Benny Ayala

Benigno Ayala Felix

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut August 27, 1974
• Final Game October 2, 1985
• Born February 7, 1951 in Yauco, P.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

“One day, Weaver walked up to [pitching coach Ray] Miller and said, ‘Ray, Benny Ayala. Don’t forget that, Benny Ayala.’ That night, Ayala hit an eighth-inning pinch homer. ‘It just made sense to me in those days . . . to know if I had a hitter sitting on the bench in a situation that was hitting that pitcher good,’ Weaver said. ‘So I made up my lineups accordingly.’” - Jason LaCanfora, Los Angeles Times, in an article on Earl Weaver's managerial acumen, August 4, 1996

Benny Ayala was the first member of the New York Mets and first Puerto Rican to homer in his first major league at bat, taking Tom Griffin of the Houston Astros deep on August 27, 1974.

He saw his most extensive big league time with the Baltimore Orioles, winning a World Series ring as a spare/platoon outfielder in 1983. Ayala, a righthanded batter, was a perfect candidate for platooning as his career splits showed his struggles vs righthanded pitchers (.168/.260/.274 in 113 at bats) while hitting well vs lefties (.263/.313/.457 in 752 at bats).

In 1989, he played for the West Palm Beach Tropics of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He was initially signed by Nino Escalera.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983

Related Sites

• Benny Ayala at the SABR Bio Project