César Dario Gutiérrez
oo-te-er'-rez(January 26, 1943 – January 22, 2005), also nicknamed "Cocoa", was a
Venezuelan professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
player. He played as a
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
in
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), ...
for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
in the 1967 and 1969 seasons, and for the
Detroit Tigers from 1969 to 1971. Listed at 5'9" and 155 lbs, he batted and threw right handed.
[César Gutiérrez at Baseball Reference](_blank)
/ref> Gutiérrez is notable for being the second player in Major League history to record seven hits in a game without making an out.
Career
Born in Coro, Falcón
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, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
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, pushpin_map_alt =
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, Gutiérrez was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 1960.[César Gutiérrez Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac](_blank)
/ref> He was released in 1962, then was signed by the Giants before the 1963 season. Gutiérrez hit a combined .182 average in just 33 games for the Giants in parts of two seasons, before being traded to Detroit during the 1969 midseason.
His most productive season came in 1970 with the Tigers, when he became the everyday shortstop for the team, while posting career-highs in batting average (.243), RBI (22), runs (40), hits (101), doubles (11), triples (6), stolen bases (4) and games played (135), although he committed 23 errors for the third highest total in the league.
On June 21, 1970 in the second game of a doubleheader against the 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 Fi ...
, Gutiérrez collected seven hits in seven at bats
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 ...
including a double, to become the second player in Major League history, after Wilbert Robinson, to record seven hits in a game without making an out. The Tigers won 9–8 in twelve innings, as his batting average went up 31 points that day, from .218 to .249.
Nevertheless, in 1971, Gutiérrez lost his regular shortstop position to Ed Brinkman
Edwin Albert Brinkman (December 8, 1941 – September 30, 2008) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a shortstop, for the Washington Senators (1961– ...
, who had been acquired in a blockbuster six-player trade with the Washington Senators in the off-season. He played 40 games as a utility infielder
In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...
for Detroit, batting only .189. Gutiérrez was sold to the Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
prior to the start of the next season, being assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the Peninsula Whips, where after playing in only 12 games he was then released and picked up by the San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
, who assigned him to their Triple-A Hawaii Islanders
The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987.
Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played ...
affiliate club. Gutiérrez played the rest of the 1972 season in Hawaii, and retired at the end of the year.
Career statistics
In a four-year career, Gutiérrez played in 223 games, accumulating 128 hits in 545 at bats
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 ...
for a .235 career batting average and 26 runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
without 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 ...
s. He ended his career with a .953 fielding percentage.
In between, Gutiérrez played winter baseball in the Venezuelan League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year.
History Early years
Baseball exp ...
from 1961 to 1976. He later became a manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
in the Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
, and served as a coach and scout with several teams.
Gutiérrez died in Cabimas, Zulia State, Venezuela, four days short of his 62nd birthday.Baseball Digest, April 2006, Vol. 65, No. 2
See also
* List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
From 1939 to 2019, 397 Venezuelan baseball players born in Venezuela have played in Major League Baseball. This list shows players who appeared in at least one game in MLB, including number indicating order of arrival, name of player, position, s ...
* List of Major League Baseball hit records
This is a list of Major League Baseball hit records.
Bolded names mean the player is still active and playing.
3,000 career hits
240 hits in one season
Evolution of the single season record for hits
Three or more seasons with 215+ hits
Fiv ...
*List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
In baseball, a hit is credited to a batter when he reaches first base – or any subsequent base – safely after hitting a fair ball, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice. One hundred seventeen different players have record ...
References
External links
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez, Cesar
1943 births
2005 deaths
Águilas del Zulia players
Baseball coaches
Cardenales de Lara players
Detroit Tigers players
El Paso Sun Kings players
Fresno Giants players
Hawaii Islanders players
Hobbs Pirates players
Johnson City Phillies players
Leones del Caracas players
Lexington Giants players
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Minor league baseball managers
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Peninsula Whips players
People from Falcón
Phoenix Giants players
San Francisco Giants players
Tigres de Aragua players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States