| Héctor Cruz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder /Third baseman | |
| Born: (1953-04-02)April 2, 1953 (age 72) Arroyo, Puerto Rico | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: August 11, 1973, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| NPB: 1983, for the Yomiuri Giants | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: July 15, 1982, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| NPB: 1983, for the Yomiuri Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .225 |
| Home runs | 39 |
| Runs batted in | 200 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Caribbean | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2007 |
Héctor Louis Cruz Dilan (born April 2, 1953) is a Puerto Rican former professionalbaseballoutfielder andthird baseman. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) between 1973 and 1982 for four different teams, and played inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1983. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he batted and threw right-handed. He is also known by hisnicknameHeity.[1]
Born inArroyo, Cruz came from a distinguished baseball family ofPuerto Rico. He is the younger brother of former major leaguersJosé andTommy Cruz, while his nephewJosé Cruz Jr. also played in the majors.
Cruz played in the Cardinals minor league system from 1970 through 1973. He debuted with the big team in September 1973, but was demoted to the minors again the following year. In 1975, Cruz wonThe Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award after hitting 29home runs and 116RBIs for theTulsa Oilers of theAmerican Association. He also appeared in 23 games for the Cardinals in 1975, staying with them for three seasons before joining theChicago Cubs in 1978. He was dealt from theCubs to theSan Francisco Giants forLynn McGlothen at thetrade deadline on June 15,1978.[2] He also played for theCincinnati Reds (1979–1980) and finished his major league career back with the Cubs (1981–1982).
In 1976, his first regular season with the Cardinals, Cruz topped theNational Leaguerookies with 13 homers and 71 RBIs, but also led the league third basemen with 26errors. Then he switched to outfield, although he did not play regularly for the rest of his career. In a nine-season career, Cruz was a .225hitter with 39 home runs and 200 RBIs in 624 games appearances. After that, he played inJapan for theYomiuri Giants in 1983.
Following his playing retirement, he worked for theUnited States Postal Service as amail carrier on the West Side ofChicago. In 2007, Cruz gained induction into theCaribbean Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its 11th class.
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