Jorge Orta
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010) |
| Jorge Orta | |
|---|---|
| Second baseman / Designated hitter / Outfielder | |
| Born: November 26, 1950 Mazatlán, Mexico |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1972 for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 10, 1987 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 130 |
| Runs batted in | 745 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Jorge Orta Núñez (born November 26, 1950 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico) is a retired professional baseball player.
He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1972. Through the 1970s, he played usually second baseman but also third baseman and also some outfield. Over his 16-year career in Major League Baseball, he also played for the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals. He played his final game on June 10, 1987.
As a Kansas City Royal, Orta was involved in one of the most controversial plays in baseball history. In the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, his team trailing 3 games to 2 in the Series and 1–0 on the scoreboard, Orta led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball to Cardinal first baseman Jack Clark, who flipped the ball to Cardinal pitcher Todd Worrell covering first. Umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe; television replays later showed that Worrell had beaten him to the base. The call shifted momentum of the Series to the Royals, who won the game 2–1,[1] and the Series the next night on Bret Saberhagen's 11–0 shutout.
Orta ended his career with 1,619 hits and a lifetime .278 batting average. He finished 2nd in the American League in 1974 with a .316 average and 8th in 1975 with a .304 average. He was selected to the American League All-Star team twice (1975, 1980). Orta played in the post-season with the Royals in both 1984 and 1985.
On June 15, 1980, while playing for the Cleveland Indians, Orta collected 5 singles and 1 double in 6 at bats in a nine inning game, making him one of only 35 American leaguers to have accomplished such a feat.
Orta is the all-time career leader for stolen bases for players born in Mexico, with 79 career steals.
[edit] References
- ^ Keiden, Bruce (28 October 1985). "Umps calling 'em as they sometimes see 'em". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 16. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_1ENAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QG4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7134,7301659&dq=baseball+jorge-orta&hl=en. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
|
||||||||
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Major League Baseball second basemen
- Major League Baseball designated hitters
- Chicago White Sox players
- Kansas City Royals players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Cleveland Indians players
- American League All-Stars
- Major League Baseball players from Mexico
- People from Mazatlán
- People from Sinaloa
- Mexican people of Black African descent
- American baseball players of Mexican descent
