Julio Enrique Gotay Sánchez (April 9, 1939 – July 4, 2008) was a
Puerto Rican professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
, 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 who ...
and
second baseman who played all or parts of ten seasons (1960–69) for 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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
,
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 ...
,
Los Angeles 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 ...
and
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 ...
of
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), ...
. Born in
Fajardo
Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was the uncle of infielder
Rubén Gotay.
Career
He made his major league debut at age 21 on August 6, 1960, as the host Cardinals defeated the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
6–5. In his first career
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 bat ...
,
pinch-hitting for pitcher
Ed Bauta
Eduardo Bauta Galvez (January 6, 1935 – July 6, 2022) was a Cuban-born professional baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher, he worked in 97 games in Major League Baseball as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1963) and New ...
in the sixth
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 ...
, he singled off Cincinnati
southpaw Joe Nuxhall
Joseph Henry Nuxhall (; July 30, 1928 – November 15, 2007) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became a radio broadcaster for the Reds f ...
for his first big-league
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
.
Gotay had his most productive season for the Cardinals in . He started 105 games at shortstop and
batted .255 with two
home runs
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 ...
, 12
doubles and 27
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 bat ...
in 406
plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
s. But on November 19, he was sent to the Pirates in a four-player trade that brought veteran shortstop and
1960 National League Most Valuable Player Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat (born November 4, 1930) is a former professional baseball and basketball player who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in Major League Baseball. He rates as one of the most accomplished t ...
to St. Louis. Groat would help lead the Cardinals to a second-place finish in and the
1964 World Championship and start at shortstop on the 1963 and 1964 National League
All-Star teams.
Meanwhile, Gotay could not beat out
Ducky Schofield
John Richard "Ducky" Schofield (January 7, 1935 – July 11, 2022) was an American professional baseball infielder who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco ...
for the Pirates' shortstop job in and was sent to
Triple-A. He would appear in only seven games for Pittsburgh during the 1963 and campaigns. 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 st ...
, he spent a half-season with the Angels in , then appeared in one full season and parts of three others for the Astros (1966–69). He retired from baseball after the 1971 minor-league season, which he spent at Triple-A in the Cardinals' organization. In 389
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
in the major leagues, Gotay collected 257 hits, with 38 doubles, three
triples, six home runs and 70 RBI.
After retiring from baseball, he spent many years as a physical education teacher in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
.
Gotay died from
prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
on July 4, 2008, at age 69 in Ponce. He was buried at the Old Fajardo Municipal Cemetery. He was married to his wife, Silvia Irizarry, for 48 years. He had four children, Julio Gotay, Agustín Gotay, Irma Gotay, and Silvia Gotay.
[ ]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotay, Julio
1939 births
2008 deaths
Charleston Marlins players
Columbus Jets players
Daytona Beach Islanders players
Deaths from cancer in Puerto Rico
Deaths from prostate cancer
Houston Astros players
Los Angeles Angels players
Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball shortstops
Oklahoma City 89ers players
People from Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada
Rochester Red Wings players
St. Louis Cardinals players
San Juan Marlins players
Seattle Angels players
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
Winnipeg Goldeyes players
Wytheville Cardinals players