Tony Solaita
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Tolia "Tony" Solaita (January 15, 1947 - February 10, 1990) was a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, and Montreal Expos from 1968 to 1979.
The only baseball player to ever hail from American Samoa, Solaita had been a prodigious home run hitter in the minor leagues, hitting 49 home runs in 1968 for High Point-Thomasville, but was mostly relegated to a backup position during his Major League playing days. In 1975, while playing for the Royals, he hit 16 home runs in just 231 at-bats, second to only Dave Kingman in home run to at-bat ratio.
After becoming a free agent following the 1979 season, Solaita, opted for a four-year contract in the Japanese League, where he was Designated Hitter for the Nippon Ham Fighters and produced impressive home run numbers, averaging nearly 40 home runs a year. Solaita retired after the 1983 season.
Tragically he was murdered in Tafuna, American Samoa on February 10, 1990.[1]
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Categories: New York Yankees players | Kansas City Royals players | California Angels players | Toronto Blue Jays players | Montreal Expos players | Major league first basemen | Major league designated hitters | Samoan baseball players | Non-Japanese baseball players in Japan | Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters players | 1947 births | 1990 deaths
