks, then spent the latter half of the season in the Japanese minor leagues.

Boston invited the nonrostered Betancourt to spring training in 2001.13 In mid-March, he headed to minor-league camp and spent the first six weeks with Double-A Trenton. In mid-May Betancourt’s season ended with right elbow troubles. Two months later, he underwent surgery on his right elbow, transposing the ulnar nerve and stabilizing his right elbow and ulna with a metal rod inserted in his right forearm. His days with the Red Sox organization ended after his 0-1 record and 5.63 ERA over 24 innings and subsequent surgery, though his stellar 9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio offered hope that he would latch on with another club. He missed the entire 2002 recovering from surgery. Betancourt believed he would return. “People probably were saying, ‘He’s done.’ But I always had in mind that I have to come back. I needed one more chance to see if I could pitch.”14

In January 2003 the Cleveland Indians took a chance on the former infielder by signing him to a minor-league deal.15 The Betancourts’ second child, son Rafael, was born that January.16 During the season’s first half, Betancourt split time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo, pitching in the Akron Aeros bullpen as a middle reliever before taking over as closer on May 15. He immediately thrived in his new role, saving 13 consecutive games, and recording 16 saves with a 1.39 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and 13 walks over 45 1/3 innings before his big-league promotion. After starting his professional baseball career nine years earlier, Betancourt made his major-league debut pitching for Cleveland against the Chicago White Sox on July 13 2003. He entered the game in the seventh inning, recording his first out when Aaron Rowand hit a foul popup. His next batter was future Hall of Fame slugger Frank Thomas; Betancourt struck out Thomas on four pitches. Unfortunately for the rookie, in the next inning, he allowed a leadoff single to Paul Konerko that ultimately led to the game-winning run and absorbed the loss in a 7-4 White Sox victory. Betancourt was ecstatic about his debut, commenting, “I was very excited that they used me in a tie game. I’m sorry we lost, but it was like, ‘OK, the score is tied, let’s go get them.’”17 Two weeks later, Betancourt earned his first major-league victory when he pitched a scoreless 14th inning in a 3-2 Cleveland victory.18 Two weeks after his first win, he recorded his first save by retiring the final four batters in a 3-1 Indians win.19 Cleveland manager Eric Wedge was pleased with his rookie’s approach: “He’s got a good fastball and slider. I like the way he handles himself out there and stays focused.”20 The rookie reliever took advantage of his long-awaited opportunity and became a steadfast member of Cleveland’s bullpen. Over a 31-day stretch in mid-August and late September, Betancourt pitched in 15 of 26 games, compiling a 1.83 ERA over 19 2/3 innings.21

Betancourt completed his rookie season with a 2-2 record, one save, and a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings. He struck out 36 batters and walked 13; his above-average 2.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio was among the lowest in his career. Although Cleveland struggled to a 68-94 record and a fourth-place AL Central Division finish that season, the organization felt it had a blossoming bullpen between Betancourt, a returning Bob Wickman in the closer role, David Riske, Scott Stewart, Bob Howry, and Jack Cressend.22 One unique event in Betancourt’s career occurred on August 3: in the seventh inning, he hit Marcus Thames on an 0-and-2 pitch. That game was Betancourt’s 10th big-league appearance, and Thames was only the 35th batter he faced in his burgeoning big-league career. Betancourt pitched 678 more regular-season innings over 11 seasons, facing another 2,752 batters – and never hit another batter again.23

For the first time in his career, Betancourt made a major-league team’s Opening Day roster. The 2004 Indians were optimistic that they would return to their winning ways from the late 1990s. Betancourt pitched well during the first six games, then allowed runs in his next three appearances. Wedge continued displaying faith in his control artist, first making him the primary set-up man,24 then naming him closer on May 1, replacing Riske.25 Betancourt earned two saves in his first three games as a closer, which included a game-ending Manny Ramirez strikeout after Boston rallied with a four-run ninth inning to pull within a single run and Ramirez represented the go-ahead run.26 However, after a month in the role, Wedge shifted closer duties from Betancourt to José Jiménez because the Cleveland manager wanted Betancourt in the setup role. “Raffie has been our most consistent reliever this year. We’ve had him in the closer’s role for almost a month, and he’s only had a couple of opportunities because we’re not able to get the lead to him. So I’ve got my best pitcher in the bullpen not pitching.”27

After struggling through a mediocre first half, the Indians played better during the second half. From August 4 through August 14, Cleveland won 10 of 11 games with the only defeat a loss by Betancourt on a walk-off. The Indians pulled within one game of the division-leading Minnesota Twins but lost their next nine straight to fall out of playoff contention. Betancourt completed the season with a 5-6 record, four saves, a team-leading 12 holds, and a 3.92 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio improved to 4.22, among the best in the American League.

Firmly established in Cleveland’s bullpen, Betancourt pitched in a set-up role during the entire 2005 season. He started the season by pitching nine hitless, scoreless innings and pitched more reliably and consistently in the seventh and eighth innings. Betancourt retired 27 of the first 28 batters he faced, allowing a lone walk in his third appearance that season. Early that season he appreciated having a stable role: “I think the whole bullpen, not just me, feels more comfortable this year. We have a guy for every spot.”28

Well-known for his control, Betancourt was evolving into a strikeout pitcher who could tempt batters to chase high fastballs while slowing the game down.29 He spent time on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder from June 30 through July 8, then was handed a 10-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program from July 8 to July 18. He was the first major-league player and third in the Indians’ organization to be penalized for a violation.30 The Indians were completely surprised by Betancourt’s suspension, as his body type and velocity hadn’t notably changed in his three years with the organization; Cleveland was not informed what specific substance was in violation of the MLB agreement. Betancourt speculated that the issue might be related to an anti-inflammatory drug prescribed in Venezuela that would be equivalent to over-the-counter medication in the United States. “It would be like you guys going to a pharmacy here and buying Advil or Tylenol,” he said.31 Except for one bad outing, Betancourt pitched well and stayed off the DL for the rest of the season, ending his third big-league season with a 2.79 ERA and 73 punchouts over 67 2/3 innings.

The year 2006 started on a high note, as Betancourt pitched for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but he regressed during the major-league season. Pitching mostly in a set-up role once again, he endured a challenging first half while pitching better in the second half. Betancourt thrived while pitching at Jacobs Field in Cleveland; his 1.88 ERA there was significantly better than his road 5.79 ERA. For the third consecutive year, he spent time on the DL. During the offseason, the Betancourt and the Indians avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal.32 The signing paid off handsomely for Cleveland.

The 2007 season featured a dominant Betancourt all year while the Indians returned to the postseason. Betancourt made a major contribution to Cleveland’s success, establishing a career-high 79 1/3 innings pitched and a career-best 1.47 ERA while tying his career highs in wins (five) and reaching his second-highest strikeout total (80). He issued a career-low 1.02 walks per nine innings and allowed a career-low 5.8 hits per nine innings. His microscopic first-half 1.13 ERA increased only slightly to 1.82 during the season’s second half; he pitched at least 10 innings each month and only once did his monthly ERA exceed 2.00. Betancourt again pitched primarily during the eighth inning as a set-up man, tying for the AL lead with 31 holds.33 He walked only one batter during his first 24 1/3 innings while recording 20 strikeouts. Several managers and players noticed Betancourt’s effectiveness, with Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland praising the reliever, commenting. “He’s been one of the best pitchers in the game all year. He gets no publicity, but you look at his numbers and they are remarkable. Where would the Indians be without Betancourt?”34 Leyland was especially aware of Betancourt’s pitching, as the Tigers finished in the American League Central Division’s second place, eight games behind the Indians. One highlight for Betancourt that season was standing on the mound when Cleveland captured the division title. On September 23 against the Oakland Athletics at Jacobs Field with over 40,000 fans in attendance, Betancourt pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his second save, striking out Mark Ellis on a fastball to end the game.

“It was by far the most rewarding moment of my career,” Betancourt said. “Closing that game, clinching the division was very special for our group since we were growing together. The emotion was hard to describe.”

In the Division Series against the New York Yankees, Betancourt pitched twice, striking out three and issuing no walks over two scoreless innings. In his first four appearances during the Championship Series against Boston, pitching at least one inning in four consecutive games, Betancourt allowed one hit while delivering 6 1/3 shutout innings. In Game Two he delivered the best postseason appearance in his career. Throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings when the game was tied from the seventh inning through the ninth, his shining moment was retiring Kevin Youkilis in the ninth inning with two outs and Jacoby Ellsbury representing the winning run on second base. Betancourt and Youkilis dueled during an 11-pitch at-bat to send the game into extra innings. Youkilis saw 11 straight fastballs, fouling off six consecutive 2-and-2 pitches,35 before driving the final one into center field where the ball landed in Grady Sizemore’s glove. Betancourt threw 42 pitches, striking out three while allowing one hit, giving Cleveland the opportunity to win in extra innings.36 In the decisive seventh game, Betancourt entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with Cleveland trailing 3-2, but allowed six earned runs over 1 2/3 innings and couldn’t finish the eighth inning.37 The rough outing dampened the numerous highlights from the 2007 campaign, during which he tied with Victor Martinez with the fourth-highest Wins Above Replacement (4.3 per Baseball-Reference) on the Indians.

The Indians and Betancourt once again avoided arbitration before the 2008 season. Since joining Cleveland in 2003, Betancourt had signed successive one-year contracts. Now the Indians, who experienced no player arbitration hearings from 1992 to 2007, signed Betancourt to a two-year contract with a club option for the third year. Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro commented, “This is a great story. Knowing what Rafael has been through and how hard he worked, to see him get the security of a multiyear deal and for us to get the consistency and effectiveness we’ve had from him for our bullpen, it’s a great story.”38 Unfortunately for both sides, Betancourt’s 2008 numbers nosedived after his spectacular 2007 season. His ERA skyrocketed to 5.07 over 71 innings; his strikeout rate dipped slightly, but his walk rate more than tripled from 2007’s 1.0 to 3.2 walks per nine innings. He struggled during the first half, with a 2-4 record and a 6.00 ERA over 42 innings; August was the only month when his ERA was below 4.00. Eager to prove 2007 was no fluke, Betancourt pushed himself even harder while exercising and throwing during the offseason, noting, “That’s why I prepared myself in the offseason. I feel stronger than I did last year.” Indians skipper Eric Wedge complimented Betancourt’s drive, saying, “He doesn’t take anything for granted. He doesn’t assume anything. He feels like each and every day he has to prove himself all over again. He’s always been like that.”39

Focused on the coming season, Betancourt declined the invitation to play for Venezuela in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. When the season began, his ERA in his 10 April appearances was 5.40, and while the Indians found themselves in the division basement. Betancourt notably improved during May, compiling a 2.70 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, then injured his right groin and missed all of June. He returned to the mound on July 9, and pitched three more games for the Indians. On July 23 Betancourt was sent to the Colorado Rockies for minor-league power pitcher Connor Graham.40 Betancourt wasn’t surprised by the trade, commenting, “You never know when this is going to happen. I’ve seen a lot of guys come here and leave this year. Now it’s my turn.”41

Betancourt immediately thrived in his new environment, delivering 11 2/3 scoreless innings and 14 strikeouts against two walks during his first 14 appearances in a Rockies uniform. He pitched well for the rest of the season, recording a 3-1 record, a team-leading 12 holds, and a 1.78 ERA over 25 1/3 innings. His 5.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio illustrated his exceptional control.42 Betancourt solidified the bullpen and helped Colorado win the National League wild card, though the Rockies fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1 in the NL Division Series.

During the offseason, Betancourt decided to remain with the Rockies, signing a two-year deal.43

He excelled once again in a set-up role, teaming with Matt Belisle to form a highly effective one-two late-inning bridge to closer Huston Street. He established career highs with 72 appearances, 89 strikeouts and an 11.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, second-highest in the majors. Similar to previous seasons, he pitched better in the second half of the season, evidenced by his first-half 5.06 ERA and significantly better second-half 2.08 ERA. Over the season’s last two months, Betancourt’s minuscule 1.52 ERA and .114 opponents’ batting average over 23 2/3 innings helped the Rockies make a late-season playoff push. On September 18 the Rockies were only one game behind the West Division-leading San Diego Padres. Betancourt threw 7 1/3 shutout innings during the final two weeks, allowing just one hit, but Colorado lost 13 of its final 14 games – including the final eight straight – and missed the playoffs.44 Although he delivered another solid season, similar to many pitchers feeling the effects of Coors Field, his road ERA (2.27) was lower than his home ERA (4.99).

Betancourt continued his excellent relieving the next season. Although the Rockies endured a challenging 2011, finishing with a 73-89 record, Colorado’s reliable bullpen gave the Rockies an opportunity to win in the later innings. Betancourt and Belisle continued serving as effective set-up relievers for closer Street during the season’s first half. When Street spent time on the DL in mid-August and late September, Betancourt filled in as closer, earning eight saves, and when Street returned, he pitched in a set-up role while Betancourt closed.45 Betancourt’s 2011 second half was even better than his 2010 second half. His subatomic 0.33 ERA over 27 innings included 39 strikeouts and only seven hits, an opponents’ batting average of .080, and one walk; From August 27 through September 28, he retired 27 consecutive batters.46 After the season the Rockies traded Street to the San Diego Padres, with the expectation that Betancourt would be the closer the next season.47

For the first time in his career, the resilient 36-year-old, nine-year veteran entered a season as a major-league closer. While the rebuilding Rockies struggled throughout the season, Betancourt provided stability in the bullpen. His season started well as he recorded six saves while allowing a lone run over 10 innings. He struggled in May and June, rebounded with a stellar August, and then fizzled during September. Betancourt recorded a career-high 31 saves; through the end of the 2023 season, that total is tied for seventh-highest in club history. However, Colorado endured a challenging season, dropping to the NL West Division basement on July 17 and remaining there for remainder of the season. Betancourt was 1-4 with a 2.81 ERA over 57 2/3 innings, and tied with teammate Dexter Fowler for a team-high 2.6 WAR (per Baseball-Reference). He pitched equally well during the first and second halves, while his home 3.72 ERA was notably higher than his road 1.88 ERA.

After Betancourt’s first full season as a closer, nagging injuries and a heavy workload affected his ability to remain healthy. In June of 2012 the Rockies in an experiment had switched from the commonly used five-man starting rotation to a four-man rotation with three “piggyback” relievers, limiting starters to 75 pitches per outing. The result was a bullpen that pitched a then major-league record 657 innings with their opponents’ batting average reaching a majors-worst .274.48 For the 2013 season, the Rockies were planning to use an eight-man bullpen with starting pitchers reaching 100 pitchers per outing. Betancourt started the season strong, saving eight games with a 1.59 ERA over 11 1/3 innings in April, but as Memorial Day drew near, Betancourt’s effectiveness was decreasing. He landed on the DL with a strained groin in early June. Betancourt left the DL four weeks later, pitched for six games, then went back on the DL because of an emergency appendectomy on July 19. He felt sick after a team workout, assistant trainer Scott Gehret determined he had appendicitis, and Betancourt was rushed to the hospital. Rockies manager Walt Weiss commented, “I don’t think they had a whole lot of time left before that thing ruptured.”49 Betancourt’s season worsened when he underwent Tommy John surgery on September 17.

After recovering for several months, Betancourt started traveling the comeback road once again.

In 2014 he pitched a few innings for the Rookie Grand Junction Rockies and Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox during his rehabilitation. The following spring training as a nonroster invitee, his comeback took another detour when he was hit in the face with a line drive that deflected off his glove during an exhibition game.50 Betancourt was a solid bullpen contributor during the first two months, then went on the DL for vertigo on June 8.51 He returned in late June and pitched poorly during August. After six seasons and 58 saves, he was designated for assignment on August 23. He made his final appearance in the seventh inning on August 22, retiring the side in order.

Mentoring younger pitchers, Betancourt appeared in several short YouTube clips; those posted in 2012 included his experience with elbow surgery52 and advice to young players.53 Additional clips posted in October 2016 included short tutorials on how to throw a breaking ball54 and how to prepare for a baseball game.55

Betancourt finished his 12-season career with a 38-37 won/lost record, a 3.36 ERA, and 75 saves. His high 9.5 career strikeout rate and 4.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio became a benchmark for the power and control relievers that became commonplace during the late 2010s. As of the end of the 2023 season, Betancourt remained among the Rockies’ top 10 pitchers for career saves (58, seventh) and appearances (309, eighth), and his 2007 Indians season is one of the best relief seasons in Cleveland’s history. The only uniform number he ever wore was number 63.

“To be honest, I was not mentally ready to hang up my spikes, but I was happy with the career I achieved,” Betancourt said. “I worked very hard every day for so many years. I felt if I was not training, I was leaving something behind. Being a major-league player is a very difficult job, far from the glamour of being seen on TV or making a solid income. At 40 years old I was tired of surgeries and I thought very much about my family, so I took the decision to call it off.”

In 2016 Betancourt, who was a staple in the Rockies locker room, worked as a special adviser to the Rockies general manager. After the season he moved to Miami to focus on raising his children, Raniel and Rafael, and help them on their way through college.

“It goes back to education and providing the best opportunities. My kids saw how hard the way of professional sports is. Will I support them if they want to go that route? Yes! Do I want that for them? I am not exactly sure.”

Asked in 2023 if he aspired to return to baseball in some capacity, Betancourt said he was open to return at some point working as a coach or adviser. “Baseball implies a lot of responsibilities and after my playing days were done, I wanted to focus all of that into my family.”56

Betancourt overcame an early position change from shortstop to pitcher, a potential career-ending elbow injury, and multiple DL stints to become one of the best set-up relievers during the mid-2000s. His amazing control, highlighted by only one hit batsman out of 2,787 career batters faced, complemented with strong work ethics, made him an exemplar reliever for aspiring pitchers.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks Cassidy Lent for providing National Baseball Hall of Fame source material, Carl Riechers for his thorough fact-checking and recommended edits, and Lisa Gattie for her meaningful input.

Photo credit: Rafael Betancourt, Getty Images.

SOURCES

Besides the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Almanac.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, TheBaseballCube.com, and the following:

James, Bill. The New Bill James Historical Abstract (New York: The Free Press, 2001).

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer, et al. Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball (New York: Viking Press, 2004).

Thanks to Leonte Landino for interviewing Rafael Betancourt for this biography.

NOTES

1 ProTips4U, “Rafael Betancourt – His Toughest Moments from Surgery to Switching Positions,” YouTube.com, June 22, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2VfSFTgT5o.

2 Tom Withers, “Betancourt and Indians Agree to $5.4 Million, Two Year Deal,” Marion (Ohio) Star, January 24, 2008: 18.

3 Sheldon Ocker, “So, Who Said There’s No Clock in a Baseball Game?” Akron Beacon Journal, July 5, 2007: C005.

4 Leonte Landino interview with Rafael Betancourt, November 2022. Unless otherwise indicated, all direct quotations are from this interview.

5 Foreign Exchange, Hazleton (Pennsylvania) Standard-Speaker, November 17, 1993: 24.

6 Nick Cafardo, “Sox Explore Steinbach Deal,” Boston Globe, November 17, 1993: 42.

7 Leonte Landino interview of Rafael Betancourt, May 2023.

8 Crystal Evola, “Ex-Battle Cat Realizes Big-League Dream,” Battle Creek (Michigan) Enquirer, July 26, 1997: 13.

9 2004 Cleveland Indians Media Guide (Cleveland: Cleveland Indians Baseball Company, Inc., 2004), 92.

10 Stephanie Storm, “Aeros Closer Eases Pain,” Akron Beacon Journal, June 3, 2003: C004.

11 Peter Gammons, “Time for Owners to Show Resolve,” Boston Globe, January 4, 1998: 87.

12 Peter Gammons, “Duquette Has Done Worlds of Good Here,” Boston Globe, December 5, 1999: 69.

13 Gordon Edes, “Red Sox Send Out Invitations,” Boston Globe, February 1, 2001: 51.

14 Sheldon Ocker, “So Far, Switch to Pitching Working,” Akron Beacon Journal, July 17, 2003: C004.

15 “Tribe Signs Four to Minor-League Deals,” Port Clinton (Ohio) News Herald, February 7, 2003: 7.

16 2004 Cleveland Indians Media Guide, 92.

17 Paul Hoynes, “Laker Not as Cunning as Fans Might Think,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 14, 2003: 67.

18 Burt Graeff, “Laker Delivers Late in Tribe Victory,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 28, 2003: 23.

19 Burt Graeff, “Tribe Duo Pitching Perfectly,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 11, 2003: 21.

20 Associated Press, “Betancourt Sparkles in Relief for Cleveland,” Bucyrus (Ohio) Telegraph-Forum, August 11, 2003: 12.

21 Sheldon Ocker, “Loss to Royals Gives Indians Sick Feeling,” Akron Beacon Journal, September 11, 2003: C005.

22 Paul Hoynes, “Ex-Rockie Jimenez Close to Deal with Tribe,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 8, 2004: 44.

23 Paul Sullivan, “The Return of Incredible Rafael Betancourt Fun Facts,” Fangraphs, February 2, 2015. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-return-of-incredible-rafael-betancourt-fun-facts/. Accessed December 15, 2021.

24 Paul Hoynes, “Faulty Pen Faces a New Challenge,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 12, 2004: 25.

25 Burt Graeff, “Rafael Opens as Closer,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 1, 2004: 36.

26 Burt Graeff, “Betancourt Outduels Ramirez,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 5, 2004: 41.

27 Paul Hoynes, “Jiminez Gets Surprise Call to Close,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 27, 2004: 47.

28 Paul Hoynes, “Betancourt Benefiting from a Set Role,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 19, 2005: 31.

29 Paul Hoynes, “Sweet Relief,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 7, 2005: 31.

30 Paul Hoynes, “Betancourt Suspended for Steroid Violation,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 9, 2005: 38.

31 Dennis Manoloff, “Betancourt Will Try to Clear Name,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 16, 2005: 41.

32 Paul Hoynes, “Tribe Signs Betancourt, Still Waiting for Davis,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 17, 2007: 41.

33 2009 Cleveland Indians Media Guide (Cleveland: Cleveland Indians Baseball Company, Inc., 2009), 94.

34 “Blake Makes Game-Ending Homers a Habit,” Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, September 19, 2007: 4B.

35 Dan Shaughnessy, “Lasting Impression: Rest for the Wary,” Boston Globe, October 15, 2007: 49.

36 Paul Hoynes, “Youkilis Just Can’t Foul Up Betancourt,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 15, 2007: 23.

37 Paul Hoynes, “Monster Letdown in Boston,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 22, 2007: 21.

38 Chris Assenhelmer, “One Down, Blake to Go,” Elyria (Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram, January 24, 2008: C1.

39 Paul Hoynes, “Miserable ’08 Inspiring Betancourt Not to Repeat It,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 21, 2009: 27.

40 Chris Assenhelmer, “Betancourt Traded for Power Arm,” Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. July 24, 2009: E1.

41 Paul Hoynes, “Betancourt Not Surprised He’s Sent to Rockies,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 24, 2009: 28.

42 2015 Colorado Rockies Information Guide (Denver: Colorado Rockies Baseball Club, Ltd., 2015), 49.

43 “Rockies Reach Deal with Street, Betancourt, Two Others,” Fort Collins Coloradoan, January 10, 2010: 8.

44 “Until Next Year,” Grand Junction (Colorado) Daily Sentinel, October 4, 2010: 11.

45 “Giants Put Rockies Away in 8th,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, September 18, 2011: 22.

46 2023 Colorado Rockies Information Guide (Denver: Colorado Rockies Baseball Club, Ltd., 2021), 222.

47 Troy Renck, “Street Sent to Padres,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, December 8, 2011: 11.

48 Troy Renck, “Rox Mull Bullpen Options,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, February 19, 2013: 12.

49 “Surgery Shelves Reliever,” Vancouver (British Columbia) Province, July 20, 2013: 43.

50 “Betancourt OK After Scare,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, March 30, 2015: 14.

51 “Third-inning Struggles Costly for Rusin, Rockies,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Jun 17, 2015: 12.

52 ProTips4U, “Rafael Betancourt – Going Through Elbow Surgery,” YouTube, June 12, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqZhEI106KY.

53 ProTips4U, “Rafael Betancourt – Advice to Young Players,” YouTube.com, June 22, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa28znF8FNE.

54 ProTips4U, “How to Throw a Breaking Ball with Rafael Betancourt,” YouTube.com, October 25, 2016.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74f-9KF0phI.

55 ProTips4U, “Pitching Tips: How to Prepare for a Baseball Game with Rafael Betancourt,” YouTube.com, October 27, 2016. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBAVkQDOd7M.

56 Leonte Landino interview of Rafael Betancourt, May 2023.

Yet none of these men played in more major-league baseball games than Miguel Cairo, who suited up for 1,490 contests over 17 years and for nine franchises, ranking 21st among Venezuelans as of the start of the 2024 season. Cairo logged eight campaigns with 100 or more games played and hung up his spikes with a 77.65 percent stolen-base percentage, a higher rate of success than those enjoyed by Craig Biggio, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Lou Brock during their Hall of Fame careers.

Cairo was born on May 4, 1974, in Anaco, Venezuela. Located in the state of Anzoátegui, the city is supported by the petroleum and natural gas industries. It was a banner year for major-league baseball with the Oakland Athletics three-peating as World Series champions and 185 future players coming into the world, including 12 Venezuelans, the first time the country had produced that many.1

As an international player (not residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada), Cairo was eligible to sign with any franchise. He agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent on September 20, 1990. Los Angeles had a less than spectacular draft, selecting 63 players, only seven of whom made it to the majors.2

The trek to “The Show” was arduous for Cairo. He logged time in five different minor leagues, appearing in 642 games, and playing second base, third base, and shortstop. (He would play an additional 137 games during rehabilitation assignments after the 1998 season, for a total of 779 minor-league contests.) In 1992 he debuted for the rookie-league Gulf Coast League Dodgers at age 18 and hit .303 in 21 games to earn a promotion to the high Class-A Florida State League. Suiting up for Vero Beach, Cairo was the youngest position player on the team and four birthdays behind his peers. His youth showed as he struggled through 36 games (.224/.285/.224) before a winter of rest helped him produce a .315 line while playing 90 games as an infielder in 1993.

The Dodgers brass kept Cairo at Class A for the 1994 season but shipped him across the nation to the West Coast, where he produced a .291 batting average in 133 games with Bakersfield (California League). He found himself in San Antonio (Double-A Texas League) in 1995, penciled in for 107 games and hitting .278 but the Dodgers traded him and Willis Otáñez to the Seattle Mariners in the offseason for Mike Blowers. Blowers, who had played several years in the majors with the Mariners and the Yankees, would guard the hot corner for a single year with LA before returning to Seattle. Cairo, on the other hand, never suited up in the Northwest, instead being shipped to Toronto on December 18, 1995, as part of a four-player trade. The Blue Jays had lost hope of re-signing future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, so second base was up for grabs in 1996. Tomás Pérez, who had hit a respectable .245 as a 21-year-old in 1995, was Cairo’s competition, though the position saw Domingo Cedeño, Felipe Crespo, and Tilson Brito on the field for the 1996 Jays.

After spending various campaigns in the minors, Cairo did not waste time on April 17, 1996, when he debuted in the majors batting second and playing second for the visiting Blue Jays. Facing the Angels’ Chuck Finley, Cairo lunged at the first pitch and laced a double to left field. Joe Carter later drove him home; while it was the only run of the game for Toronto, it was the first of 504 Cairo would score in the major leagues. His aggressive at-bat set the tone for his career, as he averaged .328 when attacking the first pitch. He played one more game, April 21 at Seattle, hitting another double, before finding himself back in the minors. He played 120 games with Syracuse (Triple-A International League) and hit .277 before returning to the Blue Jays on September 4 against Kansas City once the rosters expanded. For the year, he logged six hits (only singles in September) in 27 at-bats and did not commit an error in 40 chances (22 putouts, 18 assists). After the season he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Jason Stevenson, a right-handed pitcher who never made the majors. Cairo, on other hand, enjoyed a robust season for Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast League), belting 35 doubles and swiping 40 bases while hitting .279 and playing solid defense up the middle. He enjoyed a brief call-up during a series facing Houston, pinch-hitting in all three games. Cairo returned to Iowa but rejoined the Cubs once the rosters expanded, playing in 13 contests, pinch-hitting, pinch-running, handling the middle-infield positions and batting .241. The team’s tandem of Shawon Dunston and Ryne Sandberg, together for more than a decade, would not return in 1998: Sandberg retired and Dunston had been traded to Pittsburgh in late August. In Sandberg’s last home game, Cairo ran for him in the bottom of the fifth and scored on a Mark Grace home run. He enjoyed two at-bats in the game, picking up a single.

Although the club had some young talent on its roster (Rey Sánchez, Manny Alexander, José Hernández, and Cairo were all capable of playing up the middle and were younger than 30), the Cubs opted to sign veterans Mickey Morandini and Jeff Blauser as their double-play combination. Sánchez was traded to the Yankees and Cairo was left unprotected during the expansion draft for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Having enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee, Cairo was hungry for the chance to stay in the majors for an entire year. Tampa Bay provided him the opportunity. Chosen eighth in the expansion draft, Cairo spent three years with the team. In 1998 he played at second base in 150 contests and batted a respectable .268. His consistency earned him a spot in the Topps All-Star Rookie Team along fellow Venezuelan Magglio Ordóñez. He had a seven-game hitting streak and finished third in the AL in Defense WAR (2.6). Although he had two stints on the disabled list in 1999 due a strained right hamstring, he upped his offensive contribution, hitting .295, then dropped to .261 in 2000. He enjoyed a highlight game on April 6, 2000, driving home the winning run by singling in Tony Graffanino off Héctor Carrasco. Tampa and Cairo went their separate ways in the postseason, with the now-established major leaguer being released on November 27.

After signing with the Athletics on January 7, 2001, Cairo found himself traded at the end of spring training. Oakland swapped him to the Cubs for former AL Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske on March 28, just before the season began. He slashed .285/.364/.374 in 66 games before being claimed off waivers by St. Louis. The Cardinals finished second in the NL Central Division; St. Louis shared the best record in the senior circuit with Houston, but the Astros earned the top seed via the tiebreaker system. Cairo performed admirably for the Cardinals, playing in 27 games and hitting .333 with a .576 slugging average. His bat turned cold (1-for-5) in the NLDS as the Cardinals lost to the eventual World Series champion Diamondbacks in five hard-fought games. (The Cardinals pitched better, but Arizona won the close games.)

St. Louis valued Cairo’s presence and kept him for two more years, during which he played 200 games and hit .247. He appeared across the infield, both outfield corner spots, as designated hitter, pinch-hitter, and pinch-runner, displaying his versatility. He enjoyed postseason success in 2002, avenging the prior year’s loss to Arizona by going 4-for-4 (three singles, a double, three RBIs, and one hit-by-pitch) in the Division Series and 5-for-13 in the NLCS against San Francisco (four singles, one home run), when the Cardinals were bounced in five games. St. Louis did not reach the postseason in 2003, finishing third in a competitive NL Central.

The 2003 New York Yankees offseason was bizarre, even by the club’s standards. ALCS hero Aaron Boone injured his knee while playing pickup basketball, leaving the Yankees with a hole at third base. The Red Sox, their hated rivals, had aggressively pursued a complex trade with Texas for disgruntled shortstop Alex Rodriguez. However, Boston had its own All-Star playing the position in Garciaparra. A swap sending Rodriguez and White Sox outfielder Ordóñez to Boston, Manny Ramírez to the Rangers, and Garciaparra to Chicago was close but ultimately fell apart. New York sensed the opportunity and shuttled its incumbent middle sacker, Alfonso Soriano, to Texas for A-Rod, creating an opportunity at second base. Cairo signed a free-agent deal with the Yankees on December 19, 2003.

Although Enrique Wilson, a three-year veteran with the team, was chosen to start in 2004, his offensive struggles allowed Cairo to earn more playing time.3 Wilson started 38 of the team’s first 59 games, but his anemic bat (he was under .200 for most of the time) earned him the bench. Cairo seized the opportunity, emboldened by manager Joe Torre: “he knows how to play the game … defensively, offensively, on the basepaths. Right now I’m going to play him for a while because I’m comfortable watching him.”4 He produced a .292/.346/.417 slash line out of the ninth spot and anchored the infield defense. He started all four games of the ALDS against Minnesota, scoring three runs, and delivered a robust line against the Red Sox in the ALCS, reaching base in all but the final game while scoring four runs on a .280/.419/.400 performance. He made a rare appearance in the league leaderboard with 14 times being hit by pitch. Though he found a place in the fans’ hearts, his spot in the roster was taken by Robinson Canó, who had wrapped up a solid season split between Double A and Triple A. On October 28, a day after the Red Sox won the World Series, the Yankees granted Cairo free agency. He has fond memories of his time, telling a 2008 interviewer that “it was amazing. To get to play in a lot of full stadiums and to be a part of that organization, it was fantastic.”5

Cairo’s next team was literally across the city. The Mets offered him a one-year deal on January 10, 2005. He shared second base with Kazuo Matsui and again attained the century mark of games played. Alongside Carlos Beltrán, Mike Piazza, Tom Glavine, and former foe Pedro Martínez, Cairo nurtured the next flag-bearers for the franchise in José Reyes and David Wright. He hit .251 while defending first, second, and third bases as well as the outfield corner spots, although he spent two weeks on the DL due to the nagging hamstring issue.

Cairo’s Big Apple adventures were not yet over. He switched boroughs again, leaving Queens for the Bronx, signing a free-agent contract with the Yankees on January 6, 2006. Though Canó enjoyed a robust year at the plate, hitting .342, injuries limited him to 122 games, giving Cairo an opportunity to play at second base, third base, first base, shortstop, and left field. He hit .239 but allowed the Yankees flexibility across various positions as they won yet another division title. He re-signed on January 26, 2007, and played every infield position and left field but was released on August 15. He joined the Cardinals four days later and played most of the stretch run at first base, second base, and third base. St. Louis finished 78-84, seven games behind the division-winning Cubs. The Cardinals did not offer him a 2008 contract, opting instead to use Aaron Miles, Brendan Ryan, and Felipe López as their bench infielders.

Seattle saw the promise of Cairo as a veteran presence for its crop of young players, signing him on January 8, 2008, to a one-year contract. He mentored 24-year-old second baseman José López and 26-year-old shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt in numerous ways: as a first baseman, given Richie Sexson’s nagging injuries; as a double-play partner when one of them had the night off; or as a quasi-coach from the dugout on games Cairo did not play. Betancourt noted the guidance on and off the field: “He’s a player who has so many years in the league and has the experience in the infield. The things we talk about are learning how to play different hitters and what action needs to be taken.”6 The experiment, while noble, was short-lived as Seattle slumped to 61-101, 27 games off the prior year’s pace. Cairo’s flexibility enabled him to cross the century mark in games played as he hit .249 for the campaign. The Mariners granted him free agency on October 30, 2008, a day after the Phillies won the World Series. (Game Five began on October 27 but was suspended due to rain and completed on October 29.)

Philadelphia had won its second title in franchise history by riding a potent starting lineup but its bench was thin, making Cairo’s versatility and leadership a good match. On February 15, 2009, both parties agreed to a one-year deal. But Cairo played sporadically: He pinch-hit in 19 contests and appeared on the field in eight others. In the postseason Cairo played in the Division Series and the Championship Series, going 0-for-5. When the Phillies returned to the World Series, Cairo was left off the roster.

The Phillies declined to offer Cairo a new contract but the Cincinnati Reds picked him up on January 27, 2010. Originally inked to a one-year deal, Cairo would finish his career with the team after playing three campaigns. In 2010 he hit .290, his highest output since 2004, and produced an OBP of .353, his best mark since 2001. He committed only three errors while playing right field and all four infield positions. The Reds met the Phillies in the 2010 NLDS, with Philadelphia sweeping the three-game set as Cairo went 0-for-3 hitting for the pitcher in each contest. He re-signed during the offseason and delivered a .265 clip in 2011, his last year playing 100 games. He walloped two home runs on August 13 in a 13-1 laugher against San Diego, connecting off Tim Stauffer and Anthony Bass, driving in Jay Bruce both times. Earlier in the summer (June 19) he had homered off Toronto’s Carlos Villanueva to drive in Joey Votto and win the game for the Reds, 2-1.

Cairo spent some time in the minors in 2012, rehabilitating a hamstring injury with the Dayton Dragons. His skipper was Delino DeShields, a former teammate; almost a quarter of his teammates had not been born when he signed his first professional contract. He prepared himself for this next stage of this baseball life, stating, “[W]hen you come back here, you want to make sure the kids watch you work. … I just want to make sure I’m a model for them.”7 In 2012 he slumped to .187, below the Mendoza line,8 but the Reds still employed him in the memorable LDS against the Giants (won by San Francisco in five games after dropping the first two games at home). He pinch-hit twice and replaced Scott Rolen in the bottom of the ninth of the second game. Cairo grounded out on a 0-and-1 pitch from two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in the sixth inning of Game Four, closing the book on his professional career.

Cairo retired after the 2012 season. Stan Javier, himself an Energizer bunny who appeared in 1,763 games, had once told him: “Miguel, you are going to play until your body tells you can’t.”9 He averaged 3.62 pitches per plate appearance, driven by a tendency to swing at the first pitch (25.7 percent) as he did in his debut. His .328 average when hitting the first pitch was his highest among all situations, though his .327 during 1-and-0 was a close second. He made solid contact (11 percent strikeout percentage) but did not walk much (5.5 percent) and created 3.9 runs per game. His OPS+ was 77 (100 is league average) due to his low patience at the plate and weak power, but he managed better numbers during the postseason (29 games, 82 plate appearances, .282 average with .394 slugging). He hit better against southpaws (.287) than righties (.255) and during the first half (.268) than the second (.259). Cairo cherished using the lumber against the Phillies, White Sox, and Indians (above .300) but could not figure out the Giants and Dodgers (sub-.200). He was sad to see the Kingdome (1.319 OPS) and Veterans Stadium (1.020 OPS) go to ballpark heaven and was giddy with excitement when Hall of Famers John Smoltz (.467) and Randy Johnson (.346) were on the mound. Mike Mussina (.226) and Martínez (.171) gave him fits, as did the half-brothers Orlando and Liván Hernández (a combined 7-for-45). He places 50th among second basemen in fielding percentage (.9841) and 51st in range factor per nine innings, above Alomar and Biggio.

Cairo played in 10 consecutive seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League, participating in four title-winning clubs. From age 19 to 21 he donned the colors of the capital’s Leones before being traded in midseason to the Cardenales of Lara (née Oriente) in 1995-1996. Debuting at age 19, Cairo appeared in 33 games and hit .246.10 The Leones boasted various big leaguers on their roster, as Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Ugueth Urbina, and Edgar Alfonzo mixed youth and experience on the 1993-1994 club, which lost the finals to the Navegantes of Magallanes. The nucleus returned in 1994-1995, and Cairo appeared in 56 of the 60 regular-season contests, lifting his average to .319 as Caracas won the league title over the Águilas of Zulia. After a slow start in 1995-1996 (14 games, .250 average), he was traded to Lara for Dilson Torres, and regained his stroke with the Cardenales, hitting a personal-high .341 and picking up a Golden Glove Award.

Cairo struggled mightily in 1996-1997, playing 47 games but managing only 43 hits in 187 at-bats for the lowest production in his Venezuelan career. He rebounded the next year, hitting .284 and .257 in 1998-1999 and then took the next year off from the winter competition. (By then, he had become Tampa’s starting second baseman and thus had more mileage.)

Cairo returned to winter ball in 2000-01 with a fine season, earning the MVP award for the final series, claimed in six games by Lara. He played sporadically after that, appearing in 29 games in 2000-2001 and only five in 2002-2003.

For his career, he appeared in 348 games and hit .286 with a .351 OBP. His postseason résumé added 149 games with a .249 batting average. (Walk totals are not complete, making OBP usage less reliable.) Although correlation does not prove causation, Cairo’s teams enjoyed winning records in every one of his campaigns, earning four total championships (1994-1995, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, and 2000-2001). The sole blemish in his credentials was the inability to win the Caribbean Series as Venezuela suffered through a 17-year drought between 1989’s Zulia victory and the 2006 championship of Caracas. He gathered 10 hits in 53 at-bats (nine singles, one home run) and scored five runs in 14 games. He represented the country as part of the 1995 Caracas team, the 2001 Lara club, and as a reinforcement for the 1996 Magallanes roster.

Cairo had barely donned his uniform for the last time before the Cincinnati Reds named him assistant to general manager Walt Jocketty.11 The organization had recognized his efforts in the past, nominating him to the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association’s Heart and Hustle Award, given to the player who “best demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.”12 Jocketty announced the news on February 14, 2013, declaring, “Miguel expressed an interest in retiring as a player and becoming involved with the baseball operations side of the game. … Our younger players will benefit from his work ethic and experience.”13

After five seasons, the last of which saw Cincinnati fail to achieve 70 wins, Cairo rejoined the Yankees organization, accepting a role as a minor-league infield coordinator prior to the 2018 campaign.14

The 2019 season brought another milestone for Cairo. His son, Christian, was rated 83rd among the top 300 draft prospects by Baseball America.15 A shortstop accepted into LSU’s powerhouse baseball program, he credited his father for his talent and attitude: “He taught me how to be a man and how to have a work ethic. From day one to the end of the season you have to grind and be all in every game.”16 On June 4, 2019, Christian was drafted by the Cleveland Indians with the 130th pick in the fourth round of the amateur draft.17 He finished the 2023 season with the Class-A Lake County Captains.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Acknowledgments

•  JJ Montilla, Venezuelan sportswriter, for sharing the Venezuelan Baseball reference site “Pelota Binaria,” which includes winter league statistics.
• Lorenzo “Tony” Piña Cámpora, adviser to the Caribbean Baseball Association, for providing Caribbean Series statistics.
• Pete Palmer and Jim Wheeler for detailed disabled list records.

Photo credit: Jerry Coli / Dreamstime.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author relied extensively on Baseball-Reference.com.

Notes

1 http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/baseball_births.php?y=1974.

2 https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?team_ID=LAD&year_ID=1990&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year&from_type_jc=0&from_type_hs=0&from_type_4y=0&from_type_unk=0.

3 Matt Klassen, “The Legend of the Legendary Miguel Cairo,” Fangraphs, February 15, 2013. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-legend-of-the-legendary-miguel-cairo/.

4 Mike Bernandino, “Cairo a Strange Fit in New York,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, May 16, 2004.  https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-05-16-0405160260-story.html.

5 Associated Press, “Mariners Look to Miguel Cairo as Player-Coach,” TDN.com, March 10, 2008. https://tdn.com/sports/mariners-look-to-miguel-cairo-as-player-coach/article_0ca0e441-4032-589f-a31d-a2fbbf19816d.html.

6 “Mariners Look to Miguel Cairo.”

7 David Jablonksi, “Reds’ Cairo a Model for Young Dragons,” Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun, March 3, 2012. https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/sports/baseball/reds-cairo-model-for-young-dragons/wuNg7x8Cy6QHvSGpL9E3iN/.

8 The Mendoza Line is a term coined by a teammate of Mario Mendoza on the 1979 Mariners – usually credited to Tom Paciorek or Bruce Bochte – as a joke on the light-hitting shortstop, who typically carried an average around .200. (Though he actually finished with a career mark of .215.) http://m.mlb.com/glossary/idioms/mendoza-line.

9 “Mariners Look to Miguel Cairo.”

10 http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=cairmig001. Statistics provided via e-mail by Lorenzo “Tony” Piña Cámpora, researcher for the Dominican Republic Baseball League and adviser to the Caribbean Baseball Association.

11 Blaine Blontz, “Miguel Cairo Joins Reds’ Front Office,” SB Nation MLB Daily Dish, February 14, 2013. https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2013/2/14/3989334/miguel-cairo-reds-front-office.

12 https://www.mlb.com/mlbpaa/events/heart-and-hustle-award.

13 “Miguel Cairo Joins Baseball Operations Staff,” MLB.com, February 14, 2013. https://www.mlb.com/news/miguel-cairo-joins-baseball-operations-staff/c-41637894.

14 Robert Pimpsner, “Miguel Cairo Joins Yankees as Minor League Infield Coordinator,” February 17, 2018. https://pinstripedprospects.com/miguel-cairo-joins-yankees-minor-league-infield-coordinator-29831/.

15 Joel Poley, “Instinctual Florida SS Christian Cairo Ready for the Next Level,” Baseball America, April 11, 2019. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/instinctual-florida-ss-christian-cairo-ready-for-the-next-level/.

16 Poley.

17 Rodney Page, “Calvary Christian Shortstop Christian Cairo Drafted in Fourth Round by Cleveland Indians.” Tampa Bay Times, June 4, 2019. https://www.tampabay.com/sports/high-schools/2019/06/04/calvary-christian-shortstop-christian-cairo-drafted-in-fourth-round-by-cleveland-indians/.

The Kansas City Royals had already made the 2014 American League wild-card game memorable by rallying from a 7-3 deficit, tying the Oakland A’s with three runs in the eighth inning and one more in the ninth. The teams traded zeros in the 10th and 11th innings before Oakland’s Josh Reddick worked a walk to lead off the 12th. After a sacrifice bunt, the switch-hitting Callaspo stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter, looking to send one of his former teams home for the winter. Jason Frasor’s second pitch to Callaspo was in the dirt and bounced away from catcher Salvador Perez, moving Reddick to third. After a foul ball, Callaspo lined a high fastball into left field, giving the Athletics the lead again. Callaspo was stranded at first but returned to the dugout as the potential hero for the A’s.

It was not meant to be. The Royals moved the game to classic status with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, earning a walk-off win in the franchise’s first postseason game in 29 years and relegating Callaspo’s big hit to an afterthought. The ironic element to this story was that it had been the Royals who first gave Callaspo a real chance to play in the majors, after a bit of a circuitous route to becoming a regular.

Alberto Jose Callaspo Brito was born on April 19, 1983, in Maracay, Venezuela. After attending the Institucion de Formacion in Aragua, Callaspo was signed by Anaheim Angels scouts Carlos Porte and Amador Arias.1 The signing happened on February 16, 2001, a couple of months before Callaspo’s 18th birthday.

Callaspo’s first professional experience came with the Angels’ Dominican Summer League team. From there, it was on to a successful minor-league career. In 2002 he made Baseball America’s Pioneer League all-star team after batting .338/.374/.488 in 70 games for the Angels’ Rookie League team in Provo, Utah. Not surprisingly, his manager in Provo, Tom Kotchman, later said, “He was just very, very talented. He was very advanced for his age. When you see guys at that level, you might get some inflated numbers offensively because of the light air, but the talent was definitely there.”2

Callaspo continued to impress in 2003, playing for Class-A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in the Midwest League and batting .327/.377/.428. That got him a number-71 ranking in Baseball America’s prospect rankings before the 2004 season. Callaspo rewarded that faith with a .284/.338/.376 line for Double-A Arkansas, while also trying to adjust to the shortstop position after playing mostly second base in his professional career. In 2005, for the first time in his minor-league career, Callaspo started a season at the same level he had played at the year before, but after hitting .297/.346/.406 for Arkansas, he was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake for the rest of the season.

Callaspo’s first taste of the Pacific Coast League was a success; he hit .316/.345/.488 in 50 games for the Stingers. The prospect was gaining a reputation as a natural hitter, nearly impossible to strike out (97 K’s in 1,925 at-bats from 2002 to 2005). But Callaspo was facing tough odds as a middle-infield prospect in the Angels’ organization. Los Angeles already had Adam Kennedy and Orlando Cabrera at the major-league level, plus Maicer Izturis and Chone Figgins, both capable of playing second base but moved to other positions. Meanwhile, Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick were establishing themselves as prospects at Triple-A Arkansas.3 The Angels, with a wealth of middle-infield talent, dealt Callaspo to Arizona for pitching prospect Jason Bulger in February of 2006.

Callaspo returned to the PCL to start the 2006 season, playing for Tucson. After hitting .337/.404/.478 in 114 games, he made his major-league debut on August 6, grounding out as a pinch-hitter against Houston’s Andy Pettitte. Callaspo remained in the majors, picking up 47 plate appearances and hitting .238/.298/.310 through the end of the season. He collected his first hit on August 8, a double off San Francisco’s Brian Wilson. Although his first stint in the big leagues wasn’t outstanding, his exceptional season for Tucson earned him Arizona’s Minor League Player of the Year honors.

Arizona began the 2007 season with Callaspo on the roster, but an off-field incident in mid-May put a damper on his season. On May 10 he was arrested at his home on suspicion of assaulting his wife, Marianny Paola. The Diamondbacks placed Callaspo on the restricted list, but the charges were soon dropped. Court documents indicated that the couple had had previous disputes turn physical, but Paola, new to living in the United States, was unsure how to contact the police.4 Once the charges were dropped and the players union filed a grievance, Callaspo was reinstated. However, batting just .206/.257/.254 on June 14, he was sent back to Triple A.

Back in Tucson, Callaspo rediscovered his hitting form, batting .341/.406/.491 in 59 games. That got him a September call-up, although he had just 19 plate appearances as the Diamondbacks managed to hold off surging Colorado for the NL West title. Callaspo did not appear in Arizona’s Division Series victory over Chicago, but had two hitless at-bats in the National League Championship Series, which saw the Rockies sweep their division rivals.

Once again, Callaspo found himself behind established major leaguers, this time second baseman Orlando Hudson and shortstop Stephen Drew. With the off-field issues on top of that, Arizona was willing to trade Callaspo, this time to Kansas City for pitcher Billy Buckner.

While the trade seemed like a minor one, former Royals player Kevin Seitzer, who had been Arizona’s hitting coach for the first part of the 2007 season, assured Royals fans the team had acquired a good player. He told the Kansas City Star, “I liked him, and I liked his ability a lot. He’s the type of guy that if he ever got into the lineup, you might not ever get him out of it. The big thing with him is, he needs to play.”5

Seitzer was correct, as the fresh start seemed to be just what Callaspo needed. Although the Royals were using him as a utility player, he was playing a lot and hitting well, batting .290/.349/.330 through June 25. But another off-field issue arose, as Callaspo was pulled over by campus police at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and arrested for driving under the influence. The Royals placed Callaspo on the disabled list for “an unspecified ailment,” and he did not return to the team until late August. He did hit a solid .319/.371/.407 the rest of the season, giving him the inside track on the Royals’ second-base spot heading into 2009.

However, he was not guaranteed the job, as there were concerns about his defense. The Royals made noises about moving Mark Teahen to second base and they signed Willie Bloomquist as additional competition for the job.6 Teahen was the second baseman on Opening Day. But just three games into the season, Teahen was moved to right field in place of an injured Jose Guillen. Callaspo took advantage, hitting .379/.432/.545 for the first month of the season. It was a springboard to his finest year in the majors, which resulted in a .300/.356/.457 line, the first 11 home runs of his major-league career, and 41 doubles.

On the other hand, Callaspo led American League second basemen with 17 errors, despite concerns about his lack of range. Seeking a defensive upgrade, the Royals acquired Chris Getz. The Royals were unable to move Callaspo over the winter, but clearly his days in Kansas City were numbered.

Playing more often at third base in 2010, and with trade rumors swirling, Callaspo saw his offense fall off a bit. He hit .275/.308/.410 in 88 games for Kansas City before he was finally traded on July 22. Callaspo was headed back to his original major-league organization, as the Angels sent pitchers Sean O’Sullivan and Will Smith to Kansas City. Callaspo hit a disappointing .249/.291/.315 for the Angels, who had been on the fringes of contention when they acquired Callaspo and pitcher Dan Haren right before the trade deadline.

But Callaspo rebounded in 2011, with a .288/.366/.375 line that helped the Angels remain in contention for the whole season, although they ultimately missed the wild-card spot by five games. Callaspo held the Angels’ third-base job for another season and half of 2013, before he was traded once again. This deal moved him up the coast, where he joined the Oakland A’s for the stretch run. Callaspo hit .270/.350/.409 in 50 games to help Oakland to a division title. However, he was limited to six plate appearances in the AL Division Series loss to Detroit.

Callaspo was something of a supersub for the A’s in 2014, playing three infield positions and serving as a DH for a total of 451 plate appearances. However, he hit a disappointing .223/.290/.290. Despite his big hit in the wild-card game, the Athletics let him leave as a free agent.

He signed with Atlanta, but his stay with the Braves would be brief. On May 27, 2015, Callaspo was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a six-player deal. He played in 60 games for the Dodgers, hitting .260/.336/.301 in 138 plate appearances before Los Angeles released him on August 27.

That was the end of Callaspo’s major-league career, but not the end of his playing days. He signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League for the start of the 2017 season, then moved to Laguna in the Mexican League that same year. Before the 2018 season, he was traded to Yucatan, then dealt back to Laguna after just a few weeks. He was released after about a month. But Callaspo didn’t give up on baseball that easily – he signed with the Welland Jackfish of the Intercounty Baseball League in Canada for the 2021 season but was released before ever playing a game for them. He then signed with the West Virginia Power/Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League, and batted .335/.469/.461 in 429 plate appearances.

Of course, no accounting of Callaspo’s career would be complete without mentioning his numerous appearances in Venezuela’s Winter League. After making his debut with Caribes de Oriente in the 2006-07 season, he moved to Aguilas del Zulia for the final 13 games of the campaign. He returned to Zulia for the following three seasons, then played for Navegantes del Magallanes in three of the next four seasons (skipping the 2012-13 one), albeit for a total of 52 games. He then joined his hometown Tigres de Aragua, playing four seasons for them, including a stellar .351/.449/.442 line in 227 plate appearances in the 2017-18 season. Callaspo was part of three championship teams in Venezuela, one with Magallanes and two with Aragua. For the 2019-20 winter ball season, he signed with Vaqueros de Montería of the Colombian Baseball League, having an outstanding performance in the postseason and helping Vaqueros to win the first title for the franchise. Callaspo participated in the Caribbean Series 2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, representing Colombia, which went winless in five games.

For the 2020-21 winter baseball season, Callaspo signed with Tigres de Chinandega of the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League and was released after the first month of the season, then rejoined Vaqueros de Montería. For the 2021-22 season he signed with the Cardenales de Lara, hitting .262/.373/.310 in 18 games. For 2022-23, he was back with Aragua, batting .281/.395/.344 in 28 plate appearances.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author accessed Baseball-reference.com.

Photo credit: Alberto Callaspo, Getty Images.

Notes

1 http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=20302.

2 Robert Emrich, “Path of the Pros: Alberto Callaspo,” milb.com, March 24, 2010. https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-8101760.

3 Kevin ________, “The Alberto Callaspo Trade,” AngelsWin.com, 2013. https://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/alberto-callaspo-trade.html. (fan site).

4 Jack Magruder, “Callaspo Has History of Abuse Reports,” East Valley Tribune (Tempe, Arizona), May 16, 2007, updated October 7, 2011. https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/sports/callaspo-has-history-of-abuse-reports/article_86ee6d77-40ff-50f8-b8dc-35de0dcf5b5b.html.

5 Jeffrey Flanagan, “Royals’ Trade for Callaspo May Pay Big Dividends,” Kansas City Star, December 20, 2007: D2.

6 Sam Mellinger, “A Primer for Royals Spring Training,” Kansas City Star, February 8, 2009: C10.

Giovanni Carrara Jiménez was born in El Tigre, Anzoátegui state in Venezuela, on March 4, 1968, the youngest of five siblings. His parents were Héctor Carrara, owner of a construction company, and Omaira Josefina Jiménez. From a very young age, he showed an interest in baseball. At age 5, he joined Constructora Carrara, a local baseball team run by his mother, where he played until age 10. However, when his parents divorced, the team broke up, and Giovanni started to play for other teams, from pre-little league to junior categories.

Giovanni began as a shortstop, his favorite position because his idol was Dave Concepción. When he wasn’t playing shortstop, he was pitching. At shortstop, he showed great defensive prowess. At age 15, professional organizations in Venezuela and the United States observed his development and saw special potential in him.

While participating in the Junior Category Championship in 1986, Carrara was invited to try out with Águilas del Zulia, managed by former All-Star Rubén Amaro. Manuel Lunar, a pitcher with Águilas, had urged the team to see Carrara play. At shortstop, he showcased his solid arm; however, his hitting was nothing unusual. Still, the team invited him to its preseason workouts.

On the first day of workouts, the team asked him to try pitching. After a bullpen session where he showed the potential of his arm, Águilas signed Carrara for the 1986-87 season.

In the 1986-1987 season, Carrara pitched 2⅔ innings with a 6.75 ERA. The next season he played in three games and logged his first victory on October 22, 1988, against the Tiburones de La Guaira.

In 1986, Carrara was signed by the Chicago Cubs. In 1987, he attended the Cubs’ training camp, staying for the extended spring training. In May, he hurt his arm (tendinitis), and it took a full month for him to recover. The Cubs sent him to Venezuela to complete the rehab process in the Summer League. Despite recovering successfully, he did not return to the Cubs because the contract with the organization was never legally registered with the National League. As a result, Carrara spent four years (1986-1989) without being signed by any team from the majors.

Another setback occurred in 1988 when Zulia released Carrara after only 14 games pitched (1-1, 5.40 ERA). At the suggestion of Venezuelan baseball legend César Tovar, the Cardenales de Lara invited him to training camp for the 1989 campaign. Manager Domingo Carrasquel, with pitcher Luis Leal, who supported him from the beginning, told Carrasquel to keep him on the team because he would be helpful for a while. This would be the start of a prodigious career. “Luis Leal was one of the people who helped me the most during the practice with the Cardenales so that they kept me on the team,” Carrara told the author.1

Carrara made his debut with the Cardenales on October 27, 1989, and saw action in six games, with a 1-0 record and a 4.82 ERA.

Carrara continued with the Cardenales and was part of the team that won the franchise’s first title in the 1990-1991 season. He played in the Caribbean Series in Miami, leading the tournament with 15⅓ innings pitched. Those numbers were enough to convince Dominican scout Epy Guerrero to give him a chance with the Toronto Blue Jays.

After the Caribbean Series, Carrara was assigned to his first team in Organized Baseball, St. Catharines of the Low-A New York-Pennsylvania League. His days in the minors were rough, as for many Latino players, due to the discipline and struggles of the process to make it to the major leagues. Between 1992 and 1995, he pitched at least 100 innings in the minors.

Patience and effort were finally rewarded. The Blue Jays called up Carrara. He made his debut on July 29 in the Toronto SkyDome in a start against the Oakland Athletics, with Cuban Ariel Prieto as his opponent. The first hitter he faced was future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who walked. His first strikeout was against Scott Brosius. After three scoreless frames, in the top of the fourth, he yielded a two-run homer to Brosius. He ended with five innings, seven hits, two doubles, a triple, a homer, five walks, and two strikeouts, but got the win in a wild 18-11 game.

Carrara appeared in 23 games in 1995 and 1996 for the Blue Jays, mostly as a reliever, starting only seven games. His record was 2-5 with an 8.20 ERA, not very satisfactory stats for a 28-year-old pitcher. On July 3, 1996, the Cincinnati Reds selected Carrara off the waiver list, joining the big-league club in August after an impressive performance with the triple-A club in Indianapolis with an ERA of 0.76 in nine appearances, six as a starter, and a record of 4-0.

He joined the rotation and got his first win as a starter for the Reds on August 23 against the Florida Marlins.

Entering 1997, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles, getting assigned to Triple A in Rochester, but after eight games, he was released. The Reds picked up his contract and reassigned him to Indianapolis, where he ended up with a record of 12-5 and an ERA of 3.51. He spent the month of August with the big-league club, and after the season, he was released.

In 1998, after three seasons in the major-league system, Carrara signed to play in Japan with the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball. In 33 outings (five of them as a starter), he had a 1-2 record with a save and a 4.91 ERA. “It was the toughest league in my career because it was competitive and tough with the training. You must grind from the first day of practice,” he said.2

After his stint in Japanese baseball, Carrara suited up for Lara earlier than expected, and again his name became a staple for the rotation of Cardenales, being not only a workhorse but also a fan favorite. Lara advanced to the finals against Leones del Caracas, and Carrara’s legacy reached a peak on January 29, 1999, in the fifth game of the Championship Series. Carrara pitched 6⅔ innings in perhaps one of the most brilliant relief appearances in the history of Venezuelan baseball finals.

There were several emotional moments during the game: the game-tying homer by Bobby Abreu for Caracas in the ninth, which triggered Carrara to prolong his relief appearance up to the 10th inning. “I either kill them or get killed here,” he said, referring to the epic game.

Lara scored twice in the top of the 10th, and Carrara held on for the 5-3 win. Lara led the series 3-2, and his performance provided the momentum to win the third title for the franchise.

“During every inning, manager Omar Malavé would tell me he was going to pull me. I would reply: ‘Listen, Omar, we are going to have a problem, you and I, if you pull me.’ You take me out of this game dead,” he said.3

In 2000, Carrara was back in the big leagues, this time with the Colorado Rockies, where he pitched in just eight games. However, it was with the Los Angeles Dodgers that he had his best major-league performances.

In 2001 and 2002 with Los Angeles, Carrara had a 12-4 record with a 3.22 ERA in 110 games (four of them as a starter). On April 20, 2002, Carrara got the first save of his career against the San Diego Padres in Dodger Stadium.

After his great season with the Dodgers in 2005 (7-4, 3.93 ERA in 72 games), Carrara was part of Team Venezuela in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. The country’s fan base was very enthusiastic because it was the first national team ever assembled with MLB players, generating great expectations. Despite the great roster, the team performance was disappointing, including Carrara’s, who was severely criticized despite having but one outing (against Cuba during Round 2).

“Both Robert Pérez and manager Luis Sojo, along with myself, were pointed out by the fans,” Carrara told the author. “I had enough merit to be on the team in the first tournament, and Robert is, in my opinion, the best batter in the history of the LVBP and had to be there. Some people suggested that we were part of the team because of our friendship with Sojo. That hurt a lot.” Carrara remembers barely pitching a game against Cuba in the second round. In two-thirds of an inning, he allowed three hits, five runs, two homers, and a walk.

September 23, 2006, was Carrara’s last outing in the majors. He faced the Arizona Diamondbacks and came in relief of Elmer Dessens with one out; he gave up a single to center by Eric Byrnes but retired both Orlando Hudson and Luis González to end the inning. After the season, the Dodgers released him.

During his five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Giovanni Carrara made a significant impact as a key component of the bullpen. Appearing in 249 games with an impressive ERA of 3.32, Carrara established himself as one of the most effective and feared relief pitchers in the National League. His record of 24 wins and 11 losses, along with a WHIP of 1.24, highlighted his consistent performance and ability to manage high-pressure situations. Carrara’s dominance on the mound came from his strategic approach and solid control of the strike zone, rather than sheer power. With just 255 innings pitched, he exemplified the role of a dominant reliever during an era where precision and tactical prowess were paramount, earning him a lasting reputation among Dodgers fans and peers alike.

Carrara always hoped to pitch in the majors again. He tried a comeback in 2007 in the Mexican Baseball League for Piratas de Campeche, but an injury kept him from completing the season. That same year, he signed with Nettuno of the Italian League, where he pitched for three years. “The advantage of playing in Italy is that they play during the weekends, and pitchers can only perform once,” he said. “It allowed me to recover from the injury I suffered in Mexico and stay active for the Venezuelan season,” he remembered.4

Carrara had a farewell season in Venezuela with the Cardenales de Lara. On December 20, 2009, he faced the Navegantes del Magallanes. The righty was 41 years old and became the only pitcher with 24 seasons in the history of the Venezuelan league (21 of them with Lara).

The last hitter he faced in the Venezuelan league was Elvis Andrus, who singled up the middle. The line for the last game of his career was two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and two runs.

The right-handed pitcher was a member of four championship Cardenales teams and one of three players in the league with over 50 wins and 50 saves, along with Roberto Muñoz and Luis Aponte. He closed his career with 67 wins and 56 saves, ranking ninth all-time in both categories in Venezuelan baseball, while also sporting a 2.93 ERA. He led the league in wins in 1994-95 (seven), in strikeouts in 1997-98 (64), and in ERA in 1997-98 (1.30) and 2007-08 (2.30).

Carrara’s 1.205 WHIP was the third best in the history of the LVBP with at least 180 games pitched, surpassed only by stellar pitchers Diego Seguí (1.18) and Luis Mercedes Sánchez (1.196).

Carrara never earned the Carrao Bracho Award, the Venezuelan winter season’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award. In 1997-98, possibly one of his best seasons in Venezuela, it was his teammate Beiker Graterol, with a record of 9-1, and a 1.67 ERA, and 50 strikeouts in 80⅔ innings pitched.

After retirement, Carrara worked in the Venezuelan Winter League as a coach. In September 2012, he was the pitching coach of the Cardenales de Lara in the Liga Paralela (Parallel League). In a published story with El Impulso, he said, “This was something I was hoping for since retirement. I wanted people from the Cardenales to give me the chance to go back to the organization. I am very happy for the opportunity they are giving me. I hope I can be up here (with the main team) soon.”5

On December 22, 2013, in Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Barquisimeto, the club honored him by retiring his number 28, which he had worn for over two decades. “It never crossed my mind that at some point they would retire my number,” he said during his remarks. “I will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me. … I think Zulia made a mistake when they let me go because, in my second year here, we won the championship.”6

Carrara was in the Development League with the Lara team until 2014 when he was hired by the Tigres de Aragua as a bullpen instructor. His dream of becoming a pitching coach in the LVBP seemed close, but by the end of November that year, he parted ways with the organization following the departure of manager Luis Sojo.

It wouldn’t be long before Carrara found a new job, his first outside of Venezuela. In 2015, he was hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitching coach for one of their affiliates in the Dominican Summer League. From day one in the organization, Carrara showed character in leading a group of talented young aspiring major leaguers. “The first thing I try to teach the minor-league guys with the St. Louis Cardinals is discipline, as I was taught by Mr. Domingo Carrasquel. Discipline and perseverance help a lot of people apart from doing things with love. He was like a father to me, teaching me about respect not only on the field but also off the field.”7

In 2016, he became a pitching coach with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, where he advanced to two championship finals and helped lead the team to a league title.

After appearing on the ballot for the first time in 2016, Carrara was elected to the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame on August 1, 2017. He said, “I am very grateful to all the fans in Venezuela, but especially to the fans of the Cardenales de Lara, with all the people from Barquisimeto, who always supported me.”8

Carrara’s biggest regret was not attending the induction ceremony because of personal commitments. However, this didn’t keep the former major leaguer from writing a speech that was read at the ceremony where he showed his gratitude to his great friends:

“To my brothers Robert Pérez and Luis Sojo, we were together through the good and the bad, supporting each other, because, as you all know, our career is not easy. One goes through difficult moments that the fans don’t know about, and it is then that we, as teammates, and brothers, are there to support each other. And that is what counts the most in the life of a ballplayer: brotherhood and family, who are always there in difficult times.”9

The right-hander’s solid career was recognized not only because of the numbers he had in any league but also because of the courage and integrity he displayed with the teams he played for. Venezuelan fans always expected the best from him, and he proved it in every inning as a pitcher.

After induction, Carrara continued to carry out his role as a minor-league pitching coach for the Cardinals, as well as in the winter circuits with the Cañeros de Los Mochis and the Águilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Pacific League, in both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons.

Carrara returned to Cañeros de Los Mochis for the 2022-23 season as a pitching coach working alongside Venezuelan manager José Moreno. They won the fourth title for the franchise in the Mexican Pacific League and represented Mexico at the 2023 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela. It was an emotional return for Carrara, who expressed his gratitude for opportunities in Mexico upon his arrival in Caracas. Los Mochis finished in third place in the tournament.

Outside baseball, Carrara devoted most of his time to his family, especially his wife, Dorien, and his two sons, Cristian Giovanni and Giovanni Gabriel. “They are the biggest accomplishment of my life,” reflects Carrara, considered one of the most ferocious competitors on the mound in the history of Venezuelan Baseball.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Sources

All citations from this article are attributed to a personal interview of the author with Giovanni Carrara in the winter of 2023.

Apart from the sources in the Notes, the author also consulted:

Guía de Medios, Cardenales de Lara temporada 2016-17 (Barquisimeto: Editorial Horizonte C.A, 2016).

Saer, Alfonso. Cardenales de Lara, 50 años de pasión (Barquisimeto: Editorial Horizonte C.A, 2015).

Interview by the author with Giovanni Carrara.

www.pelotabinaria.com.ve.

www.baseball-reference.com.

www.museodebeisbol.com.

Photo credit

Giovanni Carrara, Getty Images.

Notes

1 Interview by the author with Giovanni Carrara, March 2018.

2 Interview with Giovanni Carrara. March 2018.

3 Interview with Giovanni Carrara. March 2018.

4 Interview with Giovanni Carrara. March 2018.

5 Diario El Impulso, September 19, 2012.

6 Diario El Impulso, December 23, 2013.

7 Interview by the author with Giovanni Carrara, August 2017.

8 Interview by the author with Giovanni Carrara, August 2017.

9 Prensa Museo del Béisbol, “El Salón de la fama recibió a la clase 2017,” LVBP.com, December 16, 2017.