(Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)
Venezuela Major League Baseball legend outfielder Victor Davalillo passed away on Wednesday in Caracas, Venezuela at the age of 84.
Davalillo was born in Cabimas, Zulia, Venezuela on July 31, 1939 and is the only player in the history of the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional to play 30 seasons with Leones del Caracas, Tigres de Aragua, Llaneros de Portuguesa, Tiburones de La Guaira and Industriales de Valencia. Davalillo has the most hits in LVBP with 1,505 and batted a lifetime average of .325 in Venezuela with 4,633 at-bats.
He had played the most seasons with Leones del Caracas suiting up 19 winter league years with the organization and made his LVBP debut during the 1957-58 season.
Davalillo made his MLB debut on April 9, 1963 with the Cleveland Indians and played 16 seasons. He played from 1963-68 with the Indians, the California Angels from 1968-69, the St. Louis Cardinals from 1969-70, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1971-73, the Oakland Athletics from 1973-74 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1977-1980.
Davalillo was a two-time World Series champion with the Pirates in 1971 and 1973, won the gold glove award in 1964, and was an All-Star in 1965.
Davalillo played in 1,458 games in MLB while batting .279 with 4,296 plate appearances recording 1,122 hits, 160 doubles, 37 triples, 36 home runs, 329 RBI, 125 stolen bases, caught stolen 58 times, 212 walks, 422 strikeouts, and a .680 OPS.
Davalillo also played in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol with the Cafeteros de Córdoba from 1974-75, Angeles de Puebla in 1976, and with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes in 1977 and 1979-81.
Davalillo during the 1977 LMB regular season led the league in batting average at .384.
Davalillo played in 537 games in LMB with 2,281 plate appearances recording 735 hits, 98 doubles, 22 triples, 33 home runs, 288 RBI, 36 stolen bases, 209 walks, and 134 strikeouts.
Many fans will attend his memorial service on Friday at Estadio Universitario in Caracas, Venezuela from 11:00 a.m. AST – 1 p.m. AST.
Davalillo was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in Valencia in the museums first year in 2003 with Luis Aparicio, José Bracho, Alejandro Carrasquel, Alfonso Carrasquel, José Antonio Casanova, David Concepción, Luis García, Vidal López, Roberto Olivo, Diego Segui, Abelardo Raidi, Juan Antonio Yanes, and César Tovar.
Alejandro Carrasquel, Jesús Ramos, Alfonso Carrasquel, Pompeyo Davalillo, Ramón Monzant, Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio and Elio Chacon were right in front of Davalillo as the first born Venezuelan players to play in MLB.