Julio Luis Cruz is a former professional baseball player who played second base in the major leagues from 1977-1986.

Cruz attended Redlands High School in Southern California, and earned all-league honors as a basketball point guard for Redlands (a teammate of Cruz' on that team was Brian Billick

Brian Billick

Brian Harold Billick is a National Football League game analyst for Fox, and is also an analyst for the network's Bowl Championship Series coverage. He was previously an NFL coach, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens from January 19, 1999 to December 31, 2007...

, who eventually coached the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2002). Cruz often said that he played basketball only to maintain his fitness, agility and speed for the baseball season.

Although a lifetime .237 hitter with little power, Cruz had excellent speed. 6 years in a row with the Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

, from 1978 through 1983, he stole over 40 bases each season and was the team's all-time leader in that statistic leading to his nickname "the Cruzer.". His record of 290 was surpassed by Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki

, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...

, whose two stolen bases in a game against the Padres on May 18, 2008, gave him a total of 292. Cruz was traded to the Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 on June 15, 1983, for fellow second baseman Tony Bernazard

Tony Bernazard

Antonio Bernazard Garcia is a former Major League Baseball player and former executive in the New York Mets organization...

. After the trade, the White Sox caught fire, winning 99 games and the divisional pennant. "Juice" Cruz was a key spark plug on that team. However, after 1983, his performance tailed off.

Julio Cruz was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum

Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, Inc., was founded in San Francisco, California, in June 1999 by its founder Mr.Gabriel "Tito" Avila, Jr., as a way to honor the greatest Hispanic baseball players of all time. The organization is a not-for-profit institution...

 Hall of Fame on September 15, 2004, in a pregame on field ceremony at Safeco Field

Safeco Field

Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and has a seating capacity of 47,878 for baseball...

, in Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

. He is currently a broadcaster for the Mariners.

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