Gonzalo Enrique Márquez Moya (March 31, 1946 - December 19, 1984) was a professional baseball

Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

. A left-handed batter, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 for the Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 (1972–73) and Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 (1973–74). He was born in Carúpano

Carúpano

Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná...

, Sucre State, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

In the 1970 Caribbean Series

1970 Caribbean Series

After nine years of absence, the XIII edition of the Caribbean Series was revived in 1970 without Panama or Cuba. It was held in Caracas, Venezuela from February 5 to February 10 at Estadio Universitario and featured three teams from Dominican Republic , Puerto Rico , and Venezuela...

, he led all players with a .440 batting average and 4 stolen bases, to help the Navegantes del Magallanes

Navegantes del Magallanes

The Navegantes del Magallanes are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in Valencia, the Navegantes have won ten LVBP championships and two Caribbean World Series.-Pitchers:...

 win the series, marking the first time a Venezuelan team had taken the title. While Márquez was not a star in the major leagues, he's still greatly remembered by the Oakland fans for his memorable 1972

1972 Oakland Athletics season

The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning the American League West with a record of 93 wins and 62 losses. In the playoffs, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in a five-game ALCS, followed by a seven-game World Series, in which they defeated the Cincinnati Reds for their first World...

 rookie season. Easily, his participation as a collaborator for his team in that season could be labeled in terms of strategic offensive provider, some like as a "designated

Designated hitter

In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

 pinch-hitter".

In four-season majors career, Márquez batted

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .235 (27-for-115) with one home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

, 10 runs batted in, nine runs, three doubles

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 and one stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

 in 76 games. In eight post-season games, he hit 5-for-8 for a .625 BA with two RBI and one run scored. He resumed his player career with the Leones del Caracas

Leones del Caracas

The Leones del Caracas is a Venezuelan baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Since its inception, the team has played in the Estadio Universitario in Caracas...

club in the Venezuelan Winter League, compiling a record of .288 with 16 homers and 295 RBI in 833 games, from 1965 to 1984.

Gonzalo Márquez was killed in a car accident in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, as he was returning home from a baseball game. He was 44 years old.

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