1962
Born June 30, 1962
San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macorís, D.R.
Tony Fernández Marquee
b. June 30, 1962 · Toronto Blue Jays 1983–1990, 1993, 1998–1999, 2001, San Diego Padres 1991–1992, New York Mets 1993, Cincinnati Reds 1994, New York Yankees 1995, Cleveland Indians 1997, Milwaukee Brewers 2001
His 1,583 hits for the Blue Jays are the most in the club's history, ahead of Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado. He won four straight Gold Gloves from 1986 and threw sidearm from deep in the hole, which is the image of him. Seventeen seasons gave him 2,276 hits, 414 doubles, 92 triples, 246 stolen bases and a .288 average, with five All-Star selections.
Toronto traded him to San Diego in the deal for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter in December 1990 and brought him back in 1993 in time to win the World Series, in which he drove in nine runs. In 1997, with Cleveland, he hit the home run in the eleventh inning of the seventh game of the Championship Series that won the pennant.
He was Dominican, from San Pedro de Macorís, and founded a school there. He died in February 2020 of complications from kidney disease, at fifty-seven. The 2007 ballot gave him four votes of 545.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 5 | 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1999 |
| Gold Glove | 4 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Player of the Week | 1 | 1999 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 1 | 1986 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | TOR | 15 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .265 |
| 1984 | TOR | 88 | 233 | 29 | 63 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 5 | .270 |
| 1985 | TOR | 161 | 564 | 71 | 163 | 31 | 10 | 2 | 51 | 43 | 41 | 13 | .289 |
| 1986 | TOR | 163 | 687 | 91 | 213 | 33 | 9 | 10 | 65 | 27 | 52 | 25 | .310 |
| 1987 | TOR | 146 | 578 | 90 | 186 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 67 | 51 | 48 | 32 | .322 |
| 1988 | TOR | 154 | 648 | 76 | 186 | 41 | 4 | 5 | 70 | 45 | 65 | 15 | .287 |
| 1989 | TOR | 140 | 573 | 64 | 147 | 25 | 9 | 11 | 64 | 29 | 51 | 22 | .257 |
| 1990 | TOR | 161 | 635 | 84 | 175 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 66 | 71 | 70 | 26 | .276 |
| 1991 | SDP | 145 | 558 | 81 | 152 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 55 | 74 | 23 | .272 |
| 1992 | SDP | 155 | 622 | 84 | 171 | 32 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 56 | 62 | 20 | .275 |
| 1993 | NYM/TOR | 142 | 526 | 65 | 147 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 64 | 56 | 45 | 21 | .279 |
| 1994 | CIN | 104 | 366 | 50 | 102 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 50 | 44 | 40 | 12 | .279 |
| 1995 | NYY | 108 | 384 | 57 | 94 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 45 | 42 | 40 | 6 | .245 |
| 1997 | CLE | 120 | 409 | 55 | 117 | 21 | 1 | 11 | 44 | 22 | 47 | 6 | .286 |
| 1998 | TOR | 138 | 486 | 71 | 156 | 36 | 2 | 9 | 72 | 45 | 53 | 13 | .321 |
| 1999 | TOR | 142 | 485 | 73 | 159 | 41 | 0 | 6 | 75 | 77 | 62 | 6 | .328 |
| 2001 | MIL/TOR | 76 | 123 | 11 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 17 | 1 | .293 |
| Career | — | 2158 | 7911 | 1057 | 2276 | 414 | 92 | 94 | 844 | 690 | 784 | 246 | .288 |
On this day & linked events
2020
Died February 16, 2020
1983
Major-league debut: Tony Fernández
Tony Fernández made a major-league debut on September 2, 1983.
1995
Tony Fernández Hits for the Cycle, 1995
Tony Fernández hit for the cycle for the New York Yankees against the Oakland Athletics on September 3, 1995.
2001
Final major-league game: Tony Fernández
Tony Fernández played a final major-league game on October 7, 2001.
Image: Simple7on, CC BY-SA 4.0