Bert Peña Explained

Bert Peña
Position:Shortstop
Birth Date:11 July 1959
Birth Place:Santurce, Puerto Rico
Death Place:Caguas, Puerto Rico
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:September 14
Debutyear:1981
Debutteam:Houston Astros
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:July 19
Finalyear:1987
Finalteam:Houston Astros
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.203
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:1
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:10
Teams:

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, and from to .[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.

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 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]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Michael . Griffin . Astros try to warm up. The Orlando Sentinel. Newspapers.com . 35 . March 2, 1986 . 2022-04-12.
  2. Web site: Astros, Reynolds rip Braves. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Newspapers.com . 5C . March 15, 1987 . 2022-04-12.
  3. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1984/B09020SLN1984.htm Information
  4. Web site: Catching prospect Roberto Pena has link to Astros. 7 November 2014.
  5. News: noticel.com News Service. Muere expelotero Adalberto Berto Peña. January 19, 2023.