Ricky Gutiérrez

Ricky Gutiérrez played for six teams in 12 major-league seasons (1993-2004). Primarily a shortstop, he started all but one postseason game for three consecutive Houston Astros division winners. Two years after he suffered a serious neck injury, Gutiérrez concluded his big-league career as a member of the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

When Ricardo “Ricky” Gutiérrez was born, on May 23, 1970, in Miami, his father was a catcher for the Leones de Yucatán in the Mexican League. Just 16 when he signed his first contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956, Roberto Gutiérrez Herrera became known by his mother’s surname in professional baseball, playing 20 seasons as Roberto Herrera. In the United States, he peaked in Triple A, from 1960 to 1962. His best statistical season came in Mexico with the 1969 Pericos de Puebla: .341 with 25 homers in 135 games.

Nicknamed “Musulungo,” Roberto grew up as the son of a policeman in La Habana, Cuba.1 He married Sonia Espalter in 1961, and their son, Roberto Jr., arrived the following year.2 But professional baseball on the island was abolished after the Fidel Castro-led Cuban Revolution. In 1963 Musulungo departed the country for good. “Fidel gave us the approval,” he explained. “He said that baseball players were not political.”3 Roberto Sr. did not see his wife or son again until 1966, when they, too, left Cuba on one of the Freedom Flights arranged by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Ricky was introduced to baseball by his brother. “Since he was about 3, he has shown the ability to play ball,” recalled Roberto Jr. “I gave him his first plastic bat when he was about that age and we used to play in the front yard. … He caught on real fast.”4 Ricky grew up around the game. Roberto Jr., an outfielder, spent three seasons (1983-85) in the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system. Their father – after retiring from playing following the 1975 campaign – became a longtime professional umpire. He officiated local minor-league and college contests, then headed off to winter ball. In the Venezuelan Winter League, for example, Musulungo remained an arbiter until 1998-99.5

Around the same time that he started grade school, Ricky attended Borrego Álvarez’s baseball academy.6 “You wouldn’t see me without a bat in my hand, or outside throwing a ball,” he said. “It was in me. I loved the game. I understood what I wanted to do from day one. It’s all I dreamed of was just one day being in the big leagues.”7 He gained playing experience in the Hialeah Khoury League, Hialeah Community Baseball Association, and Hialeah Athletic Association, and he studied major leaguers.8 “The guy I looked at was Ozzie Smith,” he said. “Every game that was on TV, I always watched. I always charted it, I was just crazy about the game.”9

In his junior year at American Senior High School, Gutiérrez batted .602 (53-for-88) to lead Dade County Class 4A-3A players. He was named the MVP of the Apopka tournament.10 “I thought I was good but I never thought I was great,” he said. “I just got better and better.” His speed and range at shortstop opened eyes. “The guy can get the ball in the hole and make the big play,” said American coach José Ortega.11 By the spring of his senior year, Gutiérrez had signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Miami on a baseball scholarship.12 The Hurricanes were headed for their ninth College World Series appearance in 11 years.

However, the Orioles had a “sandwich pick” between the first and second rounds of the June 1988 amateur draft. They used it to select Gutiérrez 28th overall. “We didn’t think he’d be there,” said Baltimore’s assistant GM, Doug Melvin.13 Although the Orioles had future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. entrenched at shortstop at the major-league level, manager Frank Robinson noted that the organization lacked quality at that position in the minors.

“I want to play pro ball,” Gutiérrez told the Miami Herald. He signed with Baltimore through scout Jim Pamlayne for a $100,000 bonus.14 That summer, Gutiérrez debuted in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. In 62 appearances for the Bluefield (West Virginia) Orioles, he batted .245 and committed 34 errors. He made a good impression in the Florida Instructional League that fall, though, and Melvin said, “He has a chance to be a major-league prospect.”15

In 1989 Gutiérrez advanced to the full-season Class-A Carolina League, where he was the youngest player on the Frederick (Maryland) Keys’ roster. Although he batted just .233 in 127 games, the Keys won the North Division, and his .943 fielding percentage led the circuit’s shortstops.16

Gutiérrez returned to Frederick in 1990 and showed substantial improvement: a .275 batting average in 112 games. He was named to the league’s midseason and year-end all-star squads.17 In his first taste of Double-A Eastern League action, he hit .234 in 20 games for the Hagerstown (Maryland) Suns at the end of the season.

Baseball America rated Gutiérrez as the Orioles’ top position-player prospect in 1991.18 Back at Hagerstown to begin the season, he batted just .189 in his first 65 games. But his .408 (26-for-60) tear over his next 19 contests earned him a promotion to the Triple-A International League on July 17.19 With the Rochester (New York) Red Wings, he hit .306 in 49 games. Although Gutiérrez’s .261 overall average between the two teams did not include much punch (11 doubles, 7 triples, and no homers in 449 at-bats), he drew 81 walks and stole 15 bases in 16 attempts.

Gutiérrez returned to Rochester in 1992 and wound up playing more second base (82 appearances) than shortstop (53). The main reason was that he had been passed on the organization’s depth chart by a younger, faster shortstop, Manny Alexander. Baltimore knew they would likely lose Gutiérrez in the impending expansion draft for the new Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies franchises, as he wouldn’t make their 15-player protected list.20 Four days after the contending Orioles dealt pitcher Erik Schullstrom and a player to be named later to the San Diego for southpaw Craig Lefferts on August 31, Gutiérrez was sent to the Padres to complete the swap. He finished the season by playing in three games for the Las Vegas Stars, San Diego’s Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate.

After a strong spring training in 1993, Gutiérrez was one of the Padres’ last cuts.21 He spent only five games with Las Vegas, though. On April 13 he was called up to the majors when San Diego shortstop Kurt Stillwell went on the disabled list.22 Gutiérrez debuted that night at Jack Murphy Stadium, leading off the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter with the Padres trailing, 4-2. He struck out swinging against the Pirates’ John Candelaria and spent the top of the ninth in right field, a position he had never played professionally.

The next night Gutiérrez started at shortstop, batted leadoff, and went 1-for-6. His first major-league hit was a single against Pittsburgh’s Randy Tomlin. By the end of April, Gutiérrez had played five positions (adding second base, third, and left field) and raised his batting average to .364 with a 4-for-5 performance against the Mets. He wound up starting 108 of his 133 games and batting .251 with 5 homers. The Padres finished last in the NL West with a 61-101 record but he led the team with 76 runs scored.

Gutiérrez was San Diego’s Opening Day shortstop in 1994, but he didn’t raise his batting average above .200 to stay until June 8. “Ricky is a good player, he just got off to a bad start,” said Padres skipper Jim Riggleman. “Maybe he was pressing too much.”23 After the All-Star break, rookie Luis López played more frequently. Gutiérrez batted .240 with one homer in 90 games (76 starts) before major leaguers went on strike in early August, ending the season prematurely. On December 28 he was traded to the Houston Astros as part of a 12-player deal that brought future NL MVP Ken Caminiti and center fielder Steve Finley to San Diego.24

Rookie Orlando Miller was the Astros’ primary shortstop in 1995. As a reserve, Gutiérrez went just 1-for-10 before May 12, when he was optioned to the Triple-A PCL. In 64 games with the Tucson Toros, he batted .301. On July 31 he returned to the majors to replace first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who had broken his hand. Then Miller injured his knee in a collision on August 15. Gutiérrez capitalized on his chance to play every day and finished the season hitting .276 in 52 games. But Houston lost 11 consecutive contests with two regulars out and fell one game shy of a playoff berth.

Gutiérrez batted .284 in 1996. Only 49 of his 89 games were starts, though, as he remained Miller’s chief backup. The Astros coughed up the NL Central Division lead in September and missed the postseason again. In December Miller was dealt to the Detroit Tigers, but Houston had already signed free agent Pat Listach to replace him.

During spring training in 1997, Gutiérrez broke his right thumb. He returned to the active roster on May 6 and became Houston’s top shortstop because Listach was hitting so poorly. By the time Listach was released at the end of June, though, Gutiérrez’s bat had cooled off after a hot start, and the Astros had turned to slick-fielding Tim Bogar. As the season entered the second half, Gutiérrez mostly started at third base, splitting time with sore-shouldered Sean Berry and lefty-hitting Bill Spiers.

Gutiérrez scored a career-high four runs in Houston’s 14-2 victory on September 4 in San Francisco, and Bogar suffered a season-ending broken forearm in the same contest. In the thick of the pennant race, Gutiérrez returned to shortstop and helped the Astros secure the division title. He finished the regular season hitting .261 in 102 games (72 starts). Gutiérrez was in the lineup for all three NLDS contests, but he went just 1-for-8 (.125) and Houston was swept by the Atlanta Braves.

In 1998 the Astros won a (then) franchise-record 102 games and repeated as NL Central champions.25 Gutiérrez was the regular shortstop and posted the NL’s third-best range factor per nine innings (4.85) at that position. Two of his at-bats were particularly memorable. On May 6 at Wrigley Field, he grounded a third-inning leadoff single off the glove of Cubs third baseman Kevin Orie – the only hit allowed by Chicago rookie Kerry Wood in his 20-strikeout masterpiece. “Kerry was dumb enough to throw me a curveball there,” Gutiérrez joked 20 years later. “He should have just pounded me with fastballs and I would have had three strikeouts [that day] instead of two.”26

When Gutiérrez went down swinging against Bartolo Colón in Cleveland on June 26, it ended a 20-pitch battle, then the majors’ longest at-bat since statisticians began tracking that data in 1988.27 In 141 games, Gutiérrez batted .261 for the second consecutive year. He achieved personal bests with 24 doubles and 13 steals. With Game Two of the NLDS tied entering the bottom of the ninth inning, he led off with a single against the Padres’ Dan Miceli. Gutiérrez took second base on a bunt, stole third, and scored the winning run on Spiers’ single to even the series. The Astros’ season ended after they lost the next two contests in San Diego, but Gutiérrez batted .300 (3-for-10) in the playoffs.

In February 1999 Gutiérrez and the Astros avoided a salary arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $2.2 million contract, nearly tripling his previous $800,000 base salary.28 He hit .357 in Houston’s first 19 games before a metacarpal bone in his left hand was fractured by a pitch thrown by the Diamondbacks’ Armando Reynoso.29 Shortly before the injury, Astros beat writer Carlton Thompson – noting Gutiérrez’s improved patience and ability to make contact – opined, “The most overlooked player in the starting lineup is SS Ricky Gutiérrez. Pitchers seemingly view him as the one hitter in the lineup on which they can take a breather. That’s a big mistake.”30

Gutiérrez returned after missing nearly six weeks, but played just over a month before a broken hamate in his left wrist forced him back to the disabled list.31 The Astros and Cincinnati Reds were in a close fight for leadership of the NL Central Division when he came back on August 10. During Houston’s 12-game winning streak from September 3 to 14, Gutiérrez batted .459 (17-for-37), including two four-hit performances. For the third straight year, he hit exactly .261 and the Astros won their division, clinching on the season’s final day. But Houston was eliminated in the Division Series for the third consecutive time, with Gutiérrez going 0-for-10 in the three games he started against the Atlanta Braves.

That fall Gutiérrez’s tenure with the Astros ended when the club declined to offer him arbitration.32 “I’m perfectly content to let Tim Bogar start the season at shortstop,” remarked Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker before baseball’s winter meetings.33 On December 20 Gutiérrez signed with the Chicago Cubs. He was guaranteed $2.5 million for 2000, with a club option for $3.4 million should they want him back for 2001. “Chicago was really the place I wanted to go,” he said. “I’ve always liked playing there and in the ballpark, an old-time ballpark.”34

When the Cubs opened the season with two games in Tokyo, Gutiérrez was sidelined by a slight rib-cage strain.35 Back in the US, he started all but one of the next 46 contests and batted .315 with 27 RBIs, including a career-high 5 on April 26 in Houston. He also went deep seven times, equaling his home-run total from the previous five seasons combined. Cubs beat writer Bruce Miles reported that Gutiérrez had opened up his batting stance slightly at hitting instructor Jeff Pentland’s suggestion, allowing hm to see the ball better and improve his plate coverage.36 The same scribe later noted that Chicago’s new shortstop was determined to prove himself as an everyday player, and observed, “Gutiérrez is so smooth he almost looks nonchalant.”37

On May 24, however, Gutiérrez sustained two injuries on one play in Colorado. As one report described it, “Gutiérrez was running to first when a twinge in his hamstring caused him to hobble. He fell to the ground and separated his throwing shoulder in the process.”38 He spent the next 24 games on the disabled list.

The Cubs lost 97 games and finished last in the NL Central Division, but Gutiérrez batted .276 in 125 games, with career highs in homers (11), walks (66), and on-base percentage (.375). His 16 sacrifice hits tied for tops in the majors, and his .986 fielding percentage led NL shortstops.

In 2001 Gutiérrez tied for the big-league lead in sacrifice hits (17) for the second straight year, and he established personal bests with 147 games, a .290 batting average, and 66 RBIs. “He’s been one of our best clutch hitters,” remarked Cubs coach Sandy Alomar Sr. late in the season. “If we have men on base, he’s going to make contact. He’s a patient hitter, a very dangerous hitter. But he’s not flashy. He does what needs to be done.”39

“He did the same in Houston – had a good year and nobody sees it,” observed Marlins coach Tony Taylor, a friend of Gutiérrez’s father. “He plays every day and makes every day the same. He’s very cool. He doesn’t get too high or low.”40

On July 12 Gutiérrez hit his first big-league grand slam, in the bottom of the eighth inning of a deadlocked interleague contest against the crosstown White Sox. Both benches had been warned earlier after a pair of incidents at second base. After the Cubs’ Eric Young knocked the ball loose from White Sox shortstop Royce Clayton’s glove in the third inning, Gutiérrez narrowly escaped a spiking by Chris Singleton in the following frame. “I’m lucky I didn’t retaliate or I wouldn’t have been in the game to do what I did,” Gutiérrez said.41 His tiebreaking blast came right after the White Sox intentionally walked Young to load the bases.

The much-improved Cubs led their division as late as mid-August and finished 88-74. Chicago offered Gutiérrez a two-year contract with a raise to return, but he wanted a four-year deal.42 So the Cubs made him a free agent by not offering arbitration and traded for a younger shortstop with more power, Toronto’s Alex Gonzalez.

Gutiérrez and his wife hoped that he could reach a deal with his hometown Florida Marlins, but they already had a younger shortstop – also named Álex González – in place. On December 17 Gutiérrez signed with the Cleveland Indians for three years and $11 million.43 Although Cleveland was set at shortstop with perennial Gold Glover Omar Vizquel, they needed a second baseman after trading away future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar the previous week. “Nobody can fill the shoes of Roberto Alomar,” Gutiérrez said. “I can just do the best I can and play like Ricky Gutiérrez.”44

Gutiérrez had started only nine big-league games at second, none in the last five seasons. He worked out with former Gold Glover Harold Reynolds – the brother of his agent, Larry Reynolds – that offseason.45 During spring training, Indians coach Robby Thompson – also a former Gold Glove second baseman – predicted, “If you’re looking for spectacular plays and jump throws and this and that from him out at second base, you’re not going to get that. He will be very steady. I think he’ll turn the double play as well as anybody in the American League.”46

In April, however, Gutiérrez dove for a ball and injured his neck. He didn’t tell anybody about it, and by the time he strained his groin on June 13, he was hitting .248 in 59 games, with 8 errors, and just 9 RBIs. He had grounded into more double plays (11) than any other AL player. After a trip to the disabled list, Gutiérrez hit .323 (41-for-127) over a 35-game span, but the tingling sensation he had felt in his left arm since his April neck injury worsened.47 When Gutiérrez hurt his thumb during batting practice on August 15, he told a team doctor about his lingering symptoms. An MRI showed that a disc in his neck was pressing on his spine. “The doctor told me I could have been paralyzed,” Gutiérrez said. “Hearing that was a very scary thing.”48

As described by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “[Dr. Kalman] Bloomberg removed the disc, replaced it with a bone graft and fused it with two screws and a plate. Gutiérrez spent six weeks in a neck brace.”49

Gutiérrez began the 2003 season on the disabled list, but he returned to the Indians’ lineup on June 24 after a 16-game rehabilitation assignment with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He played in just 16 games as a third baseman-shortstop for Cleveland before he returned to the DL, though. “I think I rushed myself back, and we came to a conclusion that I still wasn’t ready,” he said that fall.50

About a week before Opening Day 2004, the Indians sent Gutiérrez to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. New York’s new shortstop, Kazuo Matsui, struggled in spring training after coming over from the Japan Pacific League, and former shortstop Jose Reyes’ conversion to second base was slowed by a hamstring injury. Mets bench coach Don Baylor had managed Gutiérrez with the Cubs and valued his experience. “He understands how to play and he plays to win,” Baylor said.51

But Gutiérrez batted just .175 in 24 games before he was released on May 24. “When I got released from the Mets, I sat home and debated about coming back or shutting it down for the rest of the year,” he said. “But I talked to my family and my agent and we agreed the best thing was to get back to baseball, even if it was Triple-A.”52 He re-signed with the Cubs and wound up with their PCL affiliate in Des Moines with the understanding that he’d be allowed to pursue a major-league opportunity if one came along. That’s exactly what happened on July 21, when the Boston Red Sox acquired him in a conditional deal.

Boston had just lost middle infielder Pokey Reese to a strained oblique and their Triple-A shortstop, Carlos Febles, was sidelined by a strained shoulder. “There were four or five guys we were looking at, and we didn’t want to spend too much to get one,” explained Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. “We were able to work out a deal to get Ricky without giving up anything. … If Ricky Gutiérrez is healthy, he’s a major league player.”53

Gutiérrez appeared in 21 games (eight starts) for Boston and batted .275. The Red Sox won 98 games and qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card. Although he wasn’t on the active playoff roster, Gutiérrez stayed with the team through their ALDS triumph over the Angels and their unprecedented comeback from a three-games-to-zero deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS. An Associated Press photo captured him – in uniform with his fist raised in triumph – charging out of the dugout after Boston won the pennant.54

After beginning spring training in an Indians uniform and bouncing through the Mets and Cubs organizations, the 34-year-old Gutiérrez – though not on the postseason roster – found himself with a dugout seat for the World Series. “It’s awesome. You dream about being here,” he said. “The perfect ending would be winning the whole thing and being able to sit down, look at my hand, and see a big ring on my finger.”55 The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals to claim their first World Series championship in 86 years.

The Red Sox released Gutiérrez after the season. In 2005 he went to spring training with the Seattle Mariners but he didn’t make the team. He spent 35 games with the White Sox’ Charlotte (North Carolina) Knights affiliate in the Triple-A International League, but batted just .183. In 2006, he returned to the PCL with the Padres’ Portland (Oregon) Beavers farm club and hit .200 in 11 games. “When the writing’s on the wall, your skills are not there anymore, it’s time to probably come home and just be a father,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t that same player. I wasn’t going to be able to help out a big league club anymore. So I made the decision to call it quits and retire.”56

In 1,119 major-league games, Gutiérrez finished with a .266 batting average, 38 homers, and 50 steals.

Back in Miami, Gutiérrez focused on raising his four children – Aric, Brittney, Ricky Jr., and Kendrick – with Lisa (Jones), his spouse since 1994. “My proudest moment was marrying my wife,” he said.57 In addition to managing her four businesses, Lisa – a former basketball player for the University of Miami – coached Brittney’s Flanagan High club in that sport.58

Gutiérrez became the head coach of American Senior High’s baseball squad. One of his players, outfielder Ricky Jr., was drafted in the 40th round by the Washington Nationals in 2012, but he opted to play football at the University of Connecticut. In 2014 Gutiérrez led the Patriots to their first-ever Florida state title. The star of the team was future big leaguer Romy González.59

“At the end of my career I became a utility player,” Gutiérrez reflected. “So, in my mind, I had to always be ready and think like a manager, to know when I had to be ready for him. That helped me a great deal.”60

Gutiérrez returned to professional baseball in 2017 as the bench coach for the Reds’ Daytona Tortugas affiliate in the Class-A Florida State League. He managed the same club to a 135-134 overall record over the next two years. In 2020 he advanced to the organization’s Double-A Chattanooga (Tennessee) Lookouts farm club, but the season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gutiérrez skippered the Lookouts to a 58-54 finish in 2021.

In 2022, Gutiérrez joined the Nationals’ front office as the special assistant to the VP, international operations. He returned to the field in 2023 as Washington’s “run prevention coordinator.” Mark Zuckerman, a Nationals reporter for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), explained, “He’s not an official member of the coaching staff, but he’s in the dugout during games and works specifically with their middle infielders. Essentially an extra coach who specializes in infield defense.”61

Gutiérrez said, “My job is just to give them a bit of routine and make sure their game stays sharp,” he explained. “Be there for them in any aspect, but mainly how to go about the game and to be ready for every day at a high level.”62

Sources

In addition to sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted www.ancestry.com,  www.baseball-reference.com, and https://sabr.org/bioproject.

Notes

1 Regarding the nickname “Musulungo,” SABR member Tony Oliver noted in an email to the author, “My grandfather (left Cuba in his early 30s) said he recalls the term being used for someone outlandish or out of the ordinary… Give the multiple “u” and the ending in -go, it may be a word from the Yoruba language.”

2 Roberto Herrera, The Sporting News Player Contract Cards, https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3/id/80117/rec/4 (last accessed January 31, 2023).

3 Francys Romero, “La Última Entrevista de Roberto ‘Musulungo’ Herrera,” On Cuba News, February 4, 2019, https://oncubanews.com/deportes/beisbol/la-ultima-entrevista-de-roberto-musulungo-herrera/ (last accessed January 29, 2023).

4 Ken Plutnicki, “Father Catches Moment of Pride,” Miami Herald, June 9, 1988: 85.

5 Falleció Roberto “Musulungo” Herrera,” LVPB.com, December 27, 2018, https://www.lvbp.com/7267_fallecio-roberto-musulungo-herrera (last accessed January 30, 2023).

6 Plutnicki, “Father Catches Moment of Pride.”

7 Anthony Uttariello, “Sunday Morning Chat: American Manager Ricky Gutiérrez,” Miami-Dade High School Baseball, March 17, 2013, https://miamidadehighschoolbaseball.com/2013/03/sunday-morning-chat-american-manager-ricky-Gutiérrez/0106353 (last accessed January 31, 2023).

8 Plutnicki, “Father Catches Moment of Pride.”

9 Uttariello, “Sunday Morning Chat: American Manager Ricky Gutiérrez.”

10 “Florida,” USA Today, April 23, 1987: 14C.

11 Plutnicki, “Father Catches Moment of Pride.”

12 “Florida,” USA Today, April 19, 1988: 10C.

13 The Orioles had the additional first-round pick because their first-round selection in 1987, pitcher Brad DuVall, did not sign. Tim Kurkjian, “Stanicek Is Close but Not Ready to Return Just Yet,” Baltimore Sun, June 4, 1988: 3B.

14 “No. 1 Pick Opts for College,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 12, 1988: F2.

15 Tim Kurkjian, “Redus’ Agent Wants to Talk to Hemond,” Baltimore Sun, November 1, 1988: 5B.

16 Baltimore Orioles 1992 Media Guide: 173.

17 Baltimore Orioles 1992 Media Guide: 174.

18 Gutiérrez was Baltimore’s number-three overall prospect, behind pitchers Arthur Rhodes and Mike Mussina. J.J. Cooper, “1983-2000 Top 10 Prospects Rankings Archive,” Baseball America, January 22, 2019, https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/1983-2000-top-10-prospects-rankings-archive/ (last accessed January 31, 2023).

19 Baltimore Orioles 1992 Media Guide: 173.

20 Jim Henneman, “Infielder Gutiérrez Goes to Padres, Completing Trade for Lefferts,” Baltimore Sun, September 5, 1992: 7C.

21 Buster Olney, “Gutiérrez Is Nearly a Hero,” San Diego Times-Union, April 15, 1993: D1.

22 Buster Olney, “Stillwell on the DL with Possible Break; Gutiérrez Moves Up,” San Diego Times-Union, April 13, 1993: D9.

23 Chris De Luca, “Wally’s Worries,” The Sporting News, June 13, 1994: 24.

24 In addition to Gutiérrez, Houston received outfielders Derek Bell and Phil Plantier; pitchers Doug Brocail and pitcher Pedro Martínez; and infielder Craig Shipley. Heading to San Diego with Caminiti and Finley were shortstop Andújar Cedeño, pitcher Brian Williams, first baseman Roberto Petagine, and minor-leaguer Sean Fresh.

25 Houston’s 102-60 record in 1998 surpassed the franchise’s previous top mark, 96-66 in 1986. Twenty years later, however, the 2018 Astros went 103-59. As of 2023, Houston’s 107-55 record in 2019 was the team’s best.

26 Dan Wiederer, “Kerry Wood and ‘the Greatest Game Ever Pitched,’” Chicago Times, May 6, 2018.

27 On April 22, 2018, the Giants’ Brandon Belt had a 21-pitch at-bat against Angels pitcher Jaime Barria. “Belt Has 21-Pitch At-Bat, Later Homers,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), April 22, 2018: C4.

28 Carlton Thompson, “Astros, Gutiérrez Agree to Deal, Avoid Arbitration,” Houston Chronicle, February 10, 1999: 7.

29 Carlton Thompson, “Gutiérrez Placed on DL,” Houston Chronicle, April 29, 1999: 5.

30 Carlton Thompson, “Houston,” The Sporting News, May 3, 1999: 31.

31 Carlton Thompson, “Fractured Hand Sends Gutiérrez Back to DL,” Houston Chronicle, July 11, 1999: 1.

32 Carlton Thompson, “Gutiérrez Not Offered Arbitration,” Houston Chronicle, December 8, 1999: 10.

33 Carlton Thompson, “Hunsicker on Lookout for Shortstop at Winter Meetings,” Houston Chronicle, December 11, 1999: B7.

34 Gutiérrez was to receive $2 million in 2001 but could choose to forfeit it and become a free agent. Or the Cubs could exercise their option and keep him in 2001 for a raise to $3.4 million. Paul Sullivan, “Gutiérrez Fills Out Cubs’ New Lineup Card,” Chicago Tribune, December 21, 1999: 1.

35 Teddy Greenstein, “Baylor Already Competing,” Chicago Tribune, March 29, 2000: 4-1.

36 Bruce Miles, “Young, Gutiérrez Provide Boost at the Top of Lineup,” The Sporting News, May 8, 2000: 27.

37 Bruce Miles, “Scouting Report,” The Sporting News, April 30, 2001: 20.

38 “Cubs’ Gutiérrez Placed on DL,” National Post (Toronto), May 27, 2000: A22.

39 Bonnie DeSimone, “Gutiérrez Cool Under Pressure,” Chicago Tribune, September 1, 2001: 3-1.

40 DeSimone, “Gutiérrez Cool Under Pressure.”

41 Tim Sassone, “Gutiérrez to Sox: Spike This,” Arlington Heights (Illinois) Daily Herald, July 13, 2001: 1.

42 Teddy Greenstein, “It’s Down to Numbers; Gutiérrez Wants to Stay, and Cubs Want to Keep Him,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 2001: 8.

43 George Diaz, “The Indians’ Second Choice: Gutiérrez Has a New Team and a New Position with the Indians,” Orlando Sentinel, March 26, 2002: D5.

44 “Retooling Indians Sign Pair,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, December 18, 2001: D3.

45 Steve Harrick, “Cleveland Indians,” The Sporting News, December 31, 2001: 61.

46 Julius Whigham II, “Up to the Challenge,” Palm Beach Post, March 15, 2002: 9B.

47 “Surgery Might Save Gutiérrez’ Neck,” Seattle Times, August 21, 2002: D9

48 “Gutiérrez’ Quick Recovery Amazes Indians,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, March 21, 2003: 10C.

49 “Gutiérrez’ Quick Recovery Amazes Indians.”

50 Tim Dwyer, “Major League Advice,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 2, 2003: 14.

51 Charlie Nobles, “Mets Add Experience to Infield by Trading for Gutiérrez,” New York Times, March 29, 2004: 3.

52 Bryce Miller, “Gutiérrez’s Road Trip Ends with First Series,” Des Moines Register, October 27, 2004: C5.

53 Adam Kilgore, “Gutiérrez Relishes Latest Chance,” Boston Globe, July 23, 2004: E6.

54 Associated Press, “Boston Is Boss,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 21, 2004: D1.

55 Miller, “Gutiérrez’s Road Trip Ends with First Series.”

56 Uttariello, “Sunday Morning Chat: American Manager Ricky Gutiérrez.”

57 Uttariello, “Sunday Morning Chat: American Manager Ricky Gutiérrez.”

58 Gary Curreri, “When Mom’s the Coach, There’ll Be No Sliding,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, January 6, 2009: C8.

59 Rick Duteau, “American Wins Its First State Title in School History,” Miami-Dade High School Baseball, May 18, 2014, https://miamidadehighschoolbaseball.com/2014/05/american-wins-its-first-state-title-in-school-history/01014517 (last accessed February 5, 2023).

60 Uttariello, “Sunday Morning Chat: American Manager Ricky Gutiérrez.”

61 Mark Zuckerman, email to author, September 2, 2023.

62 Mark Zuckerman, “Nats Add Former Infielder Gutiérrez to Coaching Staff,” MASN Sports, March 19, 2023, https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-add-former-infielder-gutierrez-to-coaching-staff (last accessed August 29, 2023).