| Julio Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Cruz in 1978 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born:(1954-12-02)December 2, 1954 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: February 22, 2022(2022-02-22) (aged 67) Seattle,Washington, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 4, 1977, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 31, 1986, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .237 |
| Home runs | 23 |
| Runs batted in | 279 |
| Stolen bases | 343 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Julio Luis Cruz (December 2, 1954 – February 22, 2022) was an American professional baseballsecond baseman for theSeattle Mariners andChicago White Sox ofMajor League Baseball from 1977–1986.
Cruz attended Redlands High School in Southern California, and earned all-league honors as a basketball point guard for Redlands. Cruz often said that he played basketball only to maintain his fitness, agility and speed for the baseball season.
Although a lifetime .237 hitter with little power, Cruz had excellent speed. Six years in a row with theSeattle Mariners, from 1978 through 1983, he stole over 40 bases each season and was the team's all-time leader in that statistic leading to his nickname "the Cruzer". His franchise record of 290 was surpassed byIchiro Suzuki, whose two stolen bases in a game against the Padres on May 18, 2008, gave him a total of 292. Cruz was traded to theChicago White Sox on June 15, 1983, for fellow second basemanTony Bernazard. After the trade, the White Sox caught fire and finished the season with 99 wins and a divisional pennant. In what was his only postseason play in his career, Cruz went 4-of-12 (.333) and had two stolen bases in the1983 American League Championship Series, which they lost to theBaltimore Orioles.
Cruz was inducted into theHispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 15, 2004, in a pregame on field ceremony atT-Mobile Park, inSeattle.[1] He was a broadcaster for the Mariners.
Cruz died on February 22, 2022, at the age of 67.[2]