Manny Mota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manny Mota |
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Mota in 1966
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: February 18, 1938 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
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| debut | |||
| April 16, 1962, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 1, 1982, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .304 | ||
| Home runs | 31 | ||
| Runs batted in | 438 | ||
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As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1998 | ||
Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, known as Manny Mota, was born on February 18, 1938. He is a former Dominican Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He played for 20 seasons, mostly known as a special pinch hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mota retired as a player when he was 44 years old.
After his playing career, he became a coach for the Dodgers. He coached from 1980 until 2013. This amazing 34-year coaching streak is a team record for the Dodgers. It is also the second-longest coaching streak in MLB history. Today, Mota works as a hitting instructor for minor league players. He also broadcasts Dodgers games in Spanish on television.
Contents
Playing Baseball
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Manny Mota began his baseball journey at 19. He signed with the New York Giants in 1957. He started playing in the minor leagues that year. In his first season, he hit very well, with a .314 batting average.
He continued to play well in the minor leagues. He moved up through different levels of teams. By 1961, he was playing for the AAA Tacoma Giants. Throughout his minor league career, he consistently hit over .300.
First Steps in Major League Baseball
Mota made his big league debut on April 16, 1962. He played for the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers. His first hit in MLB was a single on April 21, 1962. He played 47 games for the Giants that year.
Later in 1962, the Giants traded Mota to the Houston Colt .45's.
Time with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Before playing for Houston, Mota was traded again. He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in April 1963. With the Pirates, he became known as one of the best hitters in the National League. He played 642 games for them over six years. During this time, he had a strong .297 batting average. His first career home run happened on May 26, 1964.
Brief Stop with the Montreal Expos
In 1968, the Montreal Expos picked Mota in a special draft. He played 31 games for them. He continued to hit well, with a .315 batting average.
Becoming a Dodgers Legend
On June 11, 1969, Mota was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is where he truly shined. He became the team's top pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player, usually in a key moment. For the next five seasons, Mota hit over .300.
On May 16, 1970, a very sad and rare accident happened. A foul ball hit by Mota accidentally struck a 14-year-old fan, Alan Fish. Sadly, the young fan later passed away from his injuries. This was a tragic and unusual event in baseball history.
In 1973, Mota was chosen for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He was leading the league in batting average at the time. From 1974 to 1979, Mota was often called upon to get important hits late in games. He averaged 10 pinch hits for six seasons in a row. The Dodgers played in the World Series in 1974, 1977, and 1978.
In 1979, Mota set a new record. He became the all-time leader in career pinch hits. He had a quick swing that allowed him to hit the ball just out of reach of fielders.
Mota played his last game as a player in 1982. He retired holding the MLB record for career pinch hits with 149. This record has since been broken by other players. He finished his playing career with an impressive .304 lifetime batting average. His .315 batting average with the Dodgers is the second-best in their Los Angeles history.
After Playing Baseball
Mota was a player-coach for the Dodgers during his final years as a player. After retiring from playing, he stayed on as a full-time coach. He coached the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series. This was his fifth World Series with the Dodgers, counting his time as a player. He retired from coaching in 2013.
Mota's fame as a pinch-hitter was even featured in the 1980 movie Airplane!. In the movie, a character hears a funny announcement: "Pinch-hitting for Pedro Borbon... Manny... Mota...!" This was a joke, as Mota and Borbon never played on the same MLB team. However, they did play together in the Dominican Republic during winter seasons.
During the off-season, Manny Mota and his wife, Margarita, lived in the Dominican Republic. They ran the Manny Mota International Foundation. This organization helps young people and families in need. It provides resources and support in both the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Mota has been honored for his career. He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2013.
Since 2014, Mota has worked as a full-time Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers. He provides commentary for games on television.
Family Life
Manny Mota has several sons who also played baseball. Two of his sons, Andy and José, played in the major leagues. His youngest son, Tony, played in the minor leagues and coached for the Dodgers. His son Jose joined the Dodgers' Spanish language broadcast team in 2022.
Manny was married to Margarita Mota for 60 years. She passed away in September 2023. Mota's nephew, Santiago Taveras, is an educator.
See also
In Spanish: Manny Mota para niños
