The Eastern Stars (31 page)

Ricardo Joseph was born on August 24, 1939, in the Santa Fe sugar mill. He died on September 8, 1979, in Santiago, Dominican Republic. He played primarily third base but also first base, left field, and one game as a second baseman. Joseph debuted in the major leagues on June 18, 1964, for the Kansas City Athletics. He played one season and then left Major League Baseball, returning in 1967 to play for the Philadelphia Phillies for four seasons until he ended his career in 1970.

Felix Elvio Rivera Jiménez was born on January 6, 1940, in Santa Fe. He is the brother of Manny Jiménez. An outfielder, his first game in the major leagues, played on October 4, 1964, was also his final game in the majors. He had a .333 batting average in that one game.

Rafael Robles was born on October 20, 1947, in San Pedro de Macorís. The San Francisco Giants signed him prior to the 1967 season and then gave him up to the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft. He debuted in the major leagues on April 8, 1969, for the San Diego Padres and played his final game on June 10, 1972. He played shortstop, except for one game in which he played third base. His three-season career was entirely with the Padres. He died on August 13, 1998.

Santiago Donovan Guzmán was born on July 25, 1949, in the Angelina sugar mill. A right-hander, he was the first major-league pitcher from San Pedro de Macorís. The Cardinals signed him prior to the 1967 season. He debuted in the major leagues on September 30, 1969, for the St. Louis Cardinals, and played his final game on April 18, 1972. In a total of four seasons, all for the Cardinals, he had a 4.50 ERA.

Jesús María Andújar Frías was born on July 14, 1948, in Consuelo. He played shortstop, second base, third base, outfield, right field, center field, and left field. The San Francisco Giants signed him on September 18, 1966, and the Expos signed him as a free agent on August 27, 1969. He debuted in the major leagues on April 6, 1973, for the Montreal Expos. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on March 31, 1979, to the Texas Rangers on December 6, 1979, and to the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 1980, and played his final game on August 26, 1981, for a total of nine seasons in the major leagues. Frías was a great defender and committed only 5 errors as second baseman and 10 errors as shortstop.

Rafael Sánchez Batista was born on October 20, 1947, in Consuelo. A first baseman, he debuted in the major leagues on June 17, 1973, for the Houston Astros and played his final game on April 27, 1975. He played in the major leagues for only two seasons, for a total of 22 games. In 1975 he had a .300 batting average.

Joaquín Andújar was born on December 21, 1952, in the La Barca section of San Pedro de Macorís. A right-handed pitcher, he was signed by the Cincinnati Reds on November 14, 1969, and was traded to the Astros on October 24, 1975. He debuted in the major leagues on April 8, 1976, for the Houston Astros. He was traded to the Cardinals on June 7, 1981, and pitched his best seasons with them. He won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1982, received a Gold Glove in 1984, won 20 games in 1984 and 21 games in 1985, and won the World Series in 1985. In December 1985 he was traded to the Oakland Athletics and then back to the Astros, for whom he pitched his final game on September 30, 1988. He played a total of thirteen seasons in the major leagues, with a 3.58 ERA. He had to retire early because of leg problems.

Santo Anibal Alcalá was born on December 23, 1952, in Villa Providencia, San Pedro de Macorís. A right-handed pitcher, the Reds signed him prior to the 1970 season. He debuted in the major leagues on April 10, 1976, for the Cincinnati Reds. His career was cut short by an injured pitching arm. During his two years in the majors he struck out 140 batters and had an ERA of 4.76. He pitched his final game on September 25, 1977, for the Montreal Expos.

Juan Ramón Coradin Bernhardt was born on August 31, 1953, in San Pedro de Macorís. He debuted in the major leagues on July 10, 1976, for the New York Yankees and played his final game on April 8, 1979. He primarily played as a designated hitter and third baseman.

Alfredo Claudino Baptist Griffin was born on October 6, 1957, in Consuelo. The Indians signed him on August 22, 1973. He played shortstop, second base, and third base, and was also a designated hitter. He debuted in the major leagues on September 4, 1976, for the Cleveland Indians. In 1978, while playing for the Cleveland Indians, he had a .500 batting average. On December 5, 1978, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays to play shortstop. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1979. On December 8, 1984, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. In 1985 he received a Gold Glove for his fielding skills. On December 11, 1987, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. On March 19, 1992, he started playing with the Blue Jays as a free agent. On October 3, 1993, he played his final game for a total of eighteen seasons in the major leagues, in which he hit 245 doubles and 78 triples, had 527 RBIs, and stole 192 bases.

Ignacio Alfredo Wilkes Javier was born on February 4, 1954, in Consuelo. He played outfield, left field, and right field. The Astros signed him in 1971. He debuted in the major leagues on September 9, 1976, for the Houston Astros and played his final game on October 1, 1976, an 8-game single-season major-league career.

Arturo Marcelino Simon DeFreitas was born on April 26, 1953, in San Pedro de Macorís. He played first base and right field. The Reds signed him on May 27, 1970. He debuted in the major leagues on September 7, 1978, for the Cincinnati Reds, and played two seasons for the team. His final game was on June 27, 1979.

Alberto Lois Pie was born on May 6, 1956, in Consuelo. He played outfield, left field, and center field. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed him in 1974. He debuted in the major leagues on September 8, 1978, for the Pirates and played his final game on September 29, 1979. His career, only fourteen games in two seasons, was ended by debilitating injuries from a car crash.

Pedro Guerrero was born on June 29, 1956, in Santa Fe. A first baseman, he was signed by the Cleveland Indians on January 15, 1973; they traded him to the Dodgers the following year. He debuted in the major leagues on September 22, 1978, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was awarded the title of Most Valuable Player in 1981. His Dodger year of 1982 was his best: he had 32 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .304 batting average. He played for the Dodgers for eleven of the sixteen seasons of his career. He played for five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was then traded to the Cardinals on August 16, 1988, and signed as a free agent with them on January 7, 1992, playing his final game on October 4, 1992. He had career totals of 267 doubles, 215 home runs, and 898 RBIs, and an overall .300 batting average.

Rafael Emilio Peguero Ramírez was born on February 18, 1958, in Angelina. He was signed to the Atlanta Braves by Pedro González in September 1976. Primarily a shortstop, he debuted in the major leagues on August 4, 1980, for the Atlanta Braves. He played a total of thirteen seasons in the major leagues: eight seasons with the Braves and five with the Houston Astros. He played his final game on October 3, 1992. He hit 224 doubles, stole 112 bases, and had 484 RBIs.

George Antonio Bell was born on October 21, 1959, in Santa Fe. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him on March 7, 1978. He played outfield, left field, right field, third base, and second base, and was a designated hitter. He debuted in the major leagues on April 9, 1981, for the Toronto Blue Jays, and played his final game on October 2, 1993, for the Chicago White Sox. He played nine seasons with the Blue Jays, one with the Chicago Cubs, and two with the White Sox. During those twelve seasons he had a batting average of .278, hit 265 home runs and 308 doubles, and had 1,002 RBIs. In 1987, while on the Blue Jays, he became the first Dominican to be named Most Valuable Player in the league. He was also the first player in the major leagues to hit three home runs on an opening day.

Rufino de la Cruz Linares was born on February 28, 1951, in Quisqueya. He played mostly outfield and left field. He debuted in the major leagues on April 10, 1981, for the Atlanta Braves and played his final game on October 6, 1985, for the California Angels. He played a total of four seasons in the major leagues: three with the Braves and one with the Angels. He died on May 16, 1998.

Julio César Franco was born on August 23, 1958, in Consuelo. He debuted in the major leagues on April 23, 1982, for the Philadelphia Phillies, who signed him as a free agent on April 23, 1978.

Julio Franco had one of the longest careers in major-league history, spanning twenty-five years from April 1982 until September 2007, when he retired at age forty-nine. He maintained an impressive career batting average of .298, getting a hit one out of every three times at bat for twenty-five years. There were many years in which he had a batting average of .300 or above: 1986 (.306), 1987 (.319), 1988 (.303), 1989 (.316), 1991 (.341), and 1994 (.319). His total of 2,586 hits was the highest of any Dominican major-league player.

Franco mostly played shortstop and second base, but he also played first base, third base, left field, outfield, and right field, and he was also a designated hitter. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on December 9, 1982, and then traded to the Texas Rangers on December 6, 1988. The Chicago White Sox signed him as a free agent on December 15, 1993, and the Indians signed him as a free agent on December 7, 1995. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him as a free agent on August 13, 1997, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on February 19, 1999. On August 31, 2001, the Atlanta Braves purchased him from the Mexico City Tigers. The Braves signed him as a free agent on January 8, 2003, on January 12, 2004, and on December 9, 2004. The New York Mets signed him as a free agent on December 12, 2005, and then the Braves signed him as a free agent on July 18, 2007. He finished out his 2007 season playing for the Braves. In 1990 he was named Most Valuable Player.

Franco was the oldest regular-position (everyday) player in major-league history. From 2004 until his retirement he was the oldest player in baseball and made age records on a regular basis: the oldest player ever to hit a home run, the oldest player to hit a grand slam, the oldest player ever to hit two home runs in the same game, and the oldest to steal two bases in the same game.

Alejandro Pimental Sánchez was born on February 14, 1959, in San Pedro de Macorís. The Phillies signed him in 1978. He played outfield, right field, left field, and center field, and was a designated hitter. He debuted in the major leagues on September 6, 1982, for the Philadelphia Phillies and played his final game on May 16, 1987, playing a total of six seasons in the majors. He played for the Phillies from 1982 to 1983. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants on March 24, 1984, to the Detroit Tigers on April 5, 1985, and to the Minnesota Twins on January 16, 1986. He became a free agent on October 15, 1986, and then played for the Oakland Athletics in 1987.

Juan Milton Samuel was born on December 9, 1960, in Barrio Restauración. The Phillies signed him on April 29, 1980. He played second base, center field, first base, right field, left field, and third base, and was a designated hitter, but he played mostly second base, with a total of 1,190 games at that position. He debuted in the major leagues on August 24, 1983, for the Philadelphia Phillies and played his final game on September 26, 1998, for the Toronto Blue Jays. He was traded to the New York Mets on June 18, 1989, to the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 20, 1989, and to the Kansas City Royals on September 8, 1995. He was signed as a free agent by the Royals on August 6, 1992, by the Cincinnati Reds on December 11, 1992, by the Detroit Tigers on February 14, 1994, and by the Blue Jays, the team with which he finished out his major-league career, on January 16, 1996. In his first four seasons, he was the first player in history to reach double-digit home runs, stolen bases, doubles, and triples. He played a total of sixteen seasons in the major leagues, collecting 161 home runs, 287 doubles, 102 triples, and 703 RBIs, and stealing 396 bases. He was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1984 and 1987. He holds the major-league record for most at-bats by a right-handed hitter in a season. He also tied the major-league record for consecutive strikeouts—four—which is shared by Hack Wilson and Vince DiMaggio.

Octavio Antonio Castro Fernández was born on June 30, 1962, in Barrio Restauración. The Blue Jays signed him on April 24, 1979. He debuted in the major leagues on September 2, 1983, for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1990 he was traded to the Padres, then traded to the Mets in 1992, to the Reds as a free agent in March 1994, to the Yankees in December 1994, to the Indians in 1996, back to the Blue Jays in 1997, and to the Brewers in February 2001; he played his final game for the Brewers, on October 7, 2001. He played shortstop as well as a smaller number of games as a second baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter. For four consecutive seasons, from 1986 to 1989, he received a Gold Glove and was the American League’s Most Valuable Player. In his seventeen seasons in the major leagues, he hit 414 doubles and 92 triples, had 844 RBIs, and stole 246 bases.