Todd Cruz

Last updated

The biggest move we made was when we got Todd Cruz from Seattle. General manager Hank Peters made a great move there. Leo Hernández, he was a little late in getting the ball to second base, and his range was a little shallow. Todd Cruz was playing shortstop for Seattle when we got him. We moved him over to third base. He had real good range and got rid of the ball real quick. He solidified our infield for the second half.

Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. praised him even further:

In the first part of the year, we were going back and forth at third base. It was an issue for us. But when Todd Cruz came over and was put at third base, he went from a shortstop with real good range to a third baseman with great range. Defensively, with the type of pitching staff we had, he was very instrumental in taking hits away from the hole and turning double plays. And offensively, he contributed a lot in certain games. He allowed me to play further up the middle. I didn't have to shade toward the hole a little bit. As a matter of fact, it became the exact opposite. If there was a pull hitter up, I felt that with his range to the left, he could cover so much ground there, so I only needed to cover to that ground, and then I could position myself further up the middle. I think both of us were able to cover more of the left side of the infield because he had some great range.

Cruz, along with teammates at the bottom of the batting order Rick Dempsey and Rich Dauer, were famously nicknamed "The Three Stooges." Cruz was "Curly," while Dempsey and Dauer were "Moe" and "Larry," respectively. [8] After winning the American League Pennant three games to one over a former team of Cruz's, the White Sox, the Orioles captured the 1983 World Series Championship in five games over Cruz's original ballclub, the Phillies.

His MLB career came to an end on March 29, 1985, when he was released by the Orioles in spring training. Orioles teammate Gary Roenicke said of Cruz's two seasons in Baltimore, "Even though he'd played for many other teams, he always thought of himself as an Oriole. He had an outgoing personality ... and he kept everybody loose." [9]

Death

Cruz died on September 2, 2008, at age 52, while swimming in the pool at the apartment complex where he lived in Bullhead City, Arizona. The efforts of bystanders and responding paramedics to revive him were unsuccessful. The cause of death was a heart attack. [10]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

In baseball, a triple play is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 736 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assist (baseball)</span> Baseball statistic

In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is credited to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional. For example, if a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to another fielder, who tags the baserunner, the first player is credited with an assist. A fielder can receive a maximum of one assist per out recorded. An assist is also credited if a putout would have occurred, had another fielder not committed an error. For example, a shortstop might field a ground ball cleanly, but the first baseman might drop his throw. In this case, an error would be charged to the first baseman, and the shortstop would be credited with an assist.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2003 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2000 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Rodríguez</span> Mexican baseball player (1947-2000)

Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr., sometimes known by the nickname "Chi Chi", was a Mexican professional baseball player, who spent the bulk of his Major League career with the Detroit Tigers. Known for his powerful throwing arm, he was one of the great defensive third basemen of his generation. His career range factor of 3.215 per nine innings at third base ranks second in major league history, and his 4,150 assists at the position ranked fifth in major league history at the time of his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Hansen (baseball)</span> American baseball player

Ronald Lavern Hansen is an American former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1958–1962), Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators (1968), New York Yankees (1970–1971) and Kansas City Royals (1972). He batted and threw right-handed. In a 15-season career, Hansen was a .234 hitter with 106 home runs and 501 RBI in 1384 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Betemit</span> Dominican baseball player (born 1981)

Wilson Betemit is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1970 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1971 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1972 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1963 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1961 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Farmer</span> American baseball player (1949–2020)

Edward Joseph Farmer was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight different teams, predominantly in the American League, between 1971 and 1983. The team he played the most games for was the Chicago White Sox, including one All-Star Game appearance. After his retirement as a player, he spent nearly 30 years as a White Sox radio broadcaster.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1954 throughout the world.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1948 throughout the world.

The 1983 American League Championship Series was played between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles from October 5 to 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Dauer</span> American baseball player (born 1952)

Richard Fremont Dauer is an American former infielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent his entire 10-year MLB playing career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning the 1983 World Series. He was primarily a second baseman, and also played third base. Following his career as a player, he spent 19 seasons as an MLB coach for numerous teams, winning the World Series in 2017 as the first base coach for the Houston Astros. Played San Bernardino Spirit baseball coach in the 1988 motion picture Stealing Home which starred Mark Harmon and Jodie Foster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Dybzinski</span> American baseball player (born 1955)

Jerome Matthew "Jerry" Dybzinski is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Bulldogs baseball</span> Baseball team of the University of Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team represents the University of Georgia in NCAA Division I college baseball.

References

  1. ↑ "Choose which Cruz is whose".
  2. ↑ Kantowski, Ron. "Pro ballplayer's story ends humbly in desert town." Associated Press at San Diego Union-Tribune . September 27, 2008. Retrieved on January 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Durso, Joseph. "Angels Get Cowens In Deal With Royals," The New York Times, Friday, December 7, 1979. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M. & Neft, Michael L. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. 20th edition. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2000.
  5. ↑ "Chicago White Sox shortstop Todd Cruz, charged in the".
  6. ↑ Markus, Robert (May 21, 1981). "Cruz: I had a few drinks and let things get to me". Chicago Tribune . p. C1.
  7. ↑ "Cruz wins court 'discharge'". Chicago Tribune . July 15, 1981. p. C3.
  8. ↑ Fimrite, Ron. "He was Moe Than Philly Could Handle," Sports Illustrated, October 24, 1983.
  9. ↑ "Cruz, of Orioles' 1983 championship team, dies in swimming accident". ESPN.com. September 5, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ Klingaman, Mike. "Ex-Orioles infielder Todd Cruz dead at 52," The Baltimore Sun, Friday, September 5, 2008.
Todd Cruz
Todd Cruz.JPG
Shortstop / Third baseman
Born:(1955-11-23)November 23, 1955
Highland Park, Michigan, U.S.
Died: September 2, 2008(2008-09-02) (aged 52)
Bullhead City, Arizona, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1978, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1984, for the Baltimore Orioles
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.