Héctor Benítez

Héctor Benítez Paiva (November 1, 1918 – June 17, 2011), nicknamed Redondo, was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. Listed at 5' 7" (1.73 m), 160 lb. (73 k), he batted and threw left handed.

Born in Caracas, Benítez spent 21 years in Venezuelan baseball, playing in three different leagues as well as for his national team in international tournaments. A solid line-drive hitter and an aggressive base runner, he excelled as a speedy center fielder with a strong arm who gained notoriety for his spectacular diving and shoestring catches.

A Most Valuable Player and Venezuelan Hall of Famer, he was the first ballplayer born in Venezuela to make a Caribbean Series All-Star Team and also became the first to ever hit three home runs in a single game in Venezuelan baseball history.

Early career and international play The 18-year-old Benítez gained international exposure with the Venezuela national baseball team in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Panama City, being used as a pitcher and cleanup hitter.

The 1941 BWC featured a nine-team tournament, which was held at the old Tropical Stadium in Havana, Cuba. The representing clubs of Cuba and Venezuela clubs finished tied with an identical record of 7–1, and were forced to play a tie breaking game to determine the championship. A three-run rally in the first inning was enough of a cushion for Canónico, especially being backed by Benítez, who drew a significant walk to put two men on with one out and scored on a two-run RBI-double by Chucho Ramos. The third run came after an error on the outfield. Benítez also collected at least one hit in each of the nine games, scoring six runs with four runs batted in, while leading all hitters with three triples. of the newly formed Venezuelan League. He collected 26 hits in 99 at-bats, including 20 runs, seven doubles, four triples, four home runs and five stolen bases in 28 games, while ending fourth in RBI (13) behind teammates Chico Carrasquel (25), Dalmiro Finol (24) and Guillermo Vento (21).

He raised his average to .302 in the 1946–47 season, following with a .340 mark and a .509 slugging percentage in 1947–48.

But he had to dealt with some injuries in 1948–49, batting .258 (16-for-62) while appearing in just 20 games. During the tournament, he made several catches that probably should have gone for extra base hits, including one over the shoulder grab to rob Joe Tuminelli of a hit and keep it a one-run at aforementioned game.

Late career After that, Benítez saw limited action because of nagging injuries. He hit .250 (17-for-68) in 22 games with the Patriotas in 1952–53. The next season, he was assigned to the Leones del Caracas and brought his average up to .362 (21-for-58) in 20 games, before joining the Navegantes del Magallanes during the midseason, hitting for them a paltry .208 (5-for-24) in just 24 games. He was inducted individually as well in 2008, as part of the VBHFM sixth class.

Benítez died in Caracas in 2011 at the age of 92, after a long battle with cancer. At the time of his death, he was the fourth oldest survivor of the 1941 champion team.

Batting statistics Some career statistics are incomplete because there are no records available at the time of the request.