Chico Ruiz
Chico Ruiz | ||
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Runs batted in | 69 | |
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Hiraldo Sablón Ruiz (December 5, 1938 – February 9, 1972), known in the United States as Chico Ruiz, was a Cuban-American
Early years
Ruiz was born in Santo Domingo, Cuba, on December 5, 1938. His father, who owned a cigar factory, wanted Giraldo to succeed him in running the business. However, Chico attended college, where he studied architecture.[4] His brother, Julio, later headed the labor force of Cubatabaco, which absorbed the Sablón business and various other private-sector tobacco enterprises.
Ruiz signed with the Cincinnati Redlegs in
Ruiz married Isabel Suárez Navarro on October 4, 1961. They later had two daughters, Isis and Bárbara Isa.[6]
"The Curse of Chico Ruiz"
On September 21, 1964, facing
Though in later years Mahaffey recalled he had gotten two
At the start of that game, the Phillies had a 6+1⁄2-game hold on first place with 12 games to play. The Phillies then lost ten straight games to finish tied for second place. Phillies third baseman Dick Allen is quoted in Crash, The Life and Times of Dick Allen by Tim Whitaker as saying that the play "broke our humps".[9] Chico Ruiz's steal of home has evolved into a popular culture legend. Some Philadelphia sports fans still refer to the "Curse of Chico Ruiz" as the reason for many of the misfortunes of the team over time.[4] A novel by Gregory T. Glading entitled 64 Intruder centers on what might have happened had Ruiz been called out on the play.
"Bench me or trade me"
With Pete Rose at second, Deron Johnson at third and Leo Cárdenas at short, Ruiz was squeezed out of a very solid infield, and saw very little playing time over the next two seasons. He took it in stride, bringing a cushion to sit on the bench, a pair of special soft, comfortable alligator spiked shoes and a battery-driven fan the people in St. Louis gave him at their games to keep himself cool and comfortable on the bench.[10]
His chance finally arrived in
Regardless of his "demand", Ruiz remained with the Reds for two more seasons. Following the
Angels and Alex Johnson
Despite Johnson having a reputation as a malcontent, he and Ruiz were good friends. In fact, Ruiz was the godfather of Johnson's adopted daughter. Johnson won the
Tensions hit a climax when Johnson claimed that Ruiz pointed a gun at him while the two were in the clubhouse following a June 13 loss to the
The Angels would clean house after the season. Phillips and Walsh were both fired, Johnson was traded to the
Death
Ruiz became a United States citizen on January 7, 1972, something which made him very proud.[6] Early in the morning of February 9, just before he was to join his new team, the Royals, in spring training, Ruiz was killed when he drove his car into a sign pole while driving alone outside of San Diego.[21] Alex Johnson attended the funeral.[22]
See also
References
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 3, Cincinnati Reds 2". Baseball-Reference.com. September 17, 1967.
- ^ Scott Schaffer (September 2004). "The Legend of Chico Ruiz: Forty Years Later, A City Still Bleeds". Magazine Americana.
- ^ Johnny Goodtimes (September 21, 2011). "Chico F***ing Ruiz and the Bonehead Play of the Year". Philly Sports History.
- ^ a b Costello, Rory. "Chico Ruiz". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ^ a b Doug Wilson (April 2, 2011). "Bench Me or Trade Me: Remembering Chico Ruiz". Doug Wilson baseball Blog.
- ^ a b "Chico Ruiz - Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds 1, Philadelphia Phillies 0". Baseball-Reference.com. September 21, 1964.
- ^ Rory Costello (2013). "In defense of Chico Ruiz's 'Mad Dash'". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ Whitaker, Tim (1989). Crash, The Life and Times of Dick Allen. Ticknor & Fields. p. 55.
- ^ Gary Ronberg (August 25, 1969). "The Bottom Part Of The Lineup". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Bristol Has No Alibis". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 13, 1967.
- ^ "Reds Trade Johnson, Ruiz To Angels". The Bryan Times. November 26, 1969.
- The Rock Hill Herald. March 22, 1971.
- ^ Eldridge, Larry (June 5, 1971). "Alex Johnson Benched by California Skipper". Waycross Journal-Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ Greg Popelka (May 11, 2011). "Blast From The Past: Alex Johnson". TheClevelandFan.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
- ^ Bruce Markusen (September 7, 2012). "Card Corner: 1972 Topps: Alex Johnson". The Hardball Times.
- ^ Fimrite, Ron (July 5, 1971). "For Failure To Give His Best..." Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Say Exec Lied in Johnson Case". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 8, 1971.
- The Spokesman Review. October 22, 1971. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ "Alex Johnson Says He Can't Wait to Play Baseball for the Cleveland Indians". The Miami News. October 6, 1971. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- Palm Beach Post. February 10, 1972.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Armour, Mark. "Alex Johnson". SABR.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
- Chico Ruiz at Find a Grave