Cruz Brothers

It's the early spring of 1973. 

 

You think back to six years ago, when at the age of 19 you started a solid climb through baseball's minor leagues—from Single-A Modesto to Double-A Arkansas to Triple-A Tulsa. Now you're about to start your third season in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

 

You've also got two younger brothers, and they've been trying to take the same route through the Cardinals' organization.

 

Tommy, the next youngest, has been bouncing up and down from Single-A to Triple-A and back again.

 

And Héctor, the youngest of the three, has been catching up.

 

What a treat that the Cardinals have shown such faith in all three of you! Not only has it made it easier to keep in touch, but it's also helped you work with each other and spur each other on.

 

Now it's time for spring training. You've been focusing on your skills, and preparing for your upcoming season in the bigs. But the Cardinals have just made two announcements that cause you to temporarily lose your focus:

 

(1) They're calling up Tommy for some spring training games with the big club. 

(2) They're calling up Héctor for some spring training games with the big club.  

 

All three of you will be reunited! 

 

 

From left to right: Tommy, Héctor, and José Cruz

And on March 23, 1973, something even more amazing happens. Coach says the three of you will be starting today's game against the New York Mets.

 

Three Cruz brothers, all in the lineup, playing the outfield together! You walk over to the batting order. Manager Red Schoendienst has done the family another solid. You've got the first three spots in the order!

 

Well, you don't need any more motivation or inspiration. The three of you hit well, putting up 3 runs and 3 RBI in a 9–2 win. You've scored more runs than the entire Mets team! 

 

After the game, Schoendienst speaks to the media, saying, "...they're good ballplayers. I guess I batted them at the top for the effect. They have six older brothers back home and, if they come to town, I'll play them, too."

 

What a moment for the Cruz family. 

 

After that magical spring training, plenty of folks must have been excited at the prospect of seeing all three brothers playing full time for the Cardinals. 

 

However, baseball doesn't always give you the straight and simple road.

 

Here are the brothers on cardboard, just a few years later: 

 

 

1977 Topps #42 Jose Cruz, 1977 Topps #624 Hector Cruz, and 1978 TCMA #0109 Tommy Cruz

 

Héctor got some more work done in AAA from 1973 to 1974, and by 1975 he did make it to the show with the Cardinals. In 1976, his first full season in the big leagues, he would finish 3rd in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting.  

 

After 1973, Tommy went back down to AA and AAA and toiled for the next few seasons trying to crack a major league lineup, receiving just a brief cup of coffee with St. Louis in 1973 and the White Sox in 1977. 

 

And in 1975, José would go from St. Louis to Houston, where he put up solid numbers from the start and quickly became a fan favorite. Within a couple of years he became a perennial .300 hitter, good for around 30 doubles, 80 RBI, and 60 stolen bases a year.

  

By 1979, José was on the verge of some All-Star nominations and Silver Slugger awards, while Héctor had gone from the Cardinals to the Cubs to the Giants, putting up serviceable but not stunning numbers at the plate and in the field. 

 

And Tommy?

 

Well, he was still toiling in the minors. He posted good numbers, batting over .300 numerous times with some decent power, but it still wasn't enough to crack a major league lineup. Then, after the 1979 season, an opportunity came along from some distant shores.

 

Japan. 

 

And Tommy decided to go for it. The professional league in Japan was pretty darn good, after all, and the team he'd be playing for, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, had been showing some spunk lately. 

 

But you've got to wonder how Héctor and José felt when Tommy told them he accepted an offer to play overseas. It would have been tricky to follow Tommy's career, at least day to day or week to week. Were the brothers making long-distance phone calls? I mean, how did a ballplayer in America get sports news from Japan back in the early 1980s? There was no internet. And although satellite TV existed, I wonder how many NPB games would have been transmitted to the US. As for Japanese newspapers, it's possible that some big-city libraries in the US carried them. But even if they did, who would translate the articles and box scores?

 

Regardless, I'm sure all three brothers did what they could to keep in touch and cheer each other on.

Here are some stats for all three Cruz brothers. 

 

 

CAREER TOTALS

 

	JOSÉ (19 seasons MLB)	TOMMY (6 seasons NPB)	HÉCTOR (9 seasons MLB)
GAMES PLAYED	2353	712	624
AT-BATS	7917	2780	1607
RUNS	1036	345	186
HITS	2251	863	361
DOUBLES	391	155	71
TRIPLES	94	11	9
HOME RUNS	165	120	39
RBI	1077	466	200
STOLEN BASES	317	9	7
WALKS	898	178	176
STRIKEOUTS	1031	220	317
BATTING AVERAGE	.284	.310	.225
OBP	.354	.351	.301
SLG	.420	.504	.353

 

 

 

BEST SEASON (career highs in bold)

 

	JOSÉ (1983, HOU)	TOMMY (1984, Nippon-Ham Fighters)	HÉCTOR (1976, STL)
GAMES PLAYED	160	124	151
AT-BATS	594	489	526
RUNS	85	66	54
HITS	189	170	120
DOUBLES	28	36	17
TRIPLES	8	2	1
HOME RUNS	14	29	13
RBI	92	96	71
STOLEN BASES	30	0	1
WALKS	65	33	42
STRIKEOUTS	86	37	119
BATTING AVERAGE	.318	.348	.228
OBP	.385	.385	.286
SLG	.463	.607	.338

 

 

José played the outfield, and was a 2x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger. Along with the year I chose for his best season in the table above (1983), the few seasons that surrounded it were essentially just as good. He finished in the top-10 in batting average in 1978, 1983, and 1984, and led the N.L. in hits in 1983 (189). Over his career, José played for the Cardinals, Astros, and very briefly for the Yankees. His son, José Cruz, Jr., had a very good professional career as well. (Over 1,000 hits, 200 doubles, 200 home runs, and 600 RBI.)

Héctor mostly played the outfield, along with some third base. He suited up for the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, and Reds. Interestingly, he also played one year of Japan ball in 1983, with the Yomiuri Giants. Tommy had already been over there for a few years at that point. You'd have to think that he spent some time showing Héctor around!

Tommy was also an outfielder. He played a few games for the Cardinals and White Sox, then played for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the NPB from 1980 through 1985. The Fighters won the Pacific League pennant in 1981, and Tommy must have played a good part in that. (Regular season: 116 games, 138 hits, 30 doubles, 2 triples, 18 home runs, 75 RBI, and a .297/.343/.486 slash line.) 

 

 

So here's to the Cruz brothers. Three pretty solid players (endorsed by Red Schoendienst!), and one magical spring training memory.