Sixto Lezcano
Sixto Lezcano | |
---|---|
Right fielder | |
Born: Arecibo, Puerto Rico | November 28, 1953|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: September 10, 1974, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
NPB: April 19, 1987, for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: September 29, 1985, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
NPB: 1987, for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .271 |
Home runs | 148 |
Runs batted in | 591 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .217 |
Home runs | 3 |
Runs batted in | 7 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras
Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Lezcano attended Fernando Collegio San Jose High School in San Jose, Puerto Rico.
Playing career
In 1970, at age 16, Lezcano was signed as an amateur free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers.[2] After spending four seasons in their minor league system,[3] he reached the big leagues for the first time in 1974; Lezcano made his big league debut on September 10, 1974.[2]
Lezcano became the Brewers' starting right fielder in 1975, a job he held for the next six seasons.[4] Lezcano showed a particularly strong throwing arm in right field, and led American League (AL) outfielders in assists, in 1978.[5]
Lezcano’s best offensive numbers came in 1979, when he finished among the top 10 in the AL in
While with the Brewers, Lezcano became the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam on Opening Day twice, doing so in 1978 and 1980.[6]
After the 1980 season, Lezcano was part of a blockbuster 7-player trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, being one of four players traded in exchange for Rollie Fingers, Pete Vuckovich, and Ted Simmons.[6] Lezcano wasn't able to consistently crack the starting lineup in St. Louis, and batted .266 with the Cardinals in 1981.[2]
Lezcano was involved in another major trade after the 1981 season, being traded to the
Lezcano joined a Phillies team which won the NL pennant in 1983. He platooned with Joe Lefebvre during the postseason, and homered off Rick Honeycutt during the 1983 National League Championship Series (NLCS).[7] Lezcano had one base hit in eight at-bats in the Phillies' 5-game World Series loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Lezcano continued to platoon with Philadelphia in 1984 before leaving the team as a free agent, following the season.[2] He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985 and served as one of the team's primary pinch hitters. During spring training 1986, Pittsburgh released Lezcano, ending his Major League career.[2]
In 1,291 games over 12 seasons, Lezcano posted a .271 batting average (1,122-for-4,134) with 560
In
Coaching career
Lezcano was the batting coach for the Danville Braves (the Rookie league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves).
Personal life
Lezcano’s cousin, Carlos Lezcano, played two seasons in MLB for the Chicago Cubs.
References
- ^ "Sixto Lezcano". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sixto Lezcano stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ "Sixto Lezcano Player Card". thebaseballcube.com. The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ "Milwaukee Brewers Positional Chart". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ "Sixto Lezcano Biography". baseballbiography.com. Baseball Biography. Retrieved June 1, 2008. The article erroneously states he also led National League outfielders in assists in 1983; he actually did so in 1982.
- ^ a b c "Sixto Lezcano Biography". baseballbiography.com. Baseball Biography. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ "1983 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 4, Dodgers at Phillies: Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Veterans Stadium: Sports Reference, LLC. October 8, 1983. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Sixto Lezcano at SABR (Baseball BioProject)