Tony Pérez

Infobox MLB retired


name=Tony Pérez

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width=250
caption=
position=Third baseman / First baseman
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1942|5|14
Ciego de Ávila, Cuba
debutdate=July 26
debutyear=by|1964
debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
finaldate=October 5
finalyear=by|1986
finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.279
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=2,732
stat3label=Home runs
stat3value=379
teams= As Player
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1964-by|1976, by|1984-by|1986)
* Montreal Expos (by|1977-by|1979)
* Boston Red Sox (by|1980-by|1982)
* Philadelphia Phillies (by|1983)As Manager
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1993)
* Florida Marlins (by|2001)
highlights=
* 7x All-Star selection (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976)
* 2x World Series champion (1975, 1976)
* 1967 MLB All-Star Game MVP
* 1980 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
* Cincinnati Reds #24 retired
hofdate=by|2000
hofvote=77.15%

Atanasio Pérez Rigal, more commonly known as Tony Pérez (born May 14, 1942 in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba), is a former player in Major League Baseball. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dawg."

Tony Pérez was named the Most Valuable Player in the south Coast League in 1964 when he played for the San Diego Padres. Perez hit .309 with 34 home runs and 107 RBI for the Padres. His performance earned him a promotion to the Reds at the end of the 1964 season. [Tony Perez, Topps Baseball Cards, 1968, card number 130.]

After playing third base in the early part of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, from 1972 onward he starred at first base. Until he was traded in December, 1976, Pérez was a key member of Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine". Apart from his years with the Reds (1964-76, 1984-86), he also played for the Montreal Expos (1977-79), Boston Red Sox (1980-82) and Philadelphia Phillies (1983). After retiring, Pérez went on to manage with the Reds and Florida Marlins. He currently holds the title of Special Assistant to the General Manager with the Marlins.

In by|2000, Pérez was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had the honor of being elected by the Baseball Writers, garnering 385 votes on 499 ballots for a total of 77.15%, just over the three-quarters minimum required for induction. Pérez also has the distinction of being the first player elected to the Hall of Fame that played for the Montreal Expos. Tony Perez was also inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.cite web |url=http://www.hispanicbaseballmuseum.com/fme_perez.html|title=Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-07-21]

Pèrez was one of the premier RBI men of his generation, driving in 100 or more runs seven times in his 23-year long career. In an eleven-year stretch from 1967 to 1977, Pérez drove in 90 or more runs each year, with a high of 129 RBIs in 1970. During the decade of the 1970s, Pérez was second among all major-leaguers in RBI, with 954, behind only his teammate Johnny Bench.

The 1970 campaign was his finest year, statistically: in addition to his 129 RBIs, Pérez hit .317, slugged 40 home runs and scored 107 runs. He came in third in the Most Valuable Player voting behind Billy Williams and winner Johnny Bench [cite web |url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1970.shtml|title=Baseball Awards Voting for 1970|accessdate=2008-09-08 |work=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher= |date= ] , his Cincinnati Reds teammate who had one of the best offensive seasons in the history of catchers that year (.293/45/148), in addition to winning a Gold Glove.

Beginning in 1970, the Reds went to the World Series four times in seven years, winning back-to-back world championships in 1975 and 1976, with Pérez as a starting player. He departed after the 1976 season (which was capped by the team's sweep of the Phillies in the League Championship Series and the Yankees in the World Series, the only time a team has swept the postseason since the League Championship Series was introduced in 1969) for Montreal, and the Big Red Machine -- considered one of baseball's all-time great teams -- sputtered and never again got into the Series, reaching the playoffs but one more time in 1979. (Tony Pérez was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1998.) At the age of 38 in 1980, he had a very good first season with the Red Sox in which he finished in the top 10 in the American League in intentional walks (11), home runs (25) and RBIs (105), and won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Unfortunately, in the same season he also ranked among the top 10 in strikeouts and led all American League batters by grounding into 25 double plays, with the latter statistic illustrating his declining abilities to drive in runs. Still a feared hitter based on his reputation, Pérez also was a reserve player on the 1983 National League Champion Phillies, and batted .242 in his five World Series appearances.

Tony Perez was a seven time All-Star who was voted the Most Valuable Player of the 1967 All-Star Game. The game, played on July 11, 1967, at Anaheim Stadium, went into 15 innings and ranks as the longest All-Star Game in history. It was Pérez's home run off future fellow Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter that propelled the National League to victory.

In 1970, Pérez hit the first home run in Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.

He finished his career with a .279 batting average, 379 home runs, 1652 RBI and 1272 runs scored.

In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Pérez, a Cuban, was the third baseman on Stein's Latin team.

ee also

* List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
* List of major league players with 2,000 hits
* List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
* List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
* Montreal Expos all-time roster
* Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

Notes

External links

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