Gus Gil
Encyclopedia
Tomás Gustavo "Gus" Gil Guillén (born April 19, 1939 in Caracas
, Venezuela
) is a former Venezuela
n professional
baseball
player. He played in Major League Baseball
as a second baseman
for the Cleveland Indians
(1967
), Seattle Pilots
(1969
), and Milwaukee Brewers
(1970
-1971
).
, and his major league career coincided with what has been called the second deadball era, when batting averages and run production in both leagues were at an unusually low level. He was signed as an amateur free agent
by the Cincinnati Reds
in 1959
. He spent the next seven seasons playing in the minor leagues
before being purchased by the Indians in 1966
. He joined the Indians' major league club in 1967
, at the age of 27.
Career highlights include a game-tying, 2-run pinch hit double
in the top of the ninth inning
against the New York Yankees
, then scored to put the Pilots
ahead to stay, winning 5-4 (June 14, 1969), a walk-off, 2-run double with two outs
in the bottom of the ninth for the Brewers
as they came from behind and defeated the Minnesota Twins
, 4-3 (June 23, 1970), drove in both Milwaukee
runs
with a pair of sacrifice flies in a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals
(July 5, 1970), hit the only home run
of his major league
career, a solo shot against Chicago White Sox
left-hander Jim Magnuson
(August 5, 1970). In the 1970 Caribbean Series
, he hit .387, scored four runs, and had a series-leading seven RBI, to help the Magallanes
win the series, marking the first time a Venezuelan team had won the Caribbean title. In the 1973 Caribbean Series
, Gil earned a spot on the series' All-Star team.
.186, 1 home run
, and 27 runs batted in
. His performance as a fielder was much better, with 186 putout
s, 192 assist
s and 36 double play
s, but only 5 errors
out of 383 total chances
for a .982 fielding percentage
. After his playing career, he served as manager
for the Aguilas del Zulia
in the Venezuelan Winter League in 1979. He also managed the Danville Suns in 1982, and the Bluefield Orioles
in 1990 and 1991.
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, 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...
) is a former 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...
n professional
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....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He played 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...
as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1967
1967 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth in the American League with a record of 75-87, 17 games behind the Boston Red Sox.- Offseason :...
), Seattle Pilots
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1969
1969 Seattle Pilots season
The Seattle Pilots season was a season in American baseball. It was the team's inaugural season, having entered Major League Baseball as an expansion team during the offseason...
), and Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1970
1970 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 65 wins and 97 losses, 33 games behind the Minnesota Twins...
-1971
1971 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers season involved the Brewers' finishing sixth in the American League West with a record of 69 wins and 92 losses.- Offseason :...
).
Playing career
Gil was a sure-handed fielder and played for three teams in four seasons. Unfortunately, like many infielders of his time, Gil was a light hitterBatting (baseball)
In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
, and his major league career coincided with what has been called the second deadball era, when batting averages and run production in both leagues were at an unusually low level. He was signed as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in 1959
1959 Cincinnati Reds season
The Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds finishing in a fifth-place tie with the Chicago Cubs in the National League standings, with a record of 74-80, 13 games behind the NL and World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers...
. He spent the next seven seasons playing in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
before being purchased by the Indians in 1966
1966 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fifth in the American League with a record of 81-81, 17 games behind the Baltimore Orioles.- Offseason :...
. He joined the Indians' major league club in 1967
1967 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth in the American League with a record of 75-87, 17 games behind the Boston Red Sox.- Offseason :...
, at the age of 27.
Career highlights include a game-tying, 2-run pinch hit double
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....
in the top of the ninth inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
against the New York Yankees
1969 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the 67th season for the team in New York, and its 69th season overall. The team finished in fifth-place in the newly-established American League East with a record of 80-81, 28½ games behind the Baltimore Orioles. New York was managed by Ralph Houk...
, then scored to put the Pilots
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
ahead to stay, winning 5-4 (June 14, 1969), a walk-off, 2-run double with two outs
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
in the bottom of the ninth for the Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
as they came from behind and defeated the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, 4-3 (June 23, 1970), drove in both Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
with a pair of sacrifice flies in a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
(July 5, 1970), hit the only 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...
of his major league
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...
career, a solo shot against Chicago White Sox
1970 Chicago White Sox season
The 1970 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 70th season in the American League, and its 71st overall. They finished with a record 56-106, good enough for sixth place in the American League West, 42 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins....
left-hander Jim Magnuson
Jim Magnuson
James Robert Magnuson was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in and with the Chicago White Sox and in with the New York Yankees. He batted right and threw left-handed. Magnuson had a 2–7 record in 36 career games....
(August 5, 1970). 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 hit .387, scored four runs, and had a series-leading seven RBI, to help the 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 won the Caribbean title. In the 1973 Caribbean Series
1973 Caribbean Series
The XVI edition of the Caribbean Series was played in . It was held from February 1 through February 73 with the champions teams from Dominican Republic , Mexico , Puerto Rico and Venezuela...
, Gil earned a spot on the series' All-Star team.
Career statistics
During a 4-year baseball career, Gil hitBatting 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 :...
.186, 1 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...
, and 27 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. His performance as a fielder was much better, with 186 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s, 192 assist
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
s and 36 double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s, but only 5 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
out of 383 total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
for a .982 fielding percentage
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
. After his playing career, he served as manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
for the Aguilas del Zulia
Águilas del Zulia
The Águilas del Zulia is a Venezuelan winter league team that plays in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, and one of the most popular teams in Venezuela.-History:The team was founded in 1969...
in the Venezuelan Winter League in 1979. He also managed the Danville Suns in 1982, and the Bluefield Orioles
Bluefield Orioles
The Bluefield Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. Beginning in 2011, Bluefield will be affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The team plays their home games at Bowen Field, a...
in 1990 and 1991.