José Tartabull

José Milages Tartabull Guzmán (born November 27, 1938) is a Cuban former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1962 to 1970 for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Tartabull and the second or maternal family name is Guzmán.
José Tartabull
Tartabull in 1963
Outfielder
Born: (1938-11-27) November 27, 1938
Cienfuegos, Cuba
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 10, 1962, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last MLB appearance
July 7, 1970, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average.261
Home runs2
Runs batted in107
Teams

Tartabull is well remembered by Red Sox fans for throwing out the Chicago White Sox' Ken Berry at home plate on August 27, 1967, to win a key game during the 1967 American League pennant drive. In the bottom of the ninth inning with Boston leading 4–3 with one out at Comiskey Park, in the first of two scheduled that day, the contending White Sox had the fleet Berry at third base with one out. Pinch hitter Duane Josephson lofted a fly ball to Tartabull in medium right field — a probable sacrifice fly that would have tied the game. Tartabull was not known for a strong arm, but his throw, though high, arrived in time to beat Berry to home plate, where Red Sox catcher Elston Howard made the catch while blocking the plate, then swept a tag on Berry to end the game.[1] The Red Sox would win the AL championship by a single game on the final day of the season. The play is the subject of a novel, Tartabull's Throw, by Henry Garfield, published by Simon & Schuster in 2001. Tartabull also was known for his speed and was always a threat to steal on the basepaths.

In 749 games over nine major league seasons, Tartabull posted a .261 batting average (484-for-1857) scoring 247 runs, with two home runs and 107 RBI. A good outfielder, he recorded a .986 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions, committing only 14 errors in 980 total chances.

Tartabull was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He and his wife lived in Puerto Rico before moving to the United States. Their son, Danny Tartabull, was an All-Star major league baseball player, primarily with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and New York Yankees.

References
  1. retrosheet.org



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