René González

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René González (August 5, 1918 - May 9, 1982) was a Cuban professional baseball player. A native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, González was a first baseman/outfielder who batted and threw right-handed.

González was a consistent hitter who spent most of his career in Mexican baseball (1947-1949, 1951-1956), where he won three consecutive batting titles (1952-54) including the Triple Crown in 1952. An eight-time .300 hitter, he collected 1144 hits in 3459 at-bats for a .331 batting average during nine seasons.

In 1950, González played for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues. Then, during the 1950-51 Venezuelan baseball season he finished with a .357 batting average and led the league in home runs (10), RBI (56), hits (74), doubles (18) and slugging % (.739). Later, in the 1951 Caribbean Series he led the Venezuelan offensive with a .333 average and two home runs and his 11 RBI led the tourney.

González also played in Cuba and Nicaragua up until 1958, his last season. Following his baseball retirement he returned to his Cuba homeland, where he died at age of 63. In 1993 he was elected into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

[edit] Sources

Antero Núñez, José. Series del Caribe. Jefferson, Caracas, Venezuela: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987.
Gutiérrez, Daniel. Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela: Editorial La Brújula, C.A., 1997.