| Yo-Yo Davalillo | |
|---|---|
_in_uniform.jpg) Pompeyo Davalillo when he played with the Lions of Caracas | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1928-06-05)June 5, 1928 Cabimas,Zulia,Venezuela | |
| Died: February 28, 2013(2013-02-28) (aged 84) Ocumare del Tuy,Miranda,Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 1, 1953, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 23, 1953, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .293 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 2 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2007 |
Pompeyo Antonio Davalillo Romero [da-va-LEE-yo] (June 5, 1928 – February 28, 2013) was aVenezuelan professionalbaseball player and minor leaguemanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as ashortstop for theWashington Senators.
Davalillo was drafted by theNew York Yankees in 1953 and later transferred to the Washington Senators.[1] At the age of 25, he made his major league debut with the Senators on August 1,1953, becoming only the fourth Venezuelan to play in Major League Baseball afterAlex Carrasquel (1939),Chucho Ramos (1944) andChico Carrasquel (1950).[1] On August 3, 1953, Davalillo and the Senators played the Chicago White Sox who fielded shortstopChico Carrasquel, marking the first time in Major League history that two Venezuelan players faced each other on opposing teams.[2] Davalillo had a promising future, but his aversion to airplane travel, combined with a severe injury, curtailed his career in the major leagues.
Davalillo played eleven seasons inminor league baseball, nine of them at Triple-A level, and posted a .270 average in 1,207 games.[3] He also played inMexico (1962–64) and spent fourteen seasons with theLeones del Caracas of theVenezuelan Winter League (1952–53 and 1965–66).
At 5'3", along withStubby Magner he is the shortest person to have played a fielding position inMajor League Baseball. He is the second-smallest player in major league baseball history. The shortest player on record is 43-inchEddie Gaedel, who got one plate appearance (a walk) as a 1951 publicity stunt. Five players listed at 5'3" have played in the major leagues since 1900, according to Baseball Reference, with Pompeyo Davalillo,Jess Cortazzo,Bob Emmerich,Stubby Magner andMike McCormack combining for 90 hits in 463 at-bats".[4]
In a 19-game major league career, Davalillo had 17hits in 58at bats for a .293 careerbatting average along with 2runs batted in, 1stolen base and scored 10runs.[1] He had a .305on-base percentage along with a .935fielding percentage.[1] In 469 Venezuelan Winter League games, he was a .276 hitter with threehome runs and 130 RBI, including 246 runs, 58doubles, 19triples and 67 stolen bases.
After his playing career had ended, Davalillo became acoach and a manager in the Venezuelan league.[5] He won three championships as a manager in the LVBP: two withÁguilas del Zulia (1991–92 and 1992–93) and one withLeones del Caracas (1994–95).[6] He also managed theVenezuela national baseball team at the1979 Pan American Games, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[7]
Davalillo was inducted into theVenezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006.[citation needed] His younger brotherVic Davalillo, also played in Major League Baseball.[8]
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