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

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. Nicknamed "La Malita" in his native

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, 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. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

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 ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

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. ...

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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Early years

Torres played in the 1958 Little League World Series as a member of the championship team, Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.

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. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

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 Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

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

. 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. 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 ...

pitcher Larry Jackson. 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.

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.

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

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 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) is an American 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 Indians (1977 ...

and Fred Kendall 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

for George Hendrick.

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

-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) Am ...

, 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 most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

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, merch ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

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 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 h ...

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 fo ...

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 (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

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 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 20th-century Mexican sportsmen 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 Baseball players 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