Bert Peña
Adalberto Peña Rivera (July 11, 1959 – January 19, 2023) was a Puerto Rican shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros in 1981, and from 1983 to 1987.[1][2] Peña played only 88 games for the Astros across his six seasons, most of them as a late-inning defensive replacement; about half his games were played after rosters were expanded in September. His most productive season was in 1985, when he batted .276 in 20 games. He later managed for three seasons in the independent Atlantic League, and led the Puerto Rican team in the 2005 Baseball World Cup and 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games.
| Bert Peña | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: July 11, 1959 Santurce, Puerto Rico | |
| Died: January 19, 2023 (aged 63) Caguas, Puerto Rico | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 1981, for the Houston Astros | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 19, 1987, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .203 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 10 |
| Teams | |
Career
Peña's professional career extended for 12 seasons, 1977–1988. Although he appeared in parts of six years in the majors, he spent most of the seasons from 1981 to 1987 with the Triple-A Tucson Toros, where he had over 60 runs batted in three times. In 1984 he saw his most lengthy major league service, with 24 games played for Houston, and collecting his only big-league home run, hit off Ricky Horton of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 2 at Busch Stadium; it was Houston's only run in a 4–1 defeat.[3]
In 88 major league games, Peña collected 31 hits, four of them doubles. He batted .231 in 1,224 minor league games.
Personal life and death
Bert's son, Roberto, is a professional baseball player.[4]
Peña died on January 19, 2023, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, from esophageal cancer. He was 63.[5]
References
- Griffin, Michael (March 2, 1986). "Astros try to warm up". The Orlando Sentinel. p. 35. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Astros, Reynolds rip Braves". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. March 15, 1987. p. 5C. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Information at Retrosheet
- "Catching prospect Roberto Pena has link to Astros". November 7, 2014.
- noticel.com News Service (January 19, 2023). "Muere expelotero Adalberto Berto Peña".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)