Warren Cromartie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Warren Cromartie |
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Cromartie with the Montreal Expos in 1980
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| Outfielder / First baseman | |||
| Born: September 29, 1953 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 6, 1974, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| NPB: April 6, 1984, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| NPB: June 2, 1990, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| MLB: September 15, 1991, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .281 | ||
| Home run | 61 | ||
| Runs batted in | 391 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .321 | ||
| Home runs | 171 | ||
| Runs batted in | 558 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Warren Livingston Cromartie (born September 29, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player. He is best known for his time with the Montreal Expos in Major League Baseball (MLB). He also had a very successful career playing baseball in Japan.
Warren was part of an exciting group of young outfielders with the Expos in the late 1970s. Fans in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, loved him. In Japan, he was nicknamed "Cro" and "the Black Samurai." He even won the 1989 Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award while playing for the Yomiuri Giants.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Warren Cromartie was the only child of Marjorie and Leroy Cromartie. His father, Leroy, was also a talented athlete. Leroy played quarterback in college and led his team to championships. He also played basketball and baseball. He even played semi-pro baseball and briefly in the Negro leagues.
After high school in 1971, Warren was drafted by the Chicago White Sox. But he chose to go to Miami Dade College instead. He was drafted by other teams a few more times. Finally, in 1973, the Montreal Expos picked him, and he signed with them.
In his first professional season in 1974, Warren played for the Quebec Carnavals. He hit very well, with a .336 batting average, 13 home runs, and 61 runs batted in. This great performance led to him being called up to the major leagues that same year. He played a few games for the Expos.
In 1975, he played for the Memphis Blues. He then had a strong season in 1976 with the Denver Bears, hitting .337. This earned him another call-up to the Expos in August.
Playing for the Montreal Expos
The Young Outfielders of Montreal
In 1977, Cromartie became a starting outfielder for the Expos. He played in left field. He joined two other young and talented outfielders: Andre Dawson in center field and Ellis Valentine in right field. These three players were known for their youth, speed, and skill. They quickly became famous in the baseball world.
Warren hit his first major league home run in July 1977. He usually batted second or fifth in the lineup. He kept his batting average above .300 for most of the season. He finished the year with a .282 average, five home runs, and 50 RBIs.
In 1978, Warren worked hard to improve his defense. He became one of the best left fielders in the National League. He, Dawson, and Valentine all led their positions in outfield assists. This made the Expos' outfield one of the best in baseball for defense. Warren finished the 1978 season with a .297 batting average, the highest on the team. He hit his first major league grand slam in July.
In 1979, Warren started the season with a 19-game hitting streak. This was the longest of his career. His strong start helped the Expos compete for first place in their division. The team had a great season, winning 95 games. Warren batted .275 with eight home runs and a career-high 84 runs scored.
Moving to First Base
In 1980, Warren moved to play first baseman for the Expos. This happened after the team got another outfielder, Ron LeFlore. Warren had some trouble learning his new position. He made 14 errors at first base, which was the most in the league. However, he had one of his best seasons hitting the ball. He batted .288 and set new career highs with 14 home runs and 70 RBIs.
A memorable moment from 1980 was a Fourth of July doubleheader against the New York Mets. Warren made three errors in total that day. But he also hit a two-run home run that helped the Expos win the second game.
The Expos were in another close race for the division title in 1980. Warren was the only player on the team who played all 162 games. The season came down to the last three games against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies won two of those games and took the division title.
For the 1981 season, Warren stayed at first base. Later, he moved to right field when other players were traded or injured. He eventually moved back to first base in September.
Playoff Baseball
Because of a players' strike in 1981, the season was split into two halves. The Expos won the second half of their division. This meant Warren and his teammates reached the playoffs for the first time.
In the first round, the Expos played the Philadelphia Phillies. Warren hit a key double in Game 1, helping his team win. The Expos won the series in five games. They then played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The Expos lost to the Dodgers in a very close five-game series. Warren was waiting to bat when the Dodgers got the final out.
Back to Right Field
In 1982, the Expos got a new first baseman, Al Oliver. This meant Warren moved back to play right fielder. He started the season slowly, but then hit a walk-off home run in June. This helped him improve his hitting. He finished the season batting .254 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs.
In 1983, Warren had to compete for the right field job. He won the position but played less often. He also had some back problems that limited his playing time.
Playing in Japan: Yomiuri Giants
After the 1983 season, Warren became a free agent. He decided to sign with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He was 30 years old, which was unusual for an American player still in his prime to move to Japan.
When he arrived, his manager, the famous Japanese slugger Sadaharu Oh, helped him improve his batting swing. Warren quickly became a star in Japan. He hit over 30 home runs in each of his first three seasons. His second son was even named Cody Oh Cromartie, in honor of his manager.
In 1987, Warren was suspended for seven days for starting a fight during a game. This caused a lot of excitement, and extra security was needed when the Giants played in that city again.
In 1988, a broken thumb limited Warren to only 49 games. He thought about leaving Japan after that season. However, his new manager convinced him to stay.
In 1989, Warren had an amazing season. He batted .378 with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs. He was named the MVP of the Central League. He also led his team to win the Japan Series championship. In the final game, Warren hit a double and a home run to help his team win. He had planned to retire after this season, but his success made him decide to play one more year.
Back to MLB: Kansas City Royals
In 1991, Warren was invited to Spring Training with the Kansas City Royals. He earned a one-year contract to be a left-handed hitter off the bench. He played in a limited number of games but hit well, with a .313 batting average, one home run, and 20 RBIs. He decided to retire during that season, with 20 games left to play.
Career Statistics
Warren Cromartie played in Major League Baseball for 1107 games. He had a career batting average of .281, with 61 home runs and 391 RBIs.
In his seven seasons in Japan, Warren hit over .300 five times. Overall, he had a .321 batting average with 171 home runs and 558 RBIs for the Yomiuri Giants. He led the Giants in RBIs three times and in home runs twice.
Music and Media Work
Warren Cromartie is also a talented drummer. He has even played with the famous Canadian rock band Rush. A drawing of a fictional "Warren Cromartie Secondary School" is on the back cover of Rush's 1982 album, Signals.
While in Japan, Warren formed a rock band called Climb. The lead singer of Rush, Geddy Lee, sang on one of their songs.
After his baseball career, Warren wrote an autobiography (a book about his own life) called Slugging It Out in Japan. This book was about his time playing baseball in Japan.
Warren also worked in broadcasting. He was a radio host for the Florida Marlins from 1997 to 2002. In 2004, he was a television commentator for the Montreal Expos in their final year. He still hosts a radio show in Miami, Florida, called "Talking Hardball with The Cro."
In 2005, Warren sued the creators of a film based on a Japanese comic book series called Cromartie High School. He said the series, which showed students doing bad things, damaged his reputation because the school shared his name.
Coaching and Other Projects
In 1994, Warren held his first baseball camp in Miami. In 2005, he managed an all-Japanese team called the Japan Samurai Bears in a U.S. independent league. A documentary film about this team, called Season of the Samurai, was shown on the MLB Network in 2010.
In 2012, he started the Montreal Baseball Project. This group worked to see if Major League Baseball could return to Montreal.
Warren also teamed up with other baseball players to create a company called "Sports Dent" in 1993. They made baseball-themed dental products, like a toothbrush shaped like a baseball bat!
In 2007, Warren even made his professional wrestling debut in Japan. He participated in a tag team match to raise money for leukemia research. He wore a baseball uniform with "Samurai Man" on it and carried a baseball bat. He won the match!
Images for kids
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Cromartie with the Montreal Expos in 1980
