Luis Polonia

Luis Andrew Polonia Almonte (born December 10, 1963) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers.

Signed by the Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1984, Polonia made his MLB debut on April 24, 1987. He played for two World Series championship teams, winning with the Atlanta Braves in 1995 and the New York Yankees in 2000. He appeared in his final regular season game on October 1, 2000, though he appeared the postseason that year, including the World Series victory.

Early life Polonia was born on December 10, 1963, in the Dominican Republic. He joined the Dominican League at an early age and was known as a strong contact hitter, as well as a below-average defensive outfielder. Though he had good speed, he was not a wise baserunner and led his league in caught stealing a total of five times between the minors and majors. He was also known for his tremendous performance during winter ball. He is one of the top 10 contact hitters in Dominican League history and is the all-time Caribbean series leader in hits, doubles, and runs scored as of 2008.

Career Throughout his career, Polonia was known as a quick runner and stolen base threat.

Oakland Athletics (1987–1989) Polonia began his career in 1987 with the Oakland Athletics. He played in 125 games that year hitting .287 with 10 triples and 29 stolen bases. The following year, Polonia played in only 84 games, hitting .292 with 29 steals in 36 attempts. Polonia's strong play helped the Oakland A's reach the postseason and advance to the World Series in 1988. However, Polonia was 1 for 9 in the series as Oakland lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1989, he was hitting .286 with 13 steals in 17 attempts before being traded to the Yankees.

New York Yankees (1989–1990) On June 21, 1989, the Athletics traded Polonia, Eric Plunk, and Greg Cadaret to the New York Yankees for Rickey Henderson. During the remainder of the season, he hit .313 with 9 steals. In October, he was sentenced to 60 days in prison after pleading guilty to having sex with a minor that August.

Polonia began the 1990 season with seven hits in his first 22 at-bats. After only 11 games, he was traded to the California Angels for Claudell Washington and Rich Monteleone.

California Angels (1990–1993)

Polonia finished the 1990 season with 128 hits in 381 at-bats. Polonia hit .336 for the Angels in 1991, while attaining a career-high 122 OPS+ as well as tying Nelson Liriano and Lance Johnson for third place with nine triples in the American League, but also led the league in times caught stealing. In the 2000 American League Division Series, Polonia served as a pinch hitter for Jorge Posada in Game 4, where he recorded a single. He received two at-bats in the 2000 World Series, going 1 for 2 with a single. He retired after the World Series.

Career statistics In 1,379 games over 12 seasons, Polonia compiled a .293 batting average, 1,417 hits, 728 runs scored, 189 doubles, 70 triples, 36 home runs, 405 RBIs, 321 stolen bases, 369 base on balls, a .342 on-base percentage and a .383 slugging percentage. He posted a .983 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions. In the postseason, he hit .234 (11-for-47) in 17 World Series games and 16 playoff games.

For long a member of Águilas Cibaeñas, Polonia is the all-time leader in hits of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, with 927.

Conviction Luis Polonia was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with an underage girl, however the judge postponed sentencing until after the 1989 baseball season. "I made a mistake and I'm really sorry for it," Polonia told the judge before the sentence was imposed. "I'm a human being and anybody can make the mistake I made." Polonia, still with the New York Yankees, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and fined $1,500 on the misdemeanor charge of having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Thomas Doherty, Milwaukee County circuit judge, also ordered Polonia to make a $10,000 contribution to the Sinai Samaritan Medical Center's sexual assault treatment center in Milwaukee. Polonia pleaded no contest to the charge of having sexual intercourse with a child.

Post-baseball career In 2016, Polonia was inducted in the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.

On May 8, 2020, Polonia's son, former professional baseball player Rodney Polonia, was found dead of an apparent heart attack, aged 27.