Julio Cesar Lugo (November 16, 1975 – November 15, 2021) was a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He played 12 seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

. He was the elder brother of

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Ruddy Lugo Ruddy Joraider Lugo (born May 22, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Oakland Athletics. Julio Lugo, who played in MLB for 12 s ...

Baseball career

Lugo was born in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and at age 13 moved to

Sunset Park, Brooklyn Sunset Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, bounded by Park Slope and Green-Wood Cemetery to the north, Borough Park to the east, Bay Ridge to the south, and Upper New York Bay to the ...

, where he attended

Fort Hamilton High School Fort Hamilton High School (HS 490) is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York, USA, under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Education. Students in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Dyker Heights are zoned to Fort Hamilton HS. It is ...

. In addition to playing baseball for Fort Hamilton, he played in the Youth Service League in Brooklyn; alumni of that program include

Manny Ramírez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...

and Shawon Dunston. He went on to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at Connors State College in Oklahoma.

Houston Astros

The

selected Lugo in the 43rd round of the 1994 MLB draft, although he did not sign with the team until May 1995. He made his professional debut in 1995 with the

Auburn Astros Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia * Auburn, Tasmania *Au ...

, a

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

team in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

; appearing in 59 games, he had a .291 batting average with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and 16

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

(RBIs). He advanced through the Houston

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, reaching the Triple-A level in 2000 with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. Early that season, Lugo was promoted to the major-league Astros, and made his MLB debut on April 15, 2000. Lugo played in 116 games for the Astros that year, batting .283 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. He made appearances at shortstop, second base, all three outfield positions, and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

. In 2001, Lugo played in 140 games, batting .263 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs. The following season, he batted .261 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 88 games. In mid-August, Lugo's left arm was broken when he was hit by a pitch from

Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old ro ...

of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, ending his 2002 season. On April 30, 2003, Lugo was arrested after a game at

Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...

and charged with assaulting his wife. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

and subsequently released by the Astros. Lugo had appeared with 22 games that season with Houston. Overall, Lugo appeared in 366 games for the Astros, batting .268 with 28 home runs and 114 RBIs. He appeared in one postseason series with Houston, the

2001 National League Division Series The 2001 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2001 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 9, and ended on Sunday, October 14, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team— ...

, batting 0-for-8 in three games.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

In mid-May 2003, Lugo signed with the

. In mid-July, he was acquitted of the assault charges after his then-wife (the couple had filed for divorce) testified that she had instigated the incident and he did not intend to hurt her. Lugo appeared in 117 games with the Rays through the end of the season, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs. He hit home runs in four consecutive games against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

during September 22–25. In 2004, Lugo batted .275 with seven home runs and 75 RBIs in 157 games. The following season, he played 158 games while batting .295 with six home runs and 57 RBIs. Lugo spent the first half of 2006 with the Devil Rays, playing in 73 games with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs, and a .308 average. Two of his home runs came in a single inning, the fifth, of a home game against the

on July 22. Overall with Tampa Bay in parts of four seasons, Lugo had a .287 average with 40 home runs and 212 RBIs in 505 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Lugo was traded at the 2006 trade deadline to the

for infielder Joel Guzmán and minor-league outfielder Sergio Pedroza. He appeared in 49 games with the Dodgers through the end of the regular season, batting .219 with no home runs and 10 RBIs. In the 2006 National League Division Series, Lugo batted 1-for-4 in two games as the Dodgers lost to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

. At the end of October, he became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

Boston Red Sox

On December 5, 2006, Lugo signed a four-year, $36 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

with the

. Lugo was brought on to bat leadoff, but was moved by

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...

to the bottom part of the order primarily due to his inability to consistently get on base. During the 2007 season, from June 15 through July 2, inclusive, Lugo went 0–31 at the plate. At that time, Lugo had a .189 batting average. Since 1996, only

Greg Vaughn Gregory Lamont Vaughn (born July 3, 1965) is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado ...

—who had a .163 average with Tampa Bay on June 27, 2002—had a lower batting average with more than 250 at bats 80 games into a season. After the first week of July, Lugo turned his hitting performance around, compiling a 14-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pla ...

on July 25. He was 24-for-54 (.444) during the career-best streak, raising his average from .189 to .226. He had a streak of 20 consecutive

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe o ...

s that ended on July 2, setting a club record. Lugo ended the regular season with a .237 average with eight home runs and 73 RBIs in 147 games. The Red Sox advanced to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

where they swept the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

in four games; Lugo played in 14 postseason games with Boston, while batting .385 (5-for-13) in the World Series. During 2008, Lugo committed 16

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

s through July 5, nearly one-third of the 50 errors made by the Red Sox as a team to that point in the season. Six days later, Lugo injured his left

quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

running out a hit; he was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

and missed the rest of the season. In 82 games, he batted .268 with one home run and 22 RBIs. On March 17, 2009, Lugo underwent

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...

on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck ...

. He returned to the team in late April, batting .284 in 37 games through early July, while committing seven errors. On July 17, Lugo was designated for assignment by the Red Sox. Overall during 2007–2009 with the Red Sox, Lugo appeared in 266 games while batting .251 with 10 home runs and 103 RBIs.

Later career

On July 22, 2009, Lugo was traded to the

for Chris Duncan and cash considerations. In 51 games with the Cardinals through the end of the season, Lugo batted .277 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. Defensively, he split time between shortstop (24 appearances) and second base (30 appearances). He batted 2-for-5 in three games of the 2009 National League Division Series, which the Cardinals lost to the Dodgers. On April 1, 2010, Lugo was traded to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. He batted .249 in 93 games with no home runs and 20 RBIs during the season. He was used primarily at second base (59 appearances) while also seeing time at shortstop, third base, left field, and designated hitter. Lugo signed a minor-league contract with the

on May 23, 2011. He was added to the Braves' major-league roster when they purchased his contract on June 21. In 22 games with Atlanta, Lugo batted .136 (6-for-44) with no home runs and three RBIs. The Braves released Lugo on September 2. On January 21, 2012, Lugo agreed to a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

with an invitation to spring training. On January 30, the deal was reported to have fallen apart and he remained a free agent. Lugo did not play professionally during the 2012 regular season. His final season was in 2013, as a member of the

Peoria Explorers The Peoria Explorers were a professional baseball team in the United States founded in 2012. The team was based in Peoria, Arizona and a member of the independent Freedom Pro Baseball League, which is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball. ...

of the

Freedom Pro Baseball League The Freedom Pro Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in Arizona that played in 2012 and 2013. The league started with four teams, the Scottsdale Centennials, Peoria Explorers, Phoenix Prospectors, and the Prescott Federals in ...

, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League (baseball, 19 ...

. In 1352 MLB games over 12 seasons, Lugo batted .269 with 80 home runs and 475 RBIs; he stole 198 bases. In eight minor-league seasons, he batted .294 with 39 home runs and 250 RBIs in 570 games. He also played three seasons in the Dominican Winter League for

Leones del Escogido Leones del Escogido (English: ''Chosen One Lions'' or ''Lions of Chosen One'' or ''Picked Lions'') is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Established in , Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Wi ...

, and played for the Dominican Republic three times in the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is nor ...

Personal life

Lugo and his wife had one son and two daughters; he also had an older son with his former spouse. In 2013, Lugo was inducted to the Connors State College athletic hall of fame. In 2015, Lugo was arrested in the Dominican Republic for kidnapping a couple and holding them at gunpoint. In 2018, the Boston Red Sox held their first alumni game since 1993; Lugo hit a two-run homer off of

Pedro Martínez Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to . At the time o ...

for the only runs in the game. Lugo died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on November 15, 2021, just one day before his 46th birthday.

References

External links

Lugo homers twice in the 5th inning
from MLB via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lugo, Julio 1975 births 2021 deaths People from Barahona Province Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball shortstops Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Boston Red Sox players Houston Astros players Los Angeles Dodgers players St. Louis Cardinals players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Fort Hamilton High School alumni Connors State Cowboys baseball players Auburn Astros players Gwinnett Braves players Jackson Generals (Texas League) players Kissimmee Cobras players New Orleans Zephyrs players Pawtucket Red Sox players Quad Cities River Bandits players Leones del Escogido players