Alex Carrasquel

From BR Bullpen

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Alejandro Eloy Carrasquel Aparicio
(Patón)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 182 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Alex Carrasquel was the first Venezuelan-born player in the major leagues and either the first or the second South American (after Lou Castro, whose place of birth is disputed).

In his major league debut with the Washington Senators on April 23, 1939 against the New York Yankees, he struck out Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Bill Dickey. Alex typically posted above-.500 win-loss records for Senators teams that were usually under .500. In 1940 and 1941, he went 6-2 each season, although the Senators went 64-90 and 70-84. In 1944 the team again went 64-90 while Alex was 8-7. In his winningest year, 1943, he was 11-7 as the team actually finished over .500 at 84-69. His major league career ended after 1945 when he jumped to the Mexican League (except when he returned to the majors for 3 games with the Chicago White Sox in 1949) but his minor league career continued until 1953. In 1955 and 1956, he again played in Mexico. Carrasquel was quoted in 1946 as saying he was offered $7,500 to play for Vera Cruz in Mexico while the White Sox had offered him only $5,000.

He managed in the U.S. with the Sweetwater Braves in 1952. He also managed in Venezuela. He was an inaugural member of the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, class of 2003, and was elected to the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame as part of their 2012 class. He is the uncle of Chico Carrasquel, Martin Carrasquel, Emilio Carrasquel, Alfonso Collazo, Cris Colon, Domingo Carrasquel Sr. and Domingo Carrasquel Jr.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Playoffs Notes
1952 Sweetwater Braves Longhorn League 44-48 -- -- replaced by John F. Morris (8-40) on July 26

Related Sites[edit]