Héctor R. Luna (born February 1, 1980) is a

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

. He last played for the

Hiroshima Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

. He is primarily an infielder, but has played every position at the major league level except

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

and

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Career

Cleveland Indians

Luna was signed as an undrafted free agent by 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in 1999 and played from 2000 to 2003 with the Indians farm system, reaching as high as AA with the

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,63 ...

in 2003.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

drafted Luna from the Indians in the 2002

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He returned to the Indians in April 2003.

St. Louis Cardinals

Luna was drafted by the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

from the Indians in the

in December . He made his major league debut with the Cardinals on April 8, . He hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat, against

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

pitcher

Chris Capuano Christopher Frank Capuano (born August 19, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher whose professional playing career spanned from 2000 through 2016. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwauk ...

. In the

2004 World Series The 2004 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2004 season. The 100th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Le ...

, while playing against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, Luna appeared in one game. In the eighth inning of the Game 4, he

pinch hit In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Am ...

for second baseman

Tony Womack Anthony Darrell Womack (born September 25, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in 13 seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB), with most of his career spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks, t ...

and struck out.

Return to Indians

On July 30, , Luna was traded by the Cardinals to the

for

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Ronnie Belliard Ronald Belliard (born April 7, 1975) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2010 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardi ...

. He split second base duties with

Joe Inglett Joseph Steven Inglett (born June 29, 1978) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2006 and 2011 for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Houston Ast ...

for the remainder of the season. After the 2006 season, the Indians acquired Josh Barfield from 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

to be the team's everyday second baseman, leaving Luna to fight for a utility infield role with three other candidates during the team's

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. He performed poorly during spring training, committing eight

errors An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

and batting just .012 in 28 spring games. The Indians kept

Mike Rouse Michael Gregory Rouse (born April 25, 1980) is an American former infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2006 and 2007. Amateur career Rouse grew up in San Jose and attended Gunderson High School and Valley Christian High Sc ...

as their utility infielder and Luna began 2007 with the AAA

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

Toronto Blue Jays

On August 3, 2007, the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

claimed Luna off waivers, and he played in 22 games in 2007 and two in 2008 with Toronto.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Luna became a free agent after the season and signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Luna was assigned to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

for the 2009 season. He had a successful year for the Isotopes, hitting .351 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI in 92 games.

Florida Marlins

On December 4, 2009, Luna signed a minor league contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

. He spent the majority of the season in the Marlins system and appeared in 27 games for the Marlins late in the season, hitting .138 with two home runs and 4 RBI.

Boston Red Sox

On January 3, 2011, Luna signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 21, 2011, Luna signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. After opening the season with the AAA

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, his contract was purchased by the Phillies on May 11. Luna replaced the injured

Laynce Nix Laynce Michael Nix (born October 30, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Nix played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Philli ...

on the Phillies' 25-man roster. He hit a grand slam in his first official at-bat as a Phillie five days later against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

. He was released by the Phillies on August 30, 2012.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Luna signed with the Pirates on August 31, 2012. In November 2012, Luna became a free agent.

Chunichi Dragons

In November 2012, Luna signed with the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

worth $450,000 with up to $200,000 in incentives. With the conclusion of the 2015 NPB season, his third year with the Chunichi Dragons, Luna had batted .316 with 34 home runs and 184 RBIs in 346 games played.

Hiroshima Carp

On December 18, 2015 as a free agent, Luna signed with the

on a one-year deal. In 2016, Luna played in 67 games for the Carp, batting .272 with five home runs and 34 RBI. At the end of the season, Luna was one of 3 foreign players cut by the Carp including Jason Pridie and

Steve Delabar Steven Edward Delabar (born July 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A native of Kentucky, Delabar attended Central Hardin High School and Volunteer State Community College. He was selected late in the 2003 MLB draft b ...

. Through four seasons in NPB, Luna had a career batting average of .309.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Hector 1980 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Albuquerque Isotopes players Arizona League Dodgers players Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Burlington Indians players (1986–2006) Chunichi Dragons players Cleveland Indians players Columbus RedStixx players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Florida Marlins players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Indianapolis Indians players Kinston Indians players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Memphis Redbirds players New Orleans Zephyrs players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen Pawtucket Red Sox players Philadelphia Phillies players St. Louis Cardinals players Syracuse Chiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players Baseball players from Monte Cristi Province