Benigno Ayala Felix (born February 7, 1951) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player who had a 10-season career from to . He played

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. He played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

both of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

and the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

both of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Career

Ayala made his major league debut as the Mets' starting

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

in his first

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

off the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

' Tom Griffin to open a three-

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

rally in the bottom of the second

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

in a 4–2 Mets victory. Wearing uniform number 18 and strictly a

corner outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catc ...

, Ayala played in only 45 games with the Mets (23 in , 22 in ).Benny Ayala (statistics & history) – Baseball-Reference.com.
/ref> After spending 1974 with New York, he spent 1975 in the minors, 1976 with the New York Mets. He was traded from the Mets to the

for

Doug Clarey Doug Clarey (born April 20, 1954) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played one season in Major League Baseball (MLB), appearing in nine games for the 1976 St. Louis Cardinals. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-ha ...

during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

on March 20, 1977.Baltimore Orioles 1980 Information Guide (scroll down to page 85).
Retrieved September 17, 2022. He was acquired by the

from the Cardinals for

Mike Dimmel Michael Wayne Dimmel (born October 16, 1954) is a retired professional baseball player who played 3 seasons in Major League Baseball. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft. ...

on January 16, 1979 and assigned to the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

. His contract was purchased by the Orioles from the Red Wings months later on April 30. With Baltimore, Ayala routinely platooned with

Gary Roenicke Gary Steven Roenicke (born December 5, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Montreal Expos (1976), Baltimore Orioles (1978–85), New York Yankees (1986) and Atlanta Braves (1987–88). Early career He was originally drafted ...

and

John Lowenstein John Lee Lowenstein (born January 27, 1947) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles. Playing caree ...

. Ayala appeared in two World Series with Baltimore. In 1979, he belted a two-run homer in the Orioles' Game 3 win over the Pirates. In 1983, he made one pinch-hitting appearance against the Phillies. He singled home the tying run in Game 3 and later scored the winning run.

References

External links

* Wulf, Stev
"It's The Right Idea For Left"
''Sports Illustrated'', July 12, 1982 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Benny 1951 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Maine Guides players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball right fielders Memphis Blues players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players New York Mets players People from Yauco, Puerto Rico Pompano Beach Mets players Rochester Red Wings players Springfield Redbirds players St. Louis Cardinals players Tidewater Tides players Visalia Mets players West Palm Beach Tropics players

Career

See also

References

External links