Tony Pérez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Pérez |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Pérez with the Cincinnati Reds, c. 1976
|
|||
| First baseman / Third baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: May 14, 1942 Ciego de Ávila, Cuba |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| July 26, 1964, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 5, 1986, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .279 | ||
| Hits | 2,732 | ||
| Home runs | 379 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,652 | ||
| Managerial record | 74–84 | ||
| Winning % | .468 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|||
| Induction | 2000 | ||
| Vote | 77.2% (ninth ballot) | ||
Tony Pérez (born May 14, 1942) is a famous former professional baseball player from Cuba and the United States. He was also a coach and manager. Tony played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and third baseman from 1964 to 1986.
He is best known for being a key player for the Cincinnati Reds. This team was so good they were called the "Big Red Machine". They won four National League championships and two World Series in the 1970s. Tony also played for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Tony was chosen for the All-Star team seven times. He was known for his ability to get "runs batted in" (RBI), helping his team score. He was a very popular player with Reds fans.
After he stopped playing, Tony became a coach and then a manager for the Reds and the Florida Marlins. In 2000, he was honored by being put into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Contents
Tony's Early Life
Tony Pérez was born in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba in 1942. His parents were José Manuel and Teodora Pérez. Tony and his family lived in a small house near a sugar mill. His father worked at this mill, and Tony also worked there when he was young.
He played baseball for the sugar mill's team, Central Violeta. In 1960, when he was 17, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds signed him to a professional contract. His "signing bonus" was just enough money for a visa and a plane ticket to Miami, Florida.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in Baseball
Tony arrived in Florida in 1960 and began training with the Reds. He played his first minor league game in Geneva, New York, when he was 17. He started at second base and got his first professional hit, a triple!
In 1961, he played for Geneva again and had a great year. He hit .348 and had 27 home runs. He kept moving up through different minor league teams. In 1964, playing for the San Diego Padres in the minor leagues, he was named the Most Valuable Player.
Tony was called up to the Cincinnati Reds and played his first two MLB games on July 26, 1964. The next day, he got his first MLB hit, a double, and his first RBI. His first career home run was a grand slam in 1965!
In 1967, Tony became the Reds' main third baseman. He was chosen for his first All-Star team. In that game, which lasted 15 innings, Tony hit a home run that helped the National League win. He was named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player.
The year 1970 was one of his best. Tony hit .317, had 40 home runs, and drove in 129 runs. He was one of the top players in the league.
The Big Red Machine Years
Tony Pérez was a key player for the Cincinnati Reds during their "Big Red Machine" era. This team was one of the best in baseball history. From 1967 to 1971, he was a star third baseman. From 1972 on, he played first base.
Tony was known for driving in runs. He had 100 or more RBIs in seven seasons. From 1967 to 1977, he had at least 90 RBIs every year. In the 1970s, only his teammate Johnny Bench had more RBIs than Tony.
The Reds went to the World Series four times between 1970 and 1976. They won back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976. Tony was the starting first baseman for both of those winning teams.
After the 1976 season, Tony was traded to the Montreal Expos. Many people, including the Reds' manager Sparky Anderson, said that Tony was the "heart and soul" of the Big Red Machine. After he left, the team wasn't as dominant.
Tony played three seasons with the Montreal Expos. Then, in 1980, he signed with the Boston Red Sox. In his first year with Boston, he hit 25 home runs and had 105 RBIs.
Back with the Reds
In 1983, Tony reunited with his former "Big Red Machine" teammates Pete Rose and Joe Morgan on the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a reserve player for the Phillies when they went to the World Series that year.
After that season, he returned to the Cincinnati Reds and played there until he retired in 1986. Even in his 40s, Tony was still making history. In 1984, at age 42, he hit a walk-off pinch-hit home run. In 1985, at 44, he became the oldest player to hit a grand slam, breaking a 70-year-old record!
His final career hit was a solo home run on October 4, 1986. The next day was his last game.
Managing Baseball Teams
After his playing career, Tony became a coach for the Reds. In 1993, he was hired as the Reds' manager. However, he was fired after only 44 games. The general manager was upset when a newspaper writer said Tony had taken his advice on who to bat in a game.
Soon after, Tony joined the Florida Marlins as a special assistant. In 2001, he became the Marlins' manager for the rest of that season. He stayed with the Marlins organization until 2017.
Tony's Legacy
Tony Pérez has received many honors for his amazing baseball career.
- In 1998, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
- On May 27, 2000, the Reds retired his jersey number, 24, meaning no other Reds player will wear that number again.
- In 2000, Tony was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. This is one of the highest honors in baseball. He said, "I doubt that a king at his coronation feels better than me today."
Tony has also been inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the Reds announced they would build a statue of Tony Pérez outside their stadium, Great American Ball Park. The bronze statue was unveiled in 2015 during "Tony Pérez Weekend," where many of his former "Big Red Machine" teammates came to celebrate him.
Managerial Record
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | Win % | W | L | Win % | |||
| Cincinnati Reds | 1993 | 1993 | 20 | 24 | .455 | — | ||
| Florida Marlins | 2001 | 2001 | 54 | 60 | .474 | |||
| Total | 74 | 84 | .468 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| Reference: | ||||||||
Tony's Family Life
In 1964, while playing baseball in Puerto Rico, Tony met Juana ("Pituka") de la Cantera. They got married in 1965. Tony and Pituka became American citizens in 1971. They have two sons, Victor and Eduardo Pérez.
Eduardo Pérez also became a professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons. After he stopped playing, he became a baseball commentator and coach.
Tony visited his family in Cuba for the first time since 1963 in November 1972. He brought many gifts and supplies. His family in Cuba would listen to the radio to hear updates about Cuban players like Tony in the major leagues.
Tony's mother, Teodora, was 88 years old when he called her in 2000 to tell her he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Tony was able to visit Cuba again in 2002 with his sons.
Tony always looked up to Cuban-born baseball player Minnie Miñoso. Tony worked for many years to help get Miñoso elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A book about Tony's life, called Tony Pérez: From Cuba to Cooperstown, was published in 2018.
More About Tony Pérez
