Jorge Orta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jorge Orta Nunez (born November 26, 1950 in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico) is a retired professional baseball player. He batted with his left arm, but threw with his right.

He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1972. Through the 1970s, usually second baseman but also third baseman and also some outfield. Over his 16-year career in Major League Baseball, he also played for the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals. He played his final game on June 10, 1987.

As a Kansas City Royal, Orta was involved in one of the most controversial plays in sports history. In the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, his team trailing 3 games to 2 in the Series and 1-0 on the scoreboard, Orta led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball to Cardinal first baseman Jack Clark, who flipped the ball to Cardinal pitcher Todd Worrell covering first. Umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe; television replays later showed that Worrell had beaten him to the base. The call shifted momentum of the Series to the Royals, who won the game 2-1, and the Series the next night on Bret Saberhagen's 11-0 shutout.

Orta ended his career with 1,619 hits and a lifetime .278 batting average. He finished 2nd in the American League in 1974 with a .316 average and 8th in 1975 with a .304 average. He was selected to the American League All-Star team twice (1975, 1980). Orta played in the post-season with the Royals in both 1984 and 1985.

Harry Caray, the White Sox announcer (more famous for his stint with the Chicago Cubs), was known to call him "George" Orta.

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis