Héctor Epitacio Torres Marroquin (born September 16, 1945) is a Mexican 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), ...

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 who ...

. Nicknamed "La Malita" in his native

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, he played all or parts of nine seasons in the majors, between and , with 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 ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

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 ...

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 penna ...

and

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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Early years

Torres played in the

1958 Little League World Series The Little League World Series took place on August 19 through 22 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico,See: Mexico in the Little League World Series. won its second consecutive Little League Wor ...

as a member of the championship team, Industrial Little League of

Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Major League career

Houston Astros (1968–1970)

Torres was originally signed as an amateur free agent by 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 Yor ...

on March 25, 1962. On April 6, 1966, he was traded by the Giants to the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

for Dave Marshall. On November 27, 1967, the Angels sent Torres to the

to complete an earlier deal in which Houston sent Jim Weaver to California for future considerations. Torres made his

debut on April 10, 1968 as the

' opening day shortstop, going 0 for 3 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. On April 11, he recorded his first career hit, an RBI single off

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

pitcher

Larry Jackson Lawrence Curtis Jackson (June 2, 1931 – August 28, 1990) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies from to . In , ...

. Torres hit his first career home run on August 13 against Jeff James of the

. Overall, Torres appeared in 128 games, batting .223 with 1 HR and 24 RBI. Torres struggled and saw very little playing time with Houston in 1969, hitting .159 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 34 games with the Astros. In 1970, he played in 31 games with Houston, hitting .246 with 0 HR and 5 RBI. On October 2, the Astros traded Torres to the

for

Roger Metzger Roger Henry Metzger (pronounced "Met-ZEE-ger", born October 10, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played most of this career for the Houston Astros (1971–1978). He also played for the Chicago Cubs (1970) and the San Francisco ...

Chicago Cubs (1971)

Torres played in only 31 games with the

in the 1971 season, as he had a .224 batting average with 0 HR and 2 RBI. The Cubs traded Torres and Hal Breeden to the

for

Dan McGinn Daniel Michael McGinn (born November 29, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Early life and football Born in Omaha, Nebraska, McGinn was a multi-sport athlete at Omaha Cathed ...

Montreal Expos (1972)

Torres saw increased playing time with the

in 1972, appearing in 83 games, the most games he had appeared in since his rookie season in 1968. He struggled offensively, batting .155, with 2 HR and 7 RBI. On April 4, 1973, the

purchased Torres from the Expos.

Houston Astros (1973)

Torres returned to the

for the 1973 season, but, in 38 games, he batted .091 with 0 HR and 2 RBI. He was dealt to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

on October 26, 1973 in a transaction which was completed when Dan Neumeier was sent to the Astros weeks later on December 4."Cards, Red Sox Confirm Trade of Wise for Smith," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, October 27, 1973.
Retrieved November 29, 2020

San Diego Padres (1975–1976)

Torres spent the entire 1974 season with the

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 ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. On April 3, 1975, the Padres acquired Torres when he was purchased by the

from the

. In 1975, he appeared in 112 games with San Diego, hitting .259 with 5 HR and 26 RBI. He struggled offensively in 1976, as in 74 games, his batting average dropped to .195 with 4 HR and 15 RBI with San Diego. On December 8, the Padres sent Torres,

Johnny Grubb John Maywood Grubb, Jr. (born August 4, 1948 in Richmond, Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter, who also occasionally played at first base. He played with the San Diego Padres (1972–1976), Cleveland In ...

and

Fred Kendall Fred Lyn Kendall (born January 31, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach who appeared in 877 games, primarily as a catcher, in Major League Baseball from to for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians and Boston Red ...

to 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 F ...

for

George Hendrick George Andrew Hendrick Jr. (born October 18, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as an integral member of the St. Louis Cardinals t ...

Toronto Blue Jays (1977)

The

acquired Torres from the

on March 29, 1977. He was named the Blue Jays' opening day shortstop in their first ever game on April 7 and became the first player to appear with both

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

-based Major League teams, as he had a hit in two at-bats in the Blue Jays 9-5 victory over the

. On June 27, 1977, he hit the first grand slam home run in Toronto Blue Jay history off

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, in the 5th inning with two outs, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto in an eventual 7-6 Blue Jays victory. In 94 games with Toronto, he hit .241 with 5 HR and 26 RBI. On March 27, 1978, the Blue Jays released Torres. He spent the 1978 season with the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

and

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

Career totals

In 622 career games, Torres collected 375 hits, had a .216 career batting average with 18 HR and 115 RBI.

Managing career

Florence Blue Jays (1985–1986)

Torres managed the Class-A

Florence Blue Jays The Florence Blue Jays Baseball Club was a minor league baseball team based in Florence, South Carolina. They began play in the South Atlantic League in 1981 where they eventually captured the league title in 1985. After the 1986 season the t ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

in both 1985 and 1986, leading the Blue Jays to the league title in the 1985 season. Overall, in two seasons, he led Florence to a 138-131 record.

Syracuse Chiefs (1995)

Torres managed the

of the

in 1995, the

AAA affiliate. The Chiefs finished the year with a 59-82 record.

Arizona League Brewers (2003)

Torres managed the Brewers of the

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...

in 2003, but the team struggled to a record of 18-37.

Sultanes de Monterrey (2005)

Torres managed the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season f ...

of 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 ...

in 2005, leading the club to a 56-50 record. However, the club failed to reach the playoffs.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Hector 1945 births Baseball players from Nuevo León Chicago Cubs players Columbus Clippers players Decatur Commodores players Fresno Giants players Hawaii Islanders players Houston Astros players Living people Major League Baseball players from Mexico Major League Baseball shortstops Mexican expatriate baseball players in Canada Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Minor league baseball coaches Montreal Expos players Oklahoma City 89ers players San Diego Padres players Seattle Angels players Sportspeople from Monterrey Springfield Giants players Syracuse Chiefs managers Toronto Blue Jays players

Early years

Major League career

Houston Astros (1968–1970)

Chicago Cubs (1971)

Montreal Expos (1972)

Houston Astros (1973)

San Diego Padres (1975–1976)

Toronto Blue Jays (1977)

Career totals

Managing career

Florence Blue Jays (1985–1986)

Syracuse Chiefs (1995)

Arizona League Brewers (2003)

Sultanes de Monterrey (2005)

See also

References

External links