Ranking the Left Fielders Joe DiMaggio once said that it “wasn’t possible to describe just how great Stan Musial was.” Musial was “The Man” in St. Louis, leading the Cardinals to pennants in four of his first five seasons, winning three Most Valuable Player awards and seven batting titles. He ranks at the…
Jose Cruz Essentials Positions: Bats: B Throws: R 72 Weight: 190 Born: Friday, April 19, 1974 in Arroyo, P.R. Died: in , Debut: 5/31/1997 Last Game: 6/5/2008 Full Name: Jose Luis Cruz
José Cruz Position: Outfielder Bats: Left • Throws: Left 6-0, 170lb (183cm, 77kg) Born: August 8, 1947 in Arroyo, Puerto Rico High School: Arroyo HS (Arroyo, Puerto Rico) Debut: September 19, 1970 (13,098th in major league history) vs. PHI 5 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB Last Game: July 19, 1988 vs. TEX 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB Full Name: Jose…
On June 11, 1988 Yankee skipper Billy Martin, due to a shortage of right-handed hitters to face Orioles’ southpaw Jeff Ballard, decides to use starting pitcher Rick Rhoden as his designated hitter, making the right-hander the first hurler ever to start at the position. In his lone plate appearance, the right-handed hurler hits a sacrifice…
1988 – Unwanted in Houston, 40-year-old Jose Cruz signs with the New York Yankees, ending an impressive 13-year run as an Astro. Houston will receive a compensation draft pick for the free agent signing.
1987 – Jose Cruz lofts a home run to left in the top of the tenth inning off ex-Astro Frank DiPino to topple the Cubs, 6-5. Kevin Bass also homers and drives in four. All five Chicago runs come from the bat of Andre Dawson who slugs two long balls but fans in his final trip up at the hands of Dave Smith.
1987 – Jose Cruz homers off the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser to lead the defending N.L. West champion Astros to a 4-3 season-opening triumph. Alan Ashby contributes a two-run single. Dave Smith pitches the last two innings to seal the win for Mike Scott.
1986 – Jose Cruz celebrates his 39th birthday with his 1,000th career RBI during a 5-0 blanking of San Diego. His two-run single caps a four-run sixth inning. Mike Scott goes the distance for his third shutout of the season. Scott leads the league in ERA (2.16) and strikeouts (217).
1985 – Glenn Davis blasts a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth off Craig Lefferts for a 2-1 victory over San Diego. Jose Cruz notches the 2,000th hit of his career. Meanwhile, Joe Niekro is dealt to the New York Yankees for pitcher Jim Deshaies and two other prospects.
1985 – Kevin Bass launches two solo homers to pace a 4-2 triumph over Montreal. Jose Cruz drives in the other two runs to set a new franchise mark for RBIs (783), since broken by Jeff Bagwell.