José Luis Vizcaíno Pimental (born March 26, 1968) is a Dominican 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 ...
player. He was a backup
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 ...
for most of his
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 ...
(MLB) career. He, along with
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry Sr. (born March 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport ...
and
Ricky Ledée, are the only Major League Baseball players to have played for all four former and current New York teams—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 ...
, the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
, 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 ...
, and 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 ...
. With the Yankees, he won the
2000 World Series against the Mets.
Baseball career

Los Angeles Dodgers (1989–1990)
Vizcaíno made his debut with the Dodgers as a late-season call-up in 1989, where he played five games at shortstop for them to conclude the season.
In 1990, he was again called up late, playing in 37 games and where he hit a respectable .275. Despite his play, he was traded to 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 ...
on December 14, 1990.
Chicago Cubs (1991–1993)
In Chicago, Vizcaíno saw his playing time increase, appearing in no less than 86 games in any given season, including a career-high 151 games in 1992.
In 1993, he played a significant role, having 551
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 upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...
s and being 9th in the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
with 131
singles as well as second in the NL with 9
sacrifice flies.
New York Mets (1994–1996)
The Cubs traded Vizcaíno to the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
on March 30, 1994, for
Anthony Young and minor-leaguer Ottis Smith. In 1994, Vizcaíno, now a starter for the first time in his career, collected 105 hits before the strike shortened the season. When play resumed in 1995, Vizcaíno responded with his best season to that point, collecting 146 hits, including a career-high 21 doubles and 56 runs batted in, although his strikeouts increased slightly to 76.
He finished fifth in the National League in hits that year. In 1996, Vizcaíno played in 96 games for the Mets, hitting .303 (a career-high) with 32 runs batted in. On July 29, 1996, Vizcaíno was traded 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 ...
along with
Jeff Kent for
Carlos Baerga and
Alvaro Espinoza.
Cleveland Indians (1996)
In Cleveland, Vizcaíno appeared in 48 games to complete the 1996 season, and made his first career trip to the postseason. In the
1996 American League Division Series against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
, Vizcaíno collected four hits (including two doubles) and one
run batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
. Despite these contributions, the Indians were defeated by the Orioles. On November 13, 1996, he was traded to 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 ...
along with Matt Williams and a player to be named later (Joe Roa) and Trent Hubbard along with
Jeff Kent and Julián Tavárez.
San Francisco Giants (1997)
With the Giants, he appeared in 151 games hitting .266 with a career-high 50 runs batted in, along with a career-high 87 strikeouts
while again returning to the postseason and finished tenth in the National League in hits. In the postseason, Vizcaíno collected two hits and one run while striking out five times as the Giants were defeated by 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 ...
. On October 29, 1997, he was granted free agency.
Return to the Dodgers (1998–2000)
On December 8, 1997, Vizcaíno re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared in a career-low 67 games in 1998 hitting .262 with 29 runs batted in. In 1999, Vizcaíno played in 94 games collecting 29 runs batted in.
Vizcaíno began the 2000 season with the Dodgers, hitting a dismal .204 over 40 games (collecting only 19 hits).
On June 20, he was traded to 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 ...
with cash for
Jim Leyritz.
New York Yankees (2000)
Vizcaíno appeared in 73 games for the Yankees, hitting .276 with 10 runs batted in, earning a spot on the Yankees postseason roster. In the
American League Division Series, he scored one run as a pinch-runner. In the
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and ...
, he played in four games collecting two hits, three runs, and 2 runs batted in (along with two stolen bases) as the Yankees defeated the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
.
Vizcaíno played in four of the five games in the
2000 World Series against the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
. He is most known for his dramatic hit on October 21, 2000, in Game 1. In the bottom of the 12th inning of the then longest game in World Series history, Vizcaíno hit the game-winning RBI single. He earned a
World Series ring when the Yankees defeated the Mets in five games. On November 1, he was granted free agency.
Houston Astros (2001–2005)
Vizcaíno signed with the Astros on November 20, 2000. In 2001, he hit .277 with 71 hits and 14 runs batted in. He appeared in three games in the 2001
National League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
, he was 1 for 6 as Houston was defeated by the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. In 2002, he hit .303 with five home runs and 37 runs batted in 125 games. In 2003, Vizcaíno appeared in only 91 games, where he collected 26 runs batted in. In 2004, Vizcaíno rebounded, hitting .274 and playing in 138 games at shortstop while
Adam Everett was out with a broken wrist. In the
2005 National League Division Series
The 2005 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2005 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 4, and ended on Sunday, October 9, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—p ...
, Vizcaíno went 0-for-5 in two games. Despite his lack of productivity, the Astros defeated the Braves in 5 games. In the
2005 National League Championship Series
The 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the National League (baseball), National League side in Major League Baseball’s 2005 Major League Baseball postseason, 2005 postseason. It matched the Central Division cha ...
against 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 ...
, Vizcaíno did not fare better, again going hitless.
In the
2005 World Series, Vizcaíno collected one hit, one walk, and two runs batted in. In Game 2 of the
2005 World Series, he came close to repeating his 2000 World Series walk-off moment when he hit a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game. Following his game tying hit for the Houston Astros, Vizcaíno stayed in the game at shortstop for the bottom of the ninth, and on the way out to his position, he realized he had forgotten his cap and had to return to the dugout to get it. After the game Vizcaíno commented "It was crazy, I ran out there without
cap and when I realized it, I felt funny. More camera time for me, I guess." The Astros went on to lose when
Scott Podsednik homered in the bottom of the inning and overshadowed Vizcaíno's heroics. In Game 3 of that year's Series, Vizcaíno would play every out of a historic game that went 14 innings, a then-record for longest World Series game ever.
Return to the Giants (2006)
Vizcaíno was not offered arbitration following the 2005 season from Houston. Instead, he signed a one-year contract with 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 ...
, who designated pitcher
Brian Burres for assignment to make room for him on the roster. On August 14, Vizcaíno was designated for assignment by the Giants after hitting just .210 over 64 games.
St. Louis Cardinals (2006)
On August 23, 2006, Vizcaíno was signed to a contract by the Cardinals and spent the rest of the 2006 season as a replacement for injured shortstop
David Eckstein. He played sixteen games but missed the postseason roster.
Post-playing career
Vizcaíno was hired as a Special Assistant of Baseball Operations in 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 ...
front office in January 2008.
Personal life
Vizcaíno's son, José Jr., played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
for
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...
and was drafted 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 ...
in the 7th round of the
2015 MLB Draft.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vizcaino, Jose
1968 births
Living people
Albuquerque Dukes players
Bakersfield Dodgers players
Chicago Cubs players
Cleveland Indians players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Gulf Coast Dodgers players
Houston Astros players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Los Angeles Dodgers scouts
Major League Baseball infielders
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
20th-century Dominican Republic sportsmen
Major League Baseball shortstops
New Orleans Zephyrs players
New York Mets players
New York Yankees players
St. Louis Cardinals players
San Francisco Giants players
Baseball players from San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic