#419 Ruben Amaro

Ruben Amaro's expression seems to say, "If Bunning calls me 'Ruben Sandwich' one more time, I'm pegging him in the mouth with this ball."

Fun facts about Ruben Amaro (Senior):

-Hailing from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Ruben signed with the Cardinals in 1954.

-His father Santos was a star in the Cuban and Mexican baseball leagues in the 1930s and 1940s, and was also a successful manager. He and Ruben were the first father-son duo to be inducted into the Salon de Fama, the Mexican Hall of Fame.

-He debuted with St. Louis in 1958 and doubled off of Warren Spahn for his first career hit. In 40 games that year he batted .224.

-That offseason he was traded to the Phillies, and soon established himself as a versatile infielder. In 1961, he played in a career-high 135 games and hit .257 with a .351 on-base percentage and nine triples.

-In 1964 he was named the National League's Gold Glove winner at shortstop, and also reached personal bests in batting average (.264), home runs (4), and RBI (34).

-Later in his career, Ruben played with the Yankees and Angels. He retired in 1969 as a .234 hitter, with 8 home runs and 156 RBI in parts of 11 seasons.

-He had a perfect day on August 13, 1967, with four hits and two walks in six plate appearances. He doubled twice and drove in two runs as the Yankees outslugged Cleveland 15-11.

-His son Ruben, Jr. was an outfielder for the Angels, Phillies, and Indians in the 1990s and is currently the general manager of the Phillies.

-Ruben, Sr. has stayed active in baseball as a scout, minor league manager (for the Phillies, Tigers, and Cubs), and coach (1980-1981 Phillies, 1983-1986 Cubs), and he managed the Venezuelan Aguilas del Zulia team to the 1984 Caribbean Series title.

-Amaro is currently a board member for the Baseball Assistance Team, a non-profit organization that helps retired professional baseball players who are in need of financial and medical assistance.