Pompeyo Davalillo

Pompeyo Antonio Davalillo Romero (Cabimas, June 5, 1928-Santa Teresa del Tuy, February 28, 2013) was a Venezuelan baseball player and manager, the fourth to participate in the Big leagues. He was nicknamed in the United States Yo-Yo because of the difficulty American chroniclers had in pronouncing his name: Pompey.

Biography

Davalillo was born in the Zulia city of Cabimas. One of the most exciting players in the history of Venezuelan baseball, manager of the good guys and forger of new generations of players, this is how Pompeyo Davalillo can be classified. In Venezuela he made his debut as a professional baseball player on October 17, 1952, with his Leones del Caracas.

He was a good fielder, he stood out as an infielder, at second base, third base or shortstop. He possessed a powerful arm. Great hitter and fast runner, with unique wisdom, knowledge, intensity and mischief in the game. He joyfully enjoyed baseball like no one else. Passionate and at times, with heated discussions with the umpires, both as a player, as a coach or manager.

His extensive knowledge, teachings and ideas were absorbed by the youngest players and were very useful for their improvement and development.

Venezuela national team abroad (1951)

In 1951, he was selected to represent Venezuela in a series against Nicaragua. There playing third base, he earned the “Most Useful Player” award in Venezuela, where he was champion scammer, champion infielder and second best hitter.

Then he attended as a player the Pan American Games in Buenos Aires (Argentina), the XII World Amateur Baseball Series in Mexico and in September 1952, the XIII World Amateur Baseball Series in Havana (Cuba).

Start in professional baseball

On October 17, 1952, he debuted in Venezuelan professional baseball, playing with Cervecería Caracas.

Pompeyo Davalillo in his first game went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. In his first season as a professional he was chosen “Rookie of the Year” and represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series.

Caracas was made up of the big league and Venezuelan idol Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel (SS), Guillermo Vento (OF), Gale Wade (OF), Dalmiro Finol (1B/OF), Pompeyo Davalillo (IF), Miguel Sanabria (IF), Luis Oliveros (IF), Willy DeMars (IF), Paul Reed (1B), Lloyd Gerhardt (1B/OF), Ferrell Anderson (C), Albino Bobb (C), José de la Trinidad “Carrao ” Bracho (P), Julio Bracho, Luis “Mono” Zuloaga (P), Daniel “Chino” Canónico, Johosie Heard (P), Dick Starr (P), Charlie Bishop (P), Willie Ramsdell (P), among others. The Cuban Martín Dihigo “El Maestro” (Manager).

Arrival in the Major Leagues

On August 1, 1953, Pompeyo became the first Zuliano baseball player and only the fourth Venezuelan to play in the Major Leagues, when he joined the Washington Senators, when he was 25 years old and only 1.60 meters tall. m tall.

He joined the big league after Alejandro “Patón” Carrasquel, Chucho Ramos and El 'Chico' Alfonso Carrasquel.

It was August 1, 1953, the day he debuted in the Majors with the Washington Senators team, playing against the Chicago White Sox team, where Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel was. After an injury to shortstop Pete Runnels, in the seventh inning, Pompeyo Davalillo came in to replace him in that position. He faced pitcher Billy Pierce in his first at-bat, who struck him out.

That game marked the first meeting in history in which two native Venezuelan baseball players participated and faced each other (El 'Chico' Alfonso Carrasquel for the Chicago White Sox and Pompeyo Davalillo for the Washington Senators) both in the same position, the shortstop.

However, in their second game, their luck would change, in a series they faced the Cleveland Indians. That day, August 6, 1953, at Griffith Stadium in the city of Washington, D.C., Pompeyo Davalillo as the second hitter in the line-up, faced the phenomenal Bob Feller, went 2-for-3 and scored 2 runs. In the seventh inning he became the first Venezuelan to hit home plate in a Major League game. He performed it against relief pitcher William “Bill” Wight and catcher Joe Tipton, to give his team the victory. The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians 4 runs to 1.

Pompey is the second smallest player in the history of major league baseball.

Only with the exception of “a publicity stunt” in 1951 in which a midget actor named Eddie Gaedel had an at-bat for the St. Louis Browns, but was officially recorded as the smallest player to ever participate in the big leagues, which is why it prevents Pompeyo from being the shortest professional player who has played in the big leagues.

Among his teammates were: Ed Fitz Gerald (C), Mickey Vernon (1B), Wayne Terwilliger (2B), Pete Runnells (SS), Eddie Yost (3B), Jim Busby (OF), Jackie Jensen (OF), Clyde Vollmer (OF), Jerry Snyder (SS), Frank Sacka (C), Bob Posterfield (P), Spec Shea (P), Walt Masterson (P), Chuck Stobbs (P), Johnny Schmitz (P), Sonny Dixon (P), Jerry Lane (P), the Cubans Conrado Marrero (P), Julio Moreno (P) and “Sandy” Consuegra (P), Al Sima (P), among others.

With his “Caribbean” game—mischievous, bold, cheerful—he left a mark in the Major Leagues. His career in the best baseball in the world was short, he only played 19 games, 16 of them as a starting shortstop, in the 23 days that the Senators kept him up.

In his major league career he participated in a total of 19 games, in the American League, with the Washington Senators team. He had 58 at-bats, had 17 hits, 1 double, scored 10 times and drove in 2 runs, walked 1, struck out 7 and stole 1 base. He had a batting average of.293, batting percentage with men on base of.305 and slugging percentage of.310. He left a fielding average of.935. He only played in the Majors in the 1953 season.

Pompeyo Davalillo's consolidation with Washington was cut short on January 28, 1954, during a match between Caracas and Gavilanes that was played at the Concordia stadium in Cabimas. That day he suffered a double fracture of his right leg.

Unforgettable moments in the Major Leagues

NICKNICKED “YO-YO”. Difficulties pronouncing Pompeyo_Davalillo's first and last name led the Senators' narrator, Bob Wolf, to call him Yo-Yo and that's how it stayed.

NEXT TO “CHICO”. On August 3, 1953, Davalillo played against the ChiSox, whose starting shortstop was “Chico” Carrasquel. First MLB game with two Venezuelans.

HOME THEFT. On August 6, 1953 he stole home in the 7th inning of a game they won 4-1 against Cleveland. Bill Wight and catcher Joe Tipton formed the tribe's battery.

2 GAMES OF 3 HITS. Twice in his short career he had three hits in a game. On August 15 at Fenway Park in Boston and on August 18 at the legendary Yankee Stadium.

Legacy

It was feared that he would lose the race, but he reappeared four months later in the Dominican Republic, as a reinforcement of the Águilas del Cibao club.

In the 1953 Caribbean Series, held in the city of Caracas (Venezuela), the Cervecería Caracas team was the favorite. Their manager was Cuban “El Maestro” Martín Dihigo and they had a very competitive team among which stood out: Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel, Pompeyo Davalillo, Dalmiro Finol, Piper Davis, among others.

Between 1954 and 1960 he stood out in AAA, especially with the Cubans Sugar Kings of Havana and in Venezuela with the Leones del Caracas.

In 1954, he played with the newly created Cuban team “Cuban Sugar Kings” from Havana, where there were numerous Caribbean baseball stars who could not play in the Major Leagues due to the quota and racial system.. There Pompeyo Davalillo played with his teammates: Octavio “Cookie” Rojas, Leonardo “Leo” Cárdenas, Orlando Peña, Miguel Cuéllar, José J. Azcúe, Saturnino Escalera, Raúl Sánchez, Vicente Amor, Elio Chacón, Emilio “El Indio” Cueche, José de la Trinidad “Carrao” Bracho, Luis “Camaleón” García, Julián Ladera, Daniel Morejón, Rogelio “Borrego” Álvarez, Luis Arroyo, Carlos “Patato” Pascual, Conrado Marrero, Pedro Formental, Panamanian Pat Scantlebury, among others. In their first season in 1954, they reached the play-offs. That team was led by figures of the stature of Regino Otero (awarded “Manager of the Year” in 1954), Tony Pacheco, Napoleón Reyes, Preston Gómez and Tony Castaño.

In the 1955 season, playing for the “Cuban Sugar Kings”, Pompeyo Davalillo participated in 147 games, had 587 at bats, had 163 hits, 22 doubles, 6 triples, 1 home run, scored 76 runs, drove in 59, stole 7 bases, walked 24 and struck out 33 times, leaving a batting average of.278, hitting percentage with men on base of.311 and slugging percentage of.341, which constituted one of his best campaigns in the minors.

On February 9, 1957, in the opening game of the IX Caribbean Series, held in Havana (Cuba), Venezuelan Pompeyo Davalillo, Caracas waiter, had 5 hits in 5 at-bats against the team Puerto Rican of the Mayagüez Indians.

In 1959, the “Cuban Sugar Kings” team came in third place in the International League, having a valuable team of players such as “Leo” Cárdenas, Elio Chacón, Pompeyo Davalillo, “Cookie” Rojas and the big hitters Daniel Morejón, Tony González, “Borrego” Álvarez and catcher Enrique Izquierdo.

That year they won the so-called “Little World Series.” On October 2, 1959, Carl Yastrzemski had hit a home run; “Leo” Cárdenas made a spectacular defensive play at shortstop that passed to Venezuelan Elio Chacón to make a wonderful double-play. Morejón caught with a great jump a hit from Robbins that was going out of the park in left field.

Among those present watching the game were: Fidel Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos, President Oswaldo Dorticós and “Ché” Guevara. In the 11th inning, Pompeyo Davalillo scored the winning run for his team.

On October 6, 1959, they would become champions with a hit by Daniel Morejón driving Raúl Sánchez. Fans jumped onto the field to celebrate and carry the “Cuban Sugar Kings” players on their shoulders.

In the 1961 season, he was in the minors with Jersey City, where he had a batting average of.328 in 69 games.

In the 1962 season he went to play Mexican baseball. There with the Tigres de México in 1962 he had a batting average of.306 and the 1963 campaign, he had a batting average of.339.

In Venezuela, he participated in 13 seasons, in regular campaigns, played 1,469 games, had 1,770 at-bats, gave 483 hits, 63 doubles, 18 triples, 3 home runs, scored 249 runs and drove in 134, stole 69 bases, left.273 batting average and.334 slugging average. He had 4 seasons with a batting average of.300 or more points: 1956-1957 (.300), 1957-1958 (.301), 1958-1959 (.331), and 1960-1961 (.301). As a player, he became champion on 5 occasions with Caracas (1952-1953, 1956-1957, 1961-1962, 1963-1964 and 1966-1967).

At the age of 37 he retired as a baseball player, due to the numerous injuries he had. His last season as a ball player in Venezuela was 1966-1967, with the Leones del Caracas. After retiring as a baseball player, he successfully dedicated himself to the technical aspect of the game.

Managing career

In 1964, he began his career as manager of the Salamanca team in Mexico. He thus became the first Venezuelan to direct a professional baseball team from another country.

Then he was called to work as a first base coach with Caracas, with the third base coach, Alejando “Patón” Carrasquel, helping him and advising him a lot as a coach.

In the 69-70 campaign, Pompeyo Davalillo had made his debut as manager of the capital team and continued until 71-72. Although he managed to reach the semi-final twice, he was unable to advance to the final series.

In the 1970s and 1980s he directed numerous national teams in international events such as: “Pan American Games”, “Central American and Caribbean Games”, “Bolivarian Games” and several other world amateur competitions, among other competitions.

For twenty-eight years he was in charge of the emblem of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas AA baseball.

He was a respected technician, whether as a coach or manager, for his great strategy and ability to make correct decisions in the game. He was always very intelligent, cunning, risk-taking, with a lot of leadership and attachment to his players.

In the Mexican Professional Baseball League he participated as manager in 7 seasons, with 912 games, of which he obtained 453 victories and 459 losses, for a percentage of games won/lost of.497. He directed Rieleros de Aguascalientes in the 1976 and 1977 seasons, Coahuila in 1978, Olmecas de Tabasco in 1997 and 1998, and Unión Laguna in 1999.

In Venezuela, in the 1980s, with the Tiburones de La Guaira, he did a great job as a coach and manager, together with Graciano Ravelo, since he formed the famous “Guerrilla” made up of Venezuelan baseball players: Luis Salazar, Oswaldo “Ozzie” Guillén, Carlos “Café” Martínez, Gustavo Polidor, Alfredo Pedrique, Norman Carrasco, Argenis Salazar, Raúl Pérez Tovar, Robert Marcano, Juan Francisco Monasterios and the pitchers Luis Lunar, Ángel Hernández and Luis Mercedes Sánchez, among others. Pompeyo Davalillo was a tireless worker, with a lot of discipline, he was like a father to many of them. His training sessions were exhausting, since he wanted his players to give their best on the field.

In addition, he also served as an executive for the Tigres de Aragua in the seasons from 1972 to '74.

In the 1984-85 season he took over as manager of the Leones del Caracas after the dismissal of Bark Rogers due to the team's poor performance; However, he could not achieve his goal of qualifying the team. It should be noted that in the middle of that season the player Gonzalo Márquez would die in a traffic accident.

His most notable time as a strategist in Venezuela was the 90's, during which he managed to capture three titles: two consecutive for the Águilas del Zulia (1991-1992 and 1992-1993) and one with the Leones del Caracas (1994-1995). In the 1992-1993 season he managed to beat the Navegantes del Magallanes by sweep (4-0).

The triumphs were celebrated by the champion teams with great joy and Pompeyo Davalillo cried with great emotion with each success. All the players picked it up and threw it into the sky, like a hero, as a sign of joy.

In that last harvest (1994-1995), Pompeyo Davalillo had replaced Phil Regan as manager at the beginning of the tournament, allowing Caracas to regain its place. He was able to get revenge on Magallanes when, on January 20, a double tiebreaker match for the final was held in Maracaibo and there he won them the pass to the final.

The Caracas Lions beat the Turks 5-4. In this way, he obtained the pass to compete for the title against the Águilas del Zulia.

Pompeyo vindicated himself before the fans after losing the first two games “against his old team” Las Águilas del Zulia in Maracaibo, managing to win four games in a row. The next three games in the capital as a home club and the fourth and last one back in the Eagles' nest, to give the championship and the number 15 diadem to the capital's troop of hairy men,

On January 29, 1995, with the determined intervention of Omar Vizquel both defensively and offensively, in addition to a masterful presentation by starter Urbano Lugo Jr with Calvin Jones and Ugueth Urbina, as relievers, the Leones del Caracas stopped on the offensive of the Zulians and managed to win the sixth game of the final with a score of 5-2.

After the final victory, bathed in tears, he was carried by the Lions players as the undisputed hero of that feat and also congratulated by some of the Águilas del Zulia players. That day he was a prophet in his land and received the greatest tribute with great ovations from his favorite audience: the public of Maracaibo..!

Subsequently, he was coach and manager of the Eastern Caribbeans for several years, leading them to their first postseason in the 1996-1997 championship. On January 2, 1997 he again beat the Águilas del Zulia 14 runs to 1, in an extra game to define the pass to the Round-Robin. His last campaign as manager of Caribes was 1997-1998 and he repeated the pass to the next semifinal round.

After his retirement from professional baseball, he dedicated himself to continuing to impart his knowledge as a Sports Advisor at PDVSA Oeste and Sports Coordinator of the Mayor's Office of Cabimas.

Record as a manager in Caribbean series

In 1992, the Águilas del Zulia came in second place, being tied with 4 wins and 2 losses with the Puerto Rican team of the Indios de Mayagüez, who would ultimately become champion by deciding in an extra game, by winning to Zulia 8-0. It was played at the “Héctor Espino” stadium in the city of Hermosillo (Mexico).

In 1993, the Águilas del Zulia were tied for third place with Mazatlán (Mexico), obtaining 2 victories and 4 losses. The champion team was the Puerto Rican Santurce, who won in an extra game against the Dominican Águilas del Cibao. It was played at the “Teodoro Mariscal” stadium in the city of Mazatlán (Mexico).

In 1995, the Leones del Caracas came in third place, being tied with 1 victory and 5 losses with the Mexican team from Hermosillo. The undefeated team was the Puerto Rican San Juan, obtaining 6 victories, and becoming champion of the series. It was played at the “Hiram Bithorn” stadium, in the city of San Juan (Puerto Rico).

He was a scout for the California Angels for many years. Among the many good players he signed, we have: Victor Davalillo, Jesús Marcano Trillo, César Gutiérrez, Antonio Armas, Baudilio Díaz, Urbano Lugo Jr., Miguel Ángel García, Gustavo Polidor, Oswaldo Guillén and Argenis Salazar, among others.

He played at a time when it was very difficult for a Latin American player to reach the Major Leagues. However, he was very loved by the Venezuelan and Cuban fans, for his way of playing baseball.

The 2013-2014 LVBP campaign was played in his memory.

The number 1, which he always used on his uniforms, has been retired by the teams: Leones del Caracas, Águilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui.

He carried out important work as a trainer of new generations of athletes and was one of the founders of the Criollitos de Venezuela institution.

Death

He died in Santa Teresa del Tuy on February 28, 2013, at the age of 84, after suffering complications from a cerebral vascular accident associated with respiratory and kidney failure.