Latin American athletes have long been at the forefront of baseball. Here are some of the biggest MLB names from Latin American countries.
Gio Urshela: The Yankees third baseman, hailing from Colombia, starred throughout their two-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians. Urshela hit .333 with five RBI, three runs scored and one huge go-ahead grand slam in Game 2. He became the first Yankees third baseman (and third Yankee overall) to ever hit a postseason grand slam.
Sixto Sanchez: The Dominican-born Sanchez pitched five shutout innings with six strikeouts and just four hits given up in the Miami Marlins series clincher over the Chicago Cubs. Sanchez finished his rookie season with a 3.46 ERA.
Brusdar Graterol: The Venezuelan pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers closed the door on the Milwaukee Brewers, solidifying their two-game sweep and advancing to the next round. Throughout the regular season, Graterol was deployed in different roles to the tune of a 3.09 ERA.
Fernando Tatis, Jr.: Tatis, from the Dominican Republic, homered twice in an 11-9 win while facing elimination in Game 2. The San Diego Padres would go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals with a lot of help from Tatis. He hit .454 with two home runs throughout the series.
Ronald Acuña, Jr.: Acuña hit .364 in the Atlanta Braves two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. The Venezuelan added an RBI in the series-clincher. Acuña finished the regular season with 16 home runs.
Yuli Gurriel: The Houston Astros Cuban-born first baseman scored the winning run in the top of the ninth inning in the first game of their eventual sweep of the Minnesota Twins. Gurriel had six home runs in the regular season.
Manuel Margot: Margot, a Dominican Republic native, helped the Tampa Bay Rays sweep the Toronto Blue Jays. Margot hit .429 with a home run and three RBI. That home run solidified the Game 1 win, extending a one-run lead in the seventh inning.
Randy Arozarena: Born in Cuba, Arozarena stepped into the Rays’ everyday lineup for injured outfielder Austin Meadows. In their sweep, Arozarena was up to the task. He hit .500 with two doubles and three runs scored.
Gleyber Torres: The Yankees Venezuelan infielder was one of the brightest stars in their first series. Torres hit .714, the highest mark on either team, with one home run, three RBI, three runs scored and three walks.
Sandy Alcàntara: The Domincan native pitched 6.2 innings with just three hits, one run and four strikeouts in the Marlins game one defeat of the Chicago Cubs. Alcantara pitched to an even 3.00 ERA with 39 strikeouts in the regular season.
