In baseball , a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup . It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning.
70-586: Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934), nicknamed " Little Louie ", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1956 to 1973 for three American League (AL) teams, most prominently the Chicago White Sox . During his ten seasons with the team, he became known for his exceptional defensive and base-stealing skills. A 13-time All-Star ,, he made an immediate impact with
140-534: A .271 average and stole his 500th base, against the New York Yankees on July 5. He also broke Appling's major league record of 2,594 hits as a shortstop. Aparicio retired at the end of the season at the age of 39. Aparicio played for 18 major league seasons in 2,599 games, accumulating 2,677 hits in 10,230 at bats for a .262 career batting average along with 394 doubles , 83 home runs, 791 runs batted in , 1,335 runs and 506 stolen bases. He ended his career with
210-526: A .972 fielding percentage. Aparicio led AL shortstops eight times in fielding percentage, seven times in assists, and four times in range factor and putouts. He led the league in stolen bases in nine consecutive seasons (1956–1964) and won the Gold Glove Award nine times (1958–1962, 1964, 1966, 1970). Aparicio was also a ten-time All-Star (1958–1964, 1970–1972); he was named to 13 out of 14 All-Star Games (two All-Star Games were held from 1959 through 1962),
280-475: A 2nd-inning single against the Kansas City Royals on June 1. During the season, he broke Appling's record of 1,424 career double plays. He hit only .232 for the year, the second-lowest average in his career. In 1972 , Aparicio broke Appling's major league record of 3,328 total bases as a shortstop, and Bill Dahlen 's record of 7,505 assists; he also made his 2,500th hit on August 15 in a 3-0 road win over
350-562: A career-high six runs batted in (RBI) on April 10 against the Indians in Cleveland, hitting a 2nd-inning grand slam followed by a 2-run double in the seventh inning. In late May, he was one at bat from tying the longest major league hitless streak for non-pitchers, held by Bill Bergen with 45 in 1909 with the Brooklyn Superbas , by going without a hit in 44 at bats. He ended the streak with
420-417: A dangerous presence along the basepaths to create more offensive opportunities. As a result, the prototypical leadoff hitter is small ball oriented, with elements such as contact ability, speed, patience, and occasionally defense elevated to an important level. Power hitters, instead, would be put in the third and fourth slots to drive in the leadoff hitter and produce more runs as a result, thus deemphasizing
490-519: A diverse population that reflects its colorful history and the peoples that have resided there throughout. The historic amalgam of the different main groups forms the basics of Venezuela's current demographics: European immigrants, Amerindian peoples , Africans , Asians (including the Arabs/West Asians ) and other recent immigrants. The autosomal DNA genetic composition of population in Venezuela,
560-651: A doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers , Aparicio broke Luke Appling 's record of 2,218 games at shortstop as the White Sox won 5-1; it was his last game of the season. Despite the White Sox finishing in last place, Aparicio finished 12th in the MVP balloting. After three seasons with the White Sox, Aparicio was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Luis Alvarado and Mike Andrews on December 1, 1970. In 1971 , Aparicio had
630-636: A high number of other Europeans brought in were from Portuguese , Italian , and German immigrants to the region in the middle 20th century by the Petroleum Growth , and in much smaller numbers of French , English , Portuguese , Polish , Russian , Greek , Scandinavian , Romanian , Ukrainian and Hungarian communities who immigrated during the Second World War and the Cold War . 300,000 Italians and an equal numbers of Spaniards and immigrated in
700-400: A high supply of labor, personnel and domestic economy informal. As of 1981, according to the critic D'Ambrosio and other academics, about 51.6% of Venezuelans are mestizos or mulattos (called Criollos : the 40% of them are with mostly white features, 20% with mostly black features and 10% with mostly Indians features), 45% are white, 2% are black and 1% Indians. According to these scholars, is
770-402: A lot of young people in Venezuela don't know Mr. Aparicio. What we want to do is honor him and make people know about him." Following the death of Willie Mays on June 18, 2024, Aparicio has been the oldest living Baseball Hall of Famer. Venezuelans Irreligion , Deism , Agnosticism and Atheism : (8.0%) Venezuelans ( Spanish : venezolanos ) are the citizens identified with
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#1733085271221840-489: A record nine consecutive seasons to begin his career, becoming the first player since the 1920s to steal 50 bases four times. Traded to the Baltimore Orioles before the 1963 season, he set a franchise record with 57 steals in 1964, then played a major role in helping the club to its first World Series title in 1966. Aparicio won nine Gold Glove Awards , setting a league record since matched only by Omar Vizquel ; he led
910-721: A shortstop that were later broken by Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. respectively. His 2,581 games as a shortstop were a major league record until 2008, and the AL record until 2014. He held the major league records for career assists (8,016) and double plays (1,553) until Ozzie Smith passed him in 1994 and 1995; he still holds the AL records for assists, putouts (4,548), and total chances (12,930), though Ripken broke his AL double play mark in 1996. Aparicio's career fielding percentage (.972) ranked second in AL history when he retired, one point behind Lou Boudreau . Legendary hitter Ted Williams called Aparicio "the best shortstop he had ever seen". He
980-480: A spark to the "Go-Go" White Sox, helping to lead them to their first pennant in 40 years in 1959, finishing second to Fox in the Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting. His 56 stolen bases that season were more than twice as many as any other major league player, and the most by any player in 16 years; he tied the White Sox club record, with the mark not being surpassed until 1983. Aparicio led the AL in stolen bases
1050-599: Is 60.60% of European contribution, 23% of Amerindian contribution, and 16.30% of African contribution. Many of the indigenous peoples were absorbed into the Moreno population, because of the heavy mixture of European and African people. They represent over half of the country's population (about 51.6%). This proportion is beginning to decrease, though, as mixed lower income Venezuelans are more likely to flee to other South American countries. Early European settlers and post-independence immigrants were mostly Spanish colonists, but
1120-525: Is a diverse and multilingual country, home to a melting pot of people of distinct origins, as a result, many Venezuelans do not regard their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship or allegiance. Venezuela as Argentina and Brazil, received most immigrants, during 1820s to 1930s Venezuela received a major wave of 2.1 million European immigrants, being the third country in Latin America to have received Europeans, behind Argentina and Brazil. Writing
1190-650: Is around 60,000 Syrian-Venezuelans living in Syria. More than 200,000 people from the Sweida area carry Venezuelan citizenship and most are members of Syria's Druze sect, who immigrated to Venezuela in the past century. According to a 2011 poll, 88.3 percent of the population is Christian, primarily Roman Catholic (71%), 17 percent Protestant , and the remaining 0.03 percent Mormons ( LDS Church ). The Venezuelans without religion are 9% ( atheist 2%, agnostic or indifferent 6% and doesn't know/doesn't respond 1% ), almost 3% of
1260-593: The 1953 Amateur World Series held in Caracas ; Venezuela took the silver medal in the tournament. He signed to play for the local professional team in Maracaibo alongside his father in 1953. In a symbolic gesture during the team's 1953 home opener, his father led off as the first hitter of the game, took the first pitch, and had Aparicio Jr. take his place at bat. The Cleveland Indians had been negotiating to sign Aparicio, but Indians General Manager Hank Greenberg expressed
1330-774: The American League in stolen bases, assists and putouts, and won both the AL Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards. He was the first Latin American player to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Aparicio quickly became an integral member of the Go-Go White Sox teams of the mid-1950s, who were known for their speed and strong defense. Over the next decade, Aparicio set
1400-742: The Aroa Valley , Litoral varguense , Eastern Falcon state ; Gibraltar , Bobures and Palmarito in the Sur del Lago Region; and in areas where slaves would run away during Colonial Venezuela and formed cumbes, communities in mountainous and isolated areas, such as, the Sierra de Falcón , Barlovento Region ( Acevedo , Andrés Bello , Brión , Buroz and Páez municipalities), Ocumare de La Costa , Choroní ; El Callao and Paria Peninsula (where Afro-Trinidadian also migrated); and through Los Llanos , well dispersed in small to decent percents. They represent 3.6% of
1470-534: The Kansas City Athletics , he hit two home runs for the only time in his career, leading off the game with an inside-the-park home run and adding a three-run shot in the 4th inning as the White Sox won 8-2. In 1958 , Aparicio earned recognition as one of the top shortstops in the major leagues when he was selected to be the AL's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game . The White Sox once again finished
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#17330852712211540-718: The Roman Catholic , Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic Churches . There are few Muslims . Israel has been chosen by many Venezuelan Jews , along with the United States and other countries. According to the Venezuelan Institute of Statistics, about one million Venezuelans have Syrian origins and more than 20,000 Venezuelans are registered in the Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus. Other sources stated that there
1610-637: The Texas Rangers . However, he also made a late-season baserunning blunder that contributed to the Red Sox losing the 1972 American League Eastern Division title by a half-game to the Detroit Tigers . In an October 2 game against Detroit, Aparicio fell while rounding third base on an apparent triple by Carl Yastrzemski , leading to Yastrzemski being tagged out as he tried to retreat to second base. In his last year as an active player in 1973 , Aparicio hit for
1680-479: The United States , Canada and Peru . Arab immigration to Venezuela started as early as the 19th and 20th centuries. They came mostly from Western Asia, particularly Lebanon , Syria , and Palestine . They are mostly located in the most important urban areas and Margarita Island , representing around 5% of the population in Venezuela. In religion, the majority of Arab-Venezuelans are Christians who belong to
1750-560: The 1940s and 1950s, and earlier who were fleeing from the Spanish Civil War (1930s). Up to 95% of Venezuelans live principally in important urban areas like Greater Caracas , Maracaibo , Maracay , Valencia , Lecheria , Barquisimeto / Cabudare , Colonia Tovar , Punto Fijo ; the Andean States , Margarita Island and Araya Peninsula . They represent almost half of the population with 43.6% self-identifying as ‘blanco’ (white) in
1820-478: The 2011 census. African people were brought as slaves , mostly to the coastal lowlands, beginning early in the 16th century, and continuing into the mid 19th century. Although they are located in almost the entire country, the Black and African population are concentrated in places where they used to be enslaved and worked as farm hands on subsistence farms of plantains , cocoa , tobacco , sugar cane and cotton in
1890-511: The AL in fielding percentage eight consecutive years, and in assists seven times, putouts four times and double plays twice, and in 1960 became the first AL shortstop in 25 years to post 550 assists. When he retired, Aparicio ranked second to Ty Cobb in AL history in career at bats (10,230), fifth in games played (2,599) and seventh in singles (2,108); his 506 stolen bases trailed only Cobb and Eddie Collins among AL players. He set major league records for career hits and total bases as
1960-554: The Africans, started to integrate into the population, creating heterogeneity in the faces of the society of the time. During colonial centuries in Venezuela began to settle the "peninsular whites", coming directly from the Iberian Peninsula and which were those who held positions in the crown, representing only 15% of the population. Another group of whites who were born in Venezuela were originally called "Creole", representing 20% of
2030-509: The American mainland in what is currently Venezuelan territory. Colonization was rapid despite small local indigenous rebellions, and the Spaniards manage to conquer the territory. During this period, the most significant crossbreeding process took place. One that will later define the social profile of the country. With the passage of time, and the introduction of the African continent, a third race,
2100-509: The Arab world, some Jews from southern Spain, Israel and Central European nations, Dominicans, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Haitians, Cubans, Peruvians, Argentines, Uruguayans, Chileans, Ecuadorians, Guyaneses and Colombians, this being the greatest social impact due to a large number of displaced individuals who entered the Venezuelan territory during the armed conflict in that country; which generated
2170-598: The Baltimore Orioles with Al Smith for Hoyt Wilhelm , Ron Hansen , Dave Nicholson and Pete Ward in January 1963. Aparicio regained his form in Baltimore and continued to lead the league in stolen bases and in fielding percentage, producing a career-high .983 fielding percentage in 1963 . Together with Brooks Robinson and Jerry Adair , he was part of one of the better defensive infields in baseball. In 1964 , he led
Luis Aparicio - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-517: The MVP balloting, in which teammates took the top three spots, and helped the Orioles sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1966 World Series . With the emergence of Mark Belanger at shortstop, Aparicio was traded back to the White Sox along with Russ Snyder and John Matias for Don Buford , Bruce Howard and Roger Nelson on November 29, 1967. He continued to play well defensively, leading
2310-481: The Roman goddess Venus to emphasize elegance and femininity. These terms parallel other friendly demonyms like “Aussies” for Australians or “Kiwis” for New Zealanders, reflecting a trend of using lighthearted names to show warmth and familiarity. They add a modern and friendly twist to Venezuelan identity, being introduced by local communities in english speaking countries as they welcome newcomers from Venezuela. Venezuela
2380-523: The Venezuelans live in urban areas – a figure significantly higher than the world average. The literacy rate (98 percent) in Venezuela is also well above the world average, and the rate of population growth slightly exceeds the world average. A large proportion of Venezuelans are young, largely because of recent decreases in the infant mortality rate. While 30 percent of the people are 14 years old or younger, just 4 percent are aged 65 or older. The country has
2450-482: The ceremonial first pitch at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series , the first World Series game to be played in Chicago by the White Sox since the 1959 World Series , when Aparicio had been their starting shortstop. In honor of Aparicio's stealing abilities, a walk and a stolen base was known as an "Aparicio double" In 2006, two bronze statues depicting Aparicio and former White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox were unveiled on
2520-467: The country of Venezuela . This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connections exist and are the source of their Venezuelan citizenship or their bond to Venezuela. In recent years, after mass emigrations, the term " Venzies " has emerged as a playful and affectionate nickname for Venezuelan men, while " Venuzzies " is sometimes used to refer to Venezuelan women, drawing inspiration from
2590-460: The day that Aparicio was announced as being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Director Isaac Bencid said, "It was a good time to honor Mr. Aparicio because it was the first time he had a documentary made of his life. I want to make people know in Venezuela. I think sometimes that you in the United States know more about Mr. Aparicio than many Venezuelans. Baseball is very important down there but
2660-554: The fact that virtually there are no pure blacks nor indigenous people in Venezuela. With the exception of direct descendants of immigrants or specific indigenous tribes. In addition, according to a genetic autosomal DNA study conducted in 2008 by the University of Brasilia (UNB), the composition of the population of Venezuela is: 60.60% European, 23% of Native American contribution and 16% of Africa's contribution. The population of approximately 28 million people (in 2011) made Venezuela
2730-465: The league in range factor in 1968 and 1969. On May 15, 1969, he picked up his 2,000th hit in a 10-inning, 2-1 loss in Detroit. Aparicio had his best overall offensive season in 1970 , scoring 86 runs and finishing fourth in the AL batting race with a career-high .313 average. In addition, he earned his eighth All-Star berth that year, as well as his ninth Gold Glove. On September 25, in the first game of
2800-475: The league in stolen bases for a ninth consecutive year, with his 57 steals breaking George Sisler 's franchise record of 51 set with the 1922 St. Louis Browns , and won his sixth Gold Glove Award. Aparicio posted a .276 batting average with 182 hits in 1966 , tied with teammate Frank Robinson for the second-most hits in the league behind Tony Oliva and won a seventh Gold Glove Award as the Orioles clinched their first American League pennant. He finished ninth in
2870-433: The necessity for power amongst leadoff hitters. The correlation between leadoff hitters and small ball stretches as far back as 1898 with mentions of a "small, active fellow who can hit, run and steal bases" as being fit for the position. Players such as Rickey Henderson , Ichiro Suzuki , and Kenny Lofton are often considered as archetypal leadoff hitters. In recent years, however, leadoff hitters are shifting away from
Luis Aparicio - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-726: The number would preserve the name of a great Venezuelan shortstop. Aparicio commented, "If there is one player who I would like to see wear my uniform number with the White Sox, it is Omar Vizquel. I have known Omar for a long time. Along with being an outstanding player, he is a good and decent man." In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Aparicio in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time . In 1999, The Sporting News did not include him on their list of The Sporting News list of Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, but Major League Baseball did include him that year as one of eight shortstops nominated for their All-Century Team . The 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
3010-429: The opinion that he was too small to play in the major leagues. Chicago White Sox general manager Frank Lane , on the recommendation of fellow Venezuelan shortstop Chico Carrasquel , then signed Aparicio for $ 5,000 down and $ 5,000 in first-year salary. After only two years in the minor leagues , he made his major league debut at the age of 22, replacing Carrasquel as the White Sox shortstop in 1956 . Aparicio would lead
3080-563: The outfield concourse of U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Fox's statue shows him flipping a baseball toward Aparicio, while Aparicio's statue shows him preparing to receive the ball from Fox. Artist Gary Tillery sculpted the statue of Aparicio. In 2007, Aparicio was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame . There is a stadium in Maracaibo , Venezuela, bearing his father's name. The full name of
3150-702: The people that have lived here since antiquity to the present. The historic amalgam of different principal groups form the basis of the current demographics of Venezuela: the European immigrants, the Amerindian peoples, African, and other recent immigrants. Many of the indigenous peoples were absorbed by the mixed population, but the remaining 500,000 currently represent more than 85 different cultures. European immigrants were mainly Spanish colonists, but another large and growing number are descendants of Europeans ( Portuguese , Italians , Germans and Americans ) who migrated to
3220-408: The population follow other religions (1% of them are of santeria ). Leadoff hitter Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hitter is usually tasked with being able to reach base at a proficient on-base percentage and generate runs for the team. Secondary goals for such a player include wearing down a pitcher's stamina and providing
3290-512: The population. Before the Spanish colonization of the region that would become the country of Venezuela, the territory was the home to many different indigenous peoples . Today more than fifty different indigenous ethnic groups inhabit Venezuela. Most of them speak languages belonging to the Arawakan , Cariban , and Chibchan languages families. Pure indigenous Amerindians comprise around 2 percent of
3360-874: The population. There are 101 languages listed for Venezuela in the Ethnologue database, of which 80 are spoken today as living languages. Today, they're mostly located south of the Orinoco , in the Guayana Region , an area that covers half of the country but the population represents just 2.7% of Venezuelans; other important regions where they're located are on Zulia state, Apure state, the Eastern Region and Orinoco Delta . The largest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Mainland China, Philippines, India, Japan and Korea. The first wave of immigrants began in 1847 and consisted of mainly Cantonese immigrants; then
3430-456: The population: they were mostly from the Canary Islands and they worked mainly in petty trade. The other two smaller groups were the original inhabitants and indigenous blacks brought from Africa: they were about 5% of the population. Soon the original groups started to have interbreedings and this created a process of "fusion" between the different racial groups: The "brown" were descendants of
3500-485: The region in mid-twentieth century during the oil growth in the country. Small numbers are descendants of French , English and Polish , as they emigrated during World War II and the Cold War. Black Africans were brought as slaves, mostly coastal lowlands, beginning early in the sixteenth century and continuing into the nineteenth century. Other immigrant populations are Asian and Middle East, particularly Lebanon, Syria and
3570-533: The season in second place behind the Yankees , after being in last place on June 14. Aparicio again led the league in stolen bases, assists and putouts, and won his first Gold Glove Award . Aparicio was the team leader when the "Go-Go" White Sox won the AL pennant in 1959 , finishing the regular season five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians . After stealing 56 bases to tie Wally Moses ' 1943 team record, he
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#17330852712213640-466: The second wave during beginning of the 1940s and 1950s, consisted of Chinese and Japanese immigrants; reaching a peak in the mid-1970s in connection with the oil boom , where Korean and Indian immigrants (mostly Indo-Caribbeans ) formed a new group to the country. Asian people represent around 1% of the Venezuelan population. The Chinese in Venezuela are the 4th largest diaspora in the Americas after
3710-616: The sixth-most populous country in Latin America (after Brazil , Mexico , Colombia , Argentina and Peru ). Approximately more than one million (4-6% of the total population) are living in other countries. Due to the worsening economic conditions in Venezuela, there are 100,000 Venezuelans living in neighbouring Guyana and larger numbers living in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, the USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile and Panama. More than ninety percent of
3780-620: The south to the Amazon, from the west through Los Andes and north by the Caribbean Sea . There are four periods of diversity that develop in the current Venezuela, which also entering a new period, it did not mean the end of the previous. The first migrations to the continent were probably from East Asia to 15,000 years. C. These early migrants (called forth by the generic name "Indians") came at first to be located in North America, later moving to
3850-523: The stadium is Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande (Luis Aparicio "the Great" Stadium) in honor to Luis Aparicio Ortega. Also, the sports complex where the stadium is located is named Polideportivo Luis Aparicio Montiel. There are also several streets and avenues bearing his name throughout Venezuela. In 2015, Empresas Polar and Fenix Media released a documentary, Thirty Years of Immortality , which features testimonials from many major leaguers, friends, and family, on
3920-406: The standard for the spray-hitting, slick-fielding, speedy shortstop. He combined with second baseman Nellie Fox to become one of the best double play combinations in the major leagues. Aparicio once again led the AL in stolen bases and assists in 1957 as the White Sox held first place until late June before finishing the season in second place behind the New York Yankees . On September 7 against
3990-458: The team, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1956 after leading the league in stolen bases and leading AL shortstops in putouts and assists ; he was the first Latin American player to win the award. From 1956 to 1962, Aparicio and second baseman Nellie Fox formed one of the most revered double play duos in major league history. As the team's leadoff hitter and defensive star, he provided
4060-408: The term "Aparicio double" was coined to represent a walk and a stolen base. Since the 2019 death of teammate Johnny Romano , Aparicio has been the last surviving player to play with the White Sox in the 1959 World Series. In 1960 and 1961, Aparicio continued to be one of the top shortstops in the league, finishing at or near the top in fielding percentage and assists. His 1960 total of 551 assists
4130-416: The territory of present Venezuela. During this period, various mammals were disappearing by climatic changes already beginning to take place from 5000 years ago, so the population in the mainland, starts to move towards the coast and spread to some nearby islands, trying to find new feeding alternatives. On August 2, 1498 (516 years), Christopher Columbus , and the Spanish colonizers' ships, first landed on
4200-418: The traditional makeup to generally more well-rounded players. Numerous teams have opted to utilize hitters with strong on-base skills and power potential at the top of the batting order in exchange for speed and pure contact ability. Non-typical leadoff hitters such as Kyle Schwarber and George Springer have all seen time in the position in recent years. Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with
4270-416: The unions between Whites, Indians and Blacks and by the 18th century were the largest racial and social group being more than 60% of the population. This process is currently responsible for the majority of Venezuelans who are of mixed race. This number, however, would continue to decrease after the economic boom in the mid 20th century. The country has a diverse population that reflects its rich history and
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#17330852712214340-643: Was dedicated jointly to Aparacio, Orlando Cepeda , Juan Marichal , and Tony Perez . Along with Ferguson Jenkins , they threw out the ceremonial first pitch to end the player introduction ceremonies. In 2003, Aparicio was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . In 2004, the first annual Luis Aparicio Award was presented to the Venezuelan player who recorded the best individual performance in Major League Baseball, as voted on by sports journalists in Venezuela. He threw out
4410-548: Was his 16 straight seasons with more than 500 plate appearances, tied for fifth best in major league history. Aparicio never played any defensive position other than shortstop. Aparicio was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 , the first native of Venezuela to be honored. The White Sox also retired Aparicio's uniform number 11 that year. In 2010, the White Sox gave number 11 to shortstop Omar Vizquel , with Aparicio's permission. Vizquel said that wearing
4480-522: Was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 , the first Venezuelan player to be so honored. Aparicio was born in Maracaibo, Zulia State , Venezuela . His father, Luis Aparicio Sr. , was a notable shortstop in Venezuela and owned a Winter League team with Aparicio's uncle, Ernesto Aparicio . At the age of 19, Aparicio was selected as a member of the Venezuelan national team in
4550-452: Was not used in pre-Columbian times, a historical stage where various groups began to move throughout the Americas, thus making it difficult to find evidence of the people who began to populate this land. However, archaeological excavations show evidence of certain periods that were taking place on the continent. Venezuela was probably first settled by humans 16,000 years ago, due to migration flows from other indigenous cultures of America, from
4620-515: Was runner-up to Fox in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting. Aparicio was selected as a starting All-Star for the second time and also won a second Gold Glove Award. He posted a .308 batting average in the 1959 World Series as the White Sox were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a six-game series. The White Sox record stood until Rudy Law stole 77 bases in 1983. When Aparicio stole 50 bases in his first 61 attempts in 1959,
4690-404: Was surpassed by Vizquel in 2009. His 2,673 hits as a shortstop were a record until Derek Jeter broke it on August 17, 2009. He had 13 consecutive seasons with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and an on-base percentage less than .325, a major league record (his career OBP was slightly better than the shortstop average during his era; .311 vs .309). A more impressive streak
4760-474: Was the highest in the major leagues since 1943, and the highest AL total since White Sox star Luke Appling recorded 556 in 1935; the last season above 550 previous to that had been in 1911. In 1962 , Aparicio showed up overweight and had an off year, and the White Sox offered him a reduction in salary for the 1963 season. An enraged Aparicio said that he would quit rather than accept a decrease in pay and demanded to be traded. The White Sox eventually traded him to
4830-472: Was the starting shortstop in six All-Star games and played in 10 games (he didn't play in the second All-Star game in 1960 and was injured and replaced in the 1964 and 1972 games and didn't play). At the time of his retirement, Aparicio was the all-time leader for games played, assists and double plays by a shortstop and the all-time leader for putouts and total chances by an American League shortstop. His nine Gold Glove Awards set an AL record for shortstops that
4900-426: Was tied by Omar Vizquel in 2001. He tied the record of most seasons leading the league in fielding average by shortstops with 8, previously set by Everett Scott and Lou Boudreau . His 2,583 games played at shortstop stood as the major league record from his retirement in 1973 until May 2008, when it was surpassed by Omar Vizquel . His 2,677 hits was also the major league record for players from Venezuela, until it
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