Gus Gil

Tomás Gustavo Gil Guillén (April 19, 1939 – December 8, 2015) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Cleveland Indians (1967) and Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1971). He also played 19 seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gil and the second or maternal family name is Guillén.
Gus Gil
Gil in 1969
Infielder
Born: (1939-04-19)April 19, 1939
Caracas, Venezuela
Died: December 8, 2015(2015-12-08) (aged 76)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1967, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
June 30, 1971, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average.186
Home runs1
Runs batted in37
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Playing career

Gil was a talented defensive specialist with a career fielding percentage that was eight points higher than the league average over the span of his playing career.[1] Unfortunately, like many infielders of his time, Gil was a light hitter, and his major league career coincided with what has been called the second deadball era, when batting averages and run production in both leagues were at an unusually low level.[2] He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Reds in 1959.[3] He spent the next seven seasons playing in the minor leagues before being purchased by the Indians in 1966.[4] He joined the Indians' major league club in 1967, at the age of 27.[1]

Career highlights include a game-tying, two-run pinch hit double in the top of the ninth inning against the New York Yankees, then scored to put the Pilots ahead to stay, winning 5–4 (June 14, 1969);[5] a walk-off, two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for the Brewers as they came from behind and defeated the Minnesota Twins, 4–3 (June 23, 1970);[6] drove in both Milwaukee runs with a pair of sacrifice flies in a 2–1 win over the Kansas City Royals (July 5, 1970);[7] hit the only home run of his major league career, a solo shot against Chicago White Sox left-hander Jim Magnuson (August 5, 1970).[8]

In between major league seasons, Gil also played winter baseball with the Industriales de Valencia, Navegantes del Magallanes and Cardenales de Lara clubs of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in a career spanning 19 seasons from 1959 to 1977.

In the 1970 Caribbean Series, he hit .387, scored four runs, and had a series-leading seven RBI, to help the Magallanes win the series, marking the first time a Venezuelan team had won the Caribbean title. In the 1973 Caribbean Series, Gil earned a spot on the series' All-Star team.

Career statistics

In a four-year major league career, Gil played in 221 games, accumulating 87 hits in 468 at bats for a .186 career batting average along with one home run, 37 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .272.[1] His performance as a fielder was much better, with 186 putouts, 192 assists and 36 double plays, but only five errors out of 383 total chances for a .982 fielding percentage.[1]

Managing career

After his playing career, he served as manager for the Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League in 1979.[4] He also managed the Danville Suns in 1982, and the Bluefield Orioles in 1990 and 1991.[9][10][11]

Honors

In 2008, Gil was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.[12]

Gil died in 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 76.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Gus Gil at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  2. "1968: Year of the Pitcher". This Great Game. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  3. "Gus Gil Trades and Transactions". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  4. "Gus Gil minor league statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  5. "Box Score of Game played on Saturday, June 14, 1969 at Yankee Stadium". Baseball Almanac. June 14, 1969.
  6. "Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, June 23, 1970 at County Stadium". Baseball Almanac. June 23, 1970.
  7. "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, July 5, 1970 at County Stadium". Baseball Almanac. July 5, 1970.
  8. "Box Score of Game played on Wednesday, August 5, 1970 at Comiskey Park I". Baseball Almanac. August 5, 1970.
  9. "1982 Danville Suns Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. "1990 Bluefield Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  11. "1991 Bluefield Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "Gil, Gustavo". Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  13. Serrano, Ignacio (December 8, 2015). "Murió el gran Gustavo Gil". El Emergente (in Spanish).
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