Bill Ortega
William Ortega Bobadilla (born July 24, 1975) is a Cuban former professional baseball player who played in five games for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2001 season, all as a pinch hitter. He batted and threw right-handed.
| Bill Ortega | |
|---|---|
| Pinch hitter | |
| Born: July 24, 1975 Havana, Cuba | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 2001, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2001, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .200 |
| At bats | 5 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Teams | |
| |
In Cuba, Ortega watched Major League Baseball games on videotapes which had been smuggled out of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Before defecting, he played for Industriales in the Cuban National Series. Ortega defected from Cuba during an international baseball tournament in Mexico in November 1996, leaving a wife and two-year-old son behind in Cuba. He was signed by the Cardinals in 1997 after a tryout.[1]
Ortega was an outfielder in the minor leagues. In his five major league pinch-hitting appearances, Ortega had one hit in five at-bats.
References
- Parks, Brad (31 August 1997). "FIRST SEASON ISN'T EASY FOR CUBAN DEFECTORS". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)