Eduardo Rodríguez

A sturdy right-handed pitcher from Puerto Rico, Eduardo Rodríguez Reyes is not to be confused with Venezuelan lefty Eduardo Rodriguez Hernández. Rodríguez Reyes spent seven years in the major leagues (1973-79) and compiled a 42-36 record with a 3.89 ERA. His sterling yet limited batting line (one plate appearance, one triple) carries historical relevance: it was the first hit by an American League pitcher in the DH era.

Rodríguez was born on March 6, 1952, at his family’s home in the Catalana neighborhood of Barceloneta, a small town in Puerto Rico’s northwest corner. Around the neighborhood, he was quickly renamed “Volanta,” a family nickname, first bestowed on his grandfather, who in 1902 publicly proclaimed his intention to vote for the Volanta political party.1

His parents, Guillermo Rodríguez and Fernanda (Nanda) Reyes, were blessed with Eduardo and older sister María (Nery).2 Guillermo, also known as Volanta, died on July 7, 1984.3

Rodríguez began playing at eight years old in his town’s Boricuita League.4 He began turning heads at age 15 as a shortstop in the Liga Atenas de Béisbol Aficionado with the “Casa de los Niños” team.5 He played in the juvenile Class-A league for his hometown and neighboring Florida, and then with Cataño Lancheros (Boaters), where he was converted to pitcher by manager Tato Varelo.6

After winning seven games and finishing second in ERA, Rodríguez moved to the Manatí Atenienses (Athenians) of the island’s semiprofessional league.7 He went 11-4, with a 12-strikeout one-hitter in the semifinals and an 18-strikeout masterpiece in the final game of the round robin “Carnaval of Champions”8 to give Manatí its first title in 31 years. Batterymate José “Tony” Valentín’s sons José Jr. and Javier later played in the major leagues.

During the weekdays, Rodríguez attended Antonio Luchetti High School, graduating in the summer of 1971. In August, he pitched for the Puerto Rican national team in the Pan-American Games in Cali, Colombia, but was outmatched by Cuba, against whom he threw16 straight balls.9 (Puerto Rico lost the game, 15-1, though starter Luis Torres was saddled with the loss.) 10 Rodríguez hoped for a rematch in the Amateur World Series in Havana in the fall, but fate intervened: “at the last minute I was asked to give my suitcase to Rubén Valdés, without any explanation, after having pitched a five-hit shutout against Río Piedras to win the championship.”11 On November 17, 1971, Rodriguez was signed by Félix “Fellé” Delgado, a former big-leaguer (by virtue of his time with the New York Cubans in 1941). Delgado got the pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers organization for an estimated $12,000.12  

By then 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, Rodriguez was given permission to play in the Puerto Rican Winter League (PRWL). He debuted on December 3 against the Mayagüez Indios. Entrusted with a one-run lead in the bottom of the 11th inning, he fanned two batters to pick up the win.13

Rodriguez was superb for Danville of the Class A Midwest League in 1972, the only full year he would spend in the minors. In 40 games, he struck out 98 batters in 85 innings, though he walked 38 and hit six others. He saved five games, won nine, and lost six others.

Upon his return to the PRWL, Rodríguez put opponents on notice: “my drop (sinker) no longer stays up and my curveball breaks from the waist down” thanks to instruction from Caguas Criollos manager and former big-league ace Eddie Lopat.14 Rodríguez remained active in his community and hosted a baseball clinic for 150 children alongside fellow big-leaguers José Pagán and Héctor Valle, as well as fellow Brewers farmhand Sixto Lezcano (who reached the majors in 1974).15

Rodríguez began 1973 with Double-A Shreveport but was quickly promoted to Triple-A thanks to allowing just a single run in 26 innings. His 2.43 ERA in five games with Evansville prompted the pitching-starved Brewers to deem him ready for the majors. Manager Mike Roarke  was unsurprised about the callup: “He has a couple of pitches besides his fastball and he changes speed … has a slider he can throw for strikes, plus a little curve and throws from different angles.”16

Rodríguez was splendid in his major league debut on June 20 against the Boston Red Sox. Milwaukee starter Bill Parsons was pulled after allowing two home runs and two walks in the first inning without retiring a single batter. Bill Champion tossed four innings and allowed an additional run while the Brewers scored a pair off “Spaceman” Bill Lee. Rodríguez was summoned to the mound to start the fifth inning and catcher Eliseo Rodríguez (a fellow Puerto Rican, though no relation) astutely guided the youngster through five scoreless innings. He yielded no base hits in the last four, but the Brewers lost, 3-2.

Lady Luck was not on Rodriguez’s side a week later as he allowed three runs in four innings against the Tigers, this time as a starter. In the second inning, his errant pitch knocked Detroit catcher Bill Freehan to the ground. Freehan was carried off the field on a stretcher and missed a week’s worth of games.

Rodriguez was a revelation in July. Thrust into the rotation for the pitching-poor Brewers, he won two complete games; serving as a swingman, he saved two others. Manager Del Crandall noted “his improvement at every level of minor league ball…when a player does this, he’s got your attention and you get the confident feeling that he can make the same kind of progress in the major leagues.”17  

Rodriguez picked up a save on September 3 in a 13-5 victory over Cleveland, but the story of the game was his unexpected plate appearance. After a series of defensive substitutions, the Brewers lost their DH spot in the eighth inning.

The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that when Crandall sent him up to face Jerry Johnson, Rodríguez replied, “No, pitcher [doesn’t] bat.”18 The La Crosse Tribune expanded on the exchange: “I don’t believe him when he tells me to bat,” Rodríguez added, aware that “I’m a poor hitter – so-so, maybe – but I got about seven hits in 20 at bats in Class A at Danville last year.”19

Regardless, Rodríguez hit a line drive that rolled to the wall in right-center. Third-base coach Joe Nossek put up the stop sign, but Rodríguez kept going to third and slid in. Cutoff man Jack Brohamer’s wild throw missed the bag, allowing Rodríguez to score.20

Newspaper coverage reported that teammate Dave May, from the Milwaukee dugout, gave Rodríguez a “standing ovation” as he returned to pitch the ninth.21 Rodríguez allowed one walk but induced three groundballs to close the game, 13-5, for his fifth save of the season.

The newspapers noted the oddity of a pitcher hitting a triple, but a deeper examination revealed that it was the first hit of any kind by an AL hurler in 1973. The La Crosse Tribune noted that only two other AL pitchers had batted all season, thanks to the designated hitter rule: “Cy Acosta of the Chicago White Sox [on June 20] and Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A’s [on June 26], both of whom struck out.”22

Only one other AL pitcher, Catfish Hunter, recorded a hit during the regular season in 1973, but the Oakland A’s ace did so as a pinch-hitter on September 24.23 AL hurlers had just nine total regular-season at-bats that year; Hunter and Rodríguez connected for the only hits.24 The Sporting News mentioned Rodríguez’s feat as part of a long column evaluating the DH experiment, quoting the pitcher: “I don’t understand the rule. I’m not such a good hitter, but everybody likes to hit. Now I’m happy and feel good. I want to hit some more.”25

Rodríguez’s stat line (1.000 average, 1.000 on-base-percentage, 3.000 slugging percentage, 4.000 OPS) would likely win many a trivia contest, but the randomness does not end there. While 19 other players have tripled for their only major-league hit, only three others have done so in their sole lifetime at-bat: Eric Cammack (2000) and Charlie Lindstrom (1958), who both drove in a run but were themselves stranded, and Scott Munninhoff (1980), who led off an inning and scored. Curiously, Lindstrom was the only position player of the quartet.

In 76 1/3 innings during his maiden season, Rodríguez had nine victories and a 3.30 ERA, which became career-bests. Fans from Barceloneta and neighboring towns (Manatí, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, and Utuado) cherished Rodríguez, going as far as asking the Caguas franchise to anoint him the opening day starter more than a month before the season, once the published schedule pitted the Criollos against Arecibo.26 He was later feted on December 16, 1973.27

Rodríguez was stellar in the 1974 Caribbean Series as he tossed 7 1/3 frames with only three hits against the host Mexican team on February 5.28 In 1974 the Brewers relied on his arm for 111 2/3 innings, mostly in relief, and his ERA increased slightly to 3.63.

Rodríguez was unbeaten in seven decisions with a 3.49 ERA in 1975, mostly in long relief. He also logged seven saves. He suffered bad luck in 1976 (5-13 record) despite a 3.64 ERA that was roughly in line with the league average. He was still used as a swingman, balancing 12 starts and eight saves, both personal bests.

Back in Puerto Rico, Rodríguez paced the league with nine victories in 1976-77.29 Santurce hitter Luis “Puchy” Delgado noted “The best slider from a Puerto Rican righthander is Volanta Rodriguez’s. He’s tall and when the ball nears the plate with the speed of a fastball, it drops violently and makes us hitters off-balance.”30 While advocating for a reduction of non-Puerto Rican players on PRWL rosters, Rodríguez highlighted “we have a lot of young native talent and they need opportunities to showcase their talent.” It was a common sentiment among jugadores del patio, as Puerto Rican players were often called.31

Rodríguez also claimed Caguas was “vastly superior, in all aspects, to the Milwaukee Brewers.” The bravado could be explained by the presence of major-leaguers José Cruz, Mike Cuéllar, Lezcano, and José Morales and future big-leaguers Mike Krukow, Dennis Martínez, Ed Whitson, and Eddie Murray on the Caguas roster.32 While the team repeated as league champions, they finished last in the Caribbean Series (1-5).

Though traditional statistics pointed to a disappointing 1977 season with the Brewers (5-6, 4.35 ERA), modern assessment reveals it was Rodríguez’s best year. He ate 142 2/3 innings, mostly from the bullpen, and averaged 1.86 strikeouts per walk. Although he allowed a career-worst 15 home runs, he contributed a 1.5 WAR for Milwaukee and pitched a two-hit shutout at Boston on May 22, his best major-league performance.

Rodríguez was 5-5 in 1978, his last campaign with more than 100 innings, and became a free agent. He was traded for pitcher Guillermo (Willie) Hernández prior to the 1978 PRWL season but opted not to play for Mayagüez. Before the 1979 season, the Brewers sold his contract to the Kansas City Royals, whose GM Joe Burde noted “Rodríguez is a veteran reliever…we hope he will strengthen our bullpen. He’s shown great ability and we think a change of scenery will benefit him.”33

He signed with the Royals and despite a 4-1 record, he walked more batters than he struck out in 1979.

Rodríguez was involved in a skirmish on December 30, 1979, allegedly over his insistence on betting on an amateur game with a fellow spectator.34 With a 9.00 ERA in spring training, the Royals placed him on waivers before the 1980 season.35

After two years away from the PRWL, he returned with Mayagüez and pitched from 1980-81 to 1982-83. In nine seasons, he pitched 428 innings, struck out 254, walked 180, and went 30-26 with 11 saves.36

He retired to take care of his ailing father but did not return to the diamond. Though he occasionally provided advice to young pitchers, he never coached in an official capacity.

Sadly, Rodríguez suffered a fatal heart attack on his 57th birthday in his hometown.37 He never married and did not have children. He is buried in his hometown cemetery.

Acknowledgments

A portion of this biography previously appeared in the author’s article “September 3, 1973: Brewers’ Eduardo Rodríguez triples for first hit by AL pitcher in DH era.”

This expanded article was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Rory Costello and checked for accuracy by SABR’s fact-checking team.

Photo credit: Eduardo Rodríguez, Trading Card Database.

Sources

Besides using the sources listed in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play.

Puerto Rican Winter League stats courtesy of Beisbol101.com.

Notes

1 Víctor M. Marchand, “Idea del Club de Leones: Barceloneta rendirá homenaje a ‘Volanta’,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 16, 1973: 55.

2 Chemón Rodríguez, “Mañana Homenaje Volanta,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, November 27, 1971: 23, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19711127-01.1.23

3 Guillermo Rodríguez Acevedo obituary, El Mundo de Puerto Rico, July 12, 1984:24, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19840712-01.1.24

4 Boricua is a term for Puerto Ricans based on Borinquén (also spelled as Borikén), the Taino name for the island.

5 “Liga Atenas Entra 6ta. Semana de Competencia,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, September 2, 1967:36, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19670902-01.1.36

6 Víctor M. Marchand, “Idea del Club de Leones: Barceloneta rendirá homenaje a ‘Volanta’,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 16, 1973: 55.

7 “Inauguración en 17 parques,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, August 8, 1971:35, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19710801-01.1.35

8 Roberto Arinsoni, “Volanta Rodríguez es contratado por los “Cerveceros” de Milwaukee,” El Mundo de Puerto Ric, November 11, 1971: 28, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/?a=d&d=mndo19711119-01.1.28&srpos=7&e=——197-en-25-mndo-1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-%22volanta%22—-1971—–

9 “Mensaje a gerencia de Caguas: Solicitan ‘Volanta’ Lance Primer Juego,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, September 18, 1973: 30, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19730918-01.1.30

10Alfredo Franccheschi, “Cubanos vencen a PR en béisbol,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, August 2, 1971: 19, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19710802-01.1.19

11 Roberto Arinsoni, “Volanta Rodríguez es contratado por los “Cerveceros” de Milwaukee,” El Mundo de Puerto Ric, November 11, 1971: 28, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/?a=d&d=mndo19711119-01.1.28&srpos=7&e=——197-en-25-mndo-1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-%22volanta%22—-1971—–

12 Roberto Arinsoni, “Volanta Rodríguez es contratado por los “Cerveceros” de Milwaukee,” El Mundo de Puerto Ric, November 11, 1971: 28, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/?a=d&d=mndo19711119-01.1.28&srpos=7&e=——197-en-25-mndo-1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-%22volanta%22—-1971—–

13 “Resumen Juegos Viernes,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 5, 1971: 41, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19711205-01.1.41

14 Chemón Rodríguez, “Dedicaron Homenaje a ‘Volanta,’” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 2, 1972: 34, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19711202-01.1.34

15 Restituto Badillo, “Barceloneta dio clínica de béisbol,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, February 16, 1973: 3B, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19730216-01.1.25

16 “American Association,” The Sporting News, June 23, 1973: 40.

17 Lou Chapman, “Latins Put Some Hop in Brewer Bullpen,” The Sporting News, August 4, 1973:11.

18 Lou Chapman, “Brewers, Tribe Split,” Milwaukee Sentinel, September 4, 1973: 1, 2.

19 Mike O’Brien (Associated Press), “Fans Get Money’s Worth as Brews Split Twin Bill,” LaCrosse (Wisconsin) Tribune, September 4, 1973: 12. Rodríguez actually had five hits in 23 at bats in the minors that year.

20 Brohammer started a triple play in the first inning of the nightcap, a 10-5 Cleveland win.

21 Mike O’Brien, “Fans Get Money’s Worth as Brews Split Twin Bill.” La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune, September 4, 1973: 10.

22 O’Brien, “Fans Get Money’s Worth as Brews Split Twin Bill.”

23 Hunter, 149-for-658 in his career, averaged .350 in 1971 and was a lifetime .226/.234/.287 batter.

24 The designated hitter was not used in the 1973 World Series, and Oakland’s Ken Holtzman and Fingers combined for three hits in the A’s win over the New York Mets.

25 Bob Broeg, “Broeg on Baseball,” The Sporting News, September 29, 1973: 6.

26 “Mensaje a gerencia de Caguas: Solicitan ‘Volanta’ Lance Primer Juego,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, September 18, 1973: 30, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19730918-01.1.30

27 Víctor M. Marchand, “Idea del Club de Leones: Barceloneta rendirá homenaje a ‘Volanta’,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 16, 1973: 55.

28 “Volanta y Món Dominan a Yaquis de México,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, February 6, 1974: 62, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19740206-01.1.62

29 https://beisbol101.com/jugador/eduardo-%C2%A8volanta%C2%A8rodriguez/

30 Chemón Rodríguez, “Ellos lo dicen,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 12, 1976: 58, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19761212-01.1.58

31 “Volanta califica Caguas superior que Milwaukee,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 24, 1976: 17-19, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19761224-01.1.17

32 Volanta califica Caguas superior que Milwaukee,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, December 24, 1976: 17-19, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19761224-01.1.17

33 “Volanta Rodríguez a los Reales,” El Imparcial, February 27, 1979:39, https://gpa.eastview.com/eida/newspapers/eida19790227-01.1.39

34 Charlie Aguilar, “Orden de Arresto Contra Lanzador Volanta Rodríguez,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, January 4, 1980: 16, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19800101-01.1.15

35 “Volanta Rodríguez en la Lista de Waivers,” El Mundo de Puerto Rico, April 6, 1980: 47, https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/elmundo/newspapers/mndo19800406-01.1.47

36 “Eduardo ‘Volanta’ Rodríguez,” Beisbol 101, https://beisbol101.com/jugador/eduardo-%c2%a8volanta%c2%a8rodriguez/

37 “Muere el ex lanzador Volanta Rodríguez,” Primera Hora, March 6, 2009, https://www.primerahora.com/deportes/beisbol/notas/muere-el-ex-lanzador-volanta-rodriguez/