Benigno Ayala Felix (born February 7, 1951) is a Puerto Rican former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player who had a 10-season career from to . He played

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

. He played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

and

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

both of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

and the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

and

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 , the team ...

both of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

Career

Ayala made his major league debut as the Mets' starting

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

in his first

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

off the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

' Tom Griffin to open a three- run rally in the bottom of the second

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

in a 4–2 Mets victory. Wearing uniform number 18 and strictly a corner outfielder, Ayala played in only 45 games with the Mets (23 in , 22 in ).Benny Ayala (statistics & history) – Baseball-Reference.com.
/ref> After spending 1974 with New York, he spent 1975 in the minors, 1976 with the New York Mets. He was traded from the Mets to the

for Doug Clarey during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

on March 20, 1977.Baltimore Orioles 1980 Information Guide (scroll down to page 85).
Retrieved September 17, 2022. He was acquired by the

from the Cardinals for Mike Dimmel on January 16, 1979 and assigned to the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. His contract was purchased by the Orioles from the Red Wings months later on April 30. With Baltimore, Ayala routinely platooned with Gary Roenicke and John Lowenstein. Ayala appeared in two World Series with Baltimore. In 1979, he belted a two-run homer in the Orioles' Game 3 win over the Pirates. In 1983, he made one pinch-hitting appearance against the Phillies. He singled home the tying run in Game 3 and later scored the winning run. The Orioles elected not to renew the option year on his contract on September 28, 1984."Sports People: Orioles Clean House," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, September 29, 1984.
Retrieved January 22, 2023.

References

External links

* Wulf, Stev
"It's The Right Idea For Left"
''Sports Illustrated'', July 12, 1982 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Benny 1951 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Maine Guides players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball right fielders Memphis Blues players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players New York Mets players People from Yauco, Puerto Rico Pompano Beach Mets players Rochester Red Wings players Springfield Redbirds players St. Louis Cardinals players Tidewater Tides players Visalia Mets players West Palm Beach Tropics players

Career

See also

References

External links