Leocadio Francisco (Tony) Batista . . . Married, wife's name is Austalia . . . son Willy (11/30/96), daughters Gina (2/10/00) and Gabriel (4/3/02) . . . attended Liceo Juan de Jesus (DR) High School...resides in Mao, Dominican Republic ... he was discovered and signed by former Major League standout pitcher Juan Marichal. He signed as a non-drafted free agent with the A's in 1991.
2007
Served as Manny Acta's top right-handed bat off the bench...posted team-leading 14 pinch hits, which tied for 6th onthe franchise's all-time single-season list...ranked among MLB leaders in both pinch-hit RBI (tied for 3rd, 12) and pinchhits (tied for 4th)...had contract selected from Columbus, May 8...started 12 games at 1B, during which Washington went a remarkable 10-2...in 63 pinch-hit appearances, hit .280 (14-for-50) with one homer, 12 RBI and a .397OBP...Washington went a remarkable 10-2 when starting at 1B...hit a stout .288 (17-for-59) in the season's 2nd half. Game-By-Game Highlights: Snapped scoreless tie with 2-run pinch-hit double, Aug. 14 vs. PHI...3rd career pinch homer, Aug. 28 at LAD, was first homer of any kind since May 21, 2006...posted season-best 3 hits Sept. 25 at NYM.In minor leagues: Was selected Nationals Minor League Player of the Month for April at Columbus, hitting .309 (25-for-81) with 3 homers and 14 RBI in 23 games.
2005
Spent entire season playing for Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the
Japanese Pacifi c League . . . was third in league in hits and doubles, fi fth in
rbi and seventh in homers.
2004
Batista hit 32 home runs, a record for an Expos third baseman. He led the Expos in RBIs with 110. Batista was named NL Player of the Week for Sept. 13-19. He earned the Expos' Player of the Month honor for July by hitting five home runs and driving in 26 runs.
2003
Batista hit .236 with 20 doubles, 26 home runs and 99 RBIs in his final season with Baltimore. His 26 homers led the Orioles. He has averaged 31 homers per season. Batista tied for fourth in the American League in games played with 161. He has played in a career-best 161 games each of the last two seasons. He enters the 2004 season having played in 91 consecutive games. Batista was hitting .275 on June 8, but batted .211 (84-for-398) thereafter. He played winter ball for
Aguilas in his home country after the season.
2003 Highlights:
- RBI GUY: In addition to leading Baltimore in home runs, ranked 2nd in RBI, just one behind team-leader Jay Gibbons
(100)...also finished just one RBI shy of recording 3rd 100-RBI campaign in last 5 seasons (career-high 114 for Toronto
in 2000 and 100 in 2001 for Toronto and Baltimore).
HOT CORNER HAPPENINGS: Ranked 3rd among American League third baggers in homers with 26...only Eric Chavez
and Hank Blalock (29 apiece) hit more...99 RBI ranked 2nd among the same group, behind only Chavez (101).
- BIG GAMES: Matched career highs with 2 home runs and 5 RBI on July 18 vs. Anaheim...the 2-home game was the
11th of his career...also hit 2 homers on April 9 at Tampa Bay...hit game-ending 10th-inning homer on August 21 vs. Tampa
Bay off Jesus Colome...matched career-high 4 hits on April 4 vs. Boston.
- MORE '03 HIGHLIGHTS: Blasted 7th career grand slam on September 24 at Fenway Park off John Burkett...drove in
21 runs in 28 May contests...walked with the bases loaded 3 times...hit .400 with 12 RBI during season-long 12-game hitting
streak, May 18-31...bags-loaded walk on April 5 vs. Boston forced in the game-winning run...tallied 36 multi-hit
games...walked once ever 23.9 at-bats, the 4th-lowest walk ratio in the American League...made 20 errors at third base,
posting a .950 fielding percentage...saw 3.83 pitches per plate appearance.
2002
- In his first full season with the Orioles, led the team in doubles (36), home runs (31) and RBI (87) and
was the club's lone representative to the American League All-Star team.
- Hit 30 of his 31 home runs as a third baseman (one as DH), breaking Brooks Robinson's single season
record for most by an Orioles 3B (previously 28 in 1964).
- Reached the 30-homer plateau for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons...Hit his 150th career home run on
August 24 against Toronto.
- Ranked among American League leaders in games played (5th, 161), hit by pitch (T9th, 11) and inten-
tional walks (T10th, 9).
- His 9 doubles and 24 RBI in April were both the 2nd best opening month totals ever by an Oriole...Mike
Bordick had 29 RBI in 2000, Cal Ripken had 10 doubles in 1996, while Roberto Alomar (1996) and Brady
Anderson (1989) also had 9 doubles.
- Hit a grand slam off New York's Roger Clemens in the Orioles' Opening Day win, the first of two homers
he hit off Clemens on the year...The grand slam was the 2nd by an Oriole on Opening Day; Eddie Murray
did it in 1982 vs. Kansas City.
- Started the first 114 games before sitting out the game on August 11 at Detroit...Had played 170 straight
games, including 112 starts dating back to 2001...Served as the designated hitter 5 times, the first com-
ing on August 5 at Toronto.
- Went 1-for-3 with a pinch-hit RBI single in the All-Star Game in Milwaukee...Handled 4 plays flawlessly
in the field in his 2nd All-Star appearance.
- Hit safely in 25 of 30 games, May 8-June 12, batting .306 (34-111) with 9 doubles, 7 home runs and 14
RBI...His average reached a season-high .280 on June 8.
- Went 3-for-42 over his last 11 games of the season and batted .220 (31-141) with 10 home runs over
his final 37 games.
- Had three sudden-death, game-winning hits, including a 10th-inning home run vs. San Diego on June
11...Drove in the winning run with an 11th-inning single on August 22 vs. Tampa Bay and had a 2-out single in the bottom of 9th on June 26 to defeat New York, 8-7.
- Had a season-high four hits on June 29 vs. Philadelphia, his 5th career 4-hit game...Matched career-
highs with 2 home runs and 5 RBI on April 27 at Kansas City...Had 4 RBI against the Royals the previous night.
- Hit 19 home runs in the first half...Had only 2 home runs in his first 32 games after the All-Star break
before hitting 10 home runs in his next 32 games...Did not hit a home run in his last 12 games of the season.
- Hit safely in 16 of 29 games, April 15-May 4, batting .319 (23-72) with 7 home runs & 20 RBI...Had a
season-high 9-game hitting streak, April 15-24.
- Batted .250 in 7 games and .294 in 4 playoff games for Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.
2001
- Began the season with the Toronto Blue Jays before being claimed by the Orioles on waivers on June 25...Batted .207 with 13 HR and 45 RBI in 72 games for Blue Jays and hit .266 with 12 HR and 42 RBI in 84 games with the Orioles.
- Was batting .183 (21-115) through May 3...Hit safely in 23 of his next 29 games (.263, 31-118), to raise his average to .222.
- In his second game with the Orioles on June 27 at Toronto, had 3 hits, including a double and a 2-run home run...It was his first homer since May 26 at Chicago.
- Went 3-for-18 in his first 5 games with the Orioles...Beginning July 1, hit safely in 54 of his final 79 games, batting .272.
- Hit .286 in July and .321 in September.
- Hit 2 home runs against Boston on August 12, his 8th career multi-homer game.
- Hit his 4th career grand slam September 25 at Boston...Had 18 RBI on the season against the Red Sox.
- Hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead, 3-run home run on September 20 against the Blue Jays at SkyDome to help snap the Orioles' 10-game losing streak...It began a stretch of 7 straight multi-hit games in which he batted .571 (16-28) with 4 2B, a 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI and 8 runs.
- For the Orioles, started 33 games at designated hitter, 29 at third base and 19 at shortstop.
- Started July 14 & 15 at shortstop, his first appearances there since 1999...Started 17 of his final 20 games of the season at shortstop.
2000
Hit .263 in 154 games with career highs of 41 HR's and 114 RBI...The 41 home runs were tied for fourth in the AL and first on the team with Carlos Delgado...Established a new club record for HR's by a third baseman surpassing the previous mark of 31 held by Kelly Gruber (1990) and Ed Sprague (1996)...Now holds the club record for HR at two positions (27 as SS in 1999)...His totals of 322 total bases and 114 RBI both rank as the ninth highest single season totals in club history...Wound up with four multi-HR games on the season to give him seven in his career...Made his first All-Star game appearance, was named as reserve and was 0-1 as a pinch-hitter.....Hit .273 vs RHP and .235 against LHP...41HR, 35RHP, 6 vs LHP, 25 at Home and 16 on the Road...At the All-Star break was batting .289 with 24 HR and 72 RBI and following the break hit .234 with17 HR and 42 RBI.
1999
Split the season between Arizona and Toronto and combined to hit .277 with a career high 31 home runs and 100 RBI...Acquired by Toronto on June 12 along with RHP John Frascatore in exchange for LHP Dan Plesac...With Arizona hit .257 in 44 games with five HR and 21 RBI...In 98 games with Toronto hit .285 with 26 home runs and 79 RBI...His 26 home runs and 79 RBI are a new Blue Jays record for a shortstop...Began Blue Jays career with a five game hit streak and homered in his debut June 15 against Anaheim's Tim Belcher...Since June 15 started every game the rest of the season...With Toronto averaged a HR every once 3.8 games and once every 14.4 at bats...Hit two game-winning home runs in extra innings, on July 26 in Chicago in the 11th against the White Sox and July 20 in the 10th inning at home against Atlanta...Had the third two-homer game of his career on July 8 in Baltimore...Hit in a career-high 17 straight games from July 30-Aug. 16, hitting .338 (23-68) with five homers and 15 RBI...Reached 100 RBI with a grand slam in the final game of the season Oct. 3 at Cleveland for the first slam of his career...Finished the season with 17 RBI and three homers in the last 11 games...Of his 26 HR with Toronto, 16 were solo's, six were with one on base, three with two on and one with three on...Hit .230 (14-38) vs. left-hand pitching with three homers and 11 RBI and .296 (93-314) against right-handers with 23 HRs and 68 RBI...Hit .288 on the road (17 HR, 50 RBI) and .283 at home (9 HR, 29 RBI)...Hit in 76 of 98 games with Toronto...Hit .302 (35-116) with runners in scoring position...Posted a .975 fielding percentage (12E/486TC) and participated in 72 double plays in 98 games.
1998
Established himself as an everyday player in second half of season, starting only 19 of the first 84 game...Was in the lineup for 69 of the remaining contests, establishing career highs in virtually every offensive category...Entered the '98 season with 10 home runs in 426 career big league at bats, but by season's end, he accrued 18 round trippers in 293 at-bats with the D'Backs...Included was a 48-game stretch in which he hit 16 home runs from July 3-Sept. 13, spanning 156 at-bats...Included was the first pinch-hit home run in Diamondbacks history, and first of his career, a two-run blast in Wrigley Field on Aug. 3 off of Don Wengert, assisting in a 6-5 Arizona win...The pinch home run began a five-game, five-homer stretch for Batista, ending with a pair at home Aug. 11, leading the D'Backs to a 7-3 win over Philly, his second career two homer contest...He had a season-high 10-game hitting streak from July 30-Aug. 14, batting .385 (15-for-39), with two doubles, five home runs, six runs and 10 RBI, collecting 32 total bases during the skein for an .821 slugging percentage...Hit nine home runs on the road and nine in Bank One Ballpark...Batted .296 (48-for-162) in his home park, and .244 (32-for-131) away from home...He ranked 3rd in the NL when hitting with a 3-1 count, batting .727 (8-for-11), trailing only Roger Cedeo and Todd Dunwoody, who were each 3-for-4 on that count...Defensively, he spent most of the season as the second baseman, until swapping spots on the diamond with Jay Bell on Sept. 11, becoming the shortstop for the remainder of the season...Batted .277 for the Aguilas of Dominican in Winter League Ball, ranking rhird in the league with eight home runs, 4th in RBI (33) and 4th in runs scored (34).
1997
Was Oakland's opening day shortstop, while hitting .171 (6-for-35) to start the year...Fell to .167 through 29 games and was optioned to Edmonton on May 17...Recalled on July 1 when Rafael Bournigal was disabled, and hit .269 (14-for-52) before going 2-for-24, and was optioned back to Edmonton on August 10...Was brought back to Oakland on Aug. 21, participating in five games before going on the disabled list on Aug. 27 with strained left quadriceps...Had a four-hit game Aug. 23 at Cleveland...After healing from the leg injury, was sent to Edmonton to participate in the final game of the PCL playoffs, going 2-for-4 with two RBI as the Trappers won the title...Was activated from the DL Sept. 12, but did not play until Sept. 24...Started 54 games at shortstop, second on the club to Bournigal's 59, while also starting one game at second base...While with Edmonton, hit .315 in 33 games.
1996
Completed organizational climb, starting the year as the shortstop at Edmonton, before finishing the season as the Athletics' second baseman...Started final 33 games of the year with Oakland, hitting .317 (45-for-142) with four homers and 21 RBI, while also playing errorless defense...Was call up to the majors for first time on June 2 and picked up first big league hit on June 8 at Minnesota off Erik Bennett...Hit first major league home run on June 18 in Detroit off Tom Urbani...Had a pair of four-hit games, including Aug. 26 in Baltimore, homering to open the game, then adding another blast in the eighth, finishing with four RBI...Was named the second baseman on the Topps Rookie All-Star team.
1995
Spent the entire year at Huntsville (AA), finishing second on the club in home runs (16) and third in RBI (61)...Played 84 games at shortstop and 18 at second base.
1994
Earned California League All-Star honors as the everyday shortstop at Modesto (A)...Was also the league's top fielding shortstop with a .950 percentage...Hit three grand slams...Hit .360 (9-for-25) while starting all seven games of the California League playoffs.
1993
Opened the year with Scottsdale (Rookie), and batted .327 with 17 RBI in 24 games...Was promoted to Tacoma (AAA) on July 25...Had season-ending surgery after suffering a fractured skull on July 28 in a collision with another player while fielding a groundball.
1992
His first year in the U.S., played both second base and shortstop for Scottsdale, playing in 45 games.
1991
Played for the Athletics' club in the Dominican Summer League.
