Elio Chacón
Encyclopedia
Elio Chacón Rodríguez was a Major League Baseball
second baseman
and shortstop
who played in the National League
from 1960 to 1962. He was the seventh baseball player from Venezuela
to play in the majors.
Chacón batted
.265 as a reserve second baseman with the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds
of 1961. In game two of that World Series
, Chacón hit a key bloop single against New York Yankees
pitcher
Ralph Terry
, and scored the winning run in the Reds' only victory in the series.
During the 1962 season, New York Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn
and Elio Chacón found themselves colliding in the outfield. When Ashburn went for a catch, he would scream, "I got it! I got it!" only to run into the 160-pound Chacón, who spoke only Spanish. Ashburn learned to yell, "¡Yo la tengo! ¡Yo la tengo!" which is "I've got it" in Spanish. In a later game, Ashburn happily saw Chacón backing off. He relaxed, positioned himself to catch the ball, and was instead run over by 200-pound left fielder Frank Thomas
, who understood no Spanish. The band, Yo La Tengo
, gets its name from this baseball anecdote.
On October 10, 1961, an expansion draft
to stock the Houston Colt .45s
and New York Mets
new National League clubs was conducted in Cincinnati. Chacón was the Mets' first candidate for the starting shortstop job. He led the club in stolen base
s in the inaugural season of 1962, but then never appeared in the major leagues again. According to The Mets Fan's Little Book of Wisdom by Bucky Fox, Chacon got into a brawl with Willie Mays
. That is why he didn't play in the majors again.
Chacón was a .232 career hitter with four home run
s, 28 RBI
, 49 runs, and 20 stolen bases in 228 games played. In the Mets all-timers database popularity, he is ranked at # 250 in a list of 726 players.
Elio Chacón died in Caracas, Venezuela, at the age of 55.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
who played in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
from 1960 to 1962. He was the seventh baseball player from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
to play in the majors.
Chacón batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.265 as a reserve second baseman with the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
of 1961. In game two of that World Series
1961 World Series
The 1961 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds , with the Yankees winning in five games to earn their 19th championship in 39 seasons. This World Series was surrounded by Cold War political puns pitting the "Reds" against the "Yanks"...
, Chacón hit a key bloop single against New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Ralph Terry
Ralph Terry
Ralph Willard Terry is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Kansas City Athletics , Cleveland Indians and New York Mets...
, and scored the winning run in the Reds' only victory in the series.
During the 1962 season, New York Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn
Richie Ashburn
Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
and Elio Chacón found themselves colliding in the outfield. When Ashburn went for a catch, he would scream, "I got it! I got it!" only to run into the 160-pound Chacón, who spoke only Spanish. Ashburn learned to yell, "¡Yo la tengo! ¡Yo la tengo!" which is "I've got it" in Spanish. In a later game, Ashburn happily saw Chacón backing off. He relaxed, positioned himself to catch the ball, and was instead run over by 200-pound left fielder Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (NL baseball player)
Frank Joseph Thomas is a former left fielder and first and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago Cubs , Milwaukee Braves , New York Mets , Philadelphia Phillies , and the Houston Astros...
, who understood no Spanish. The band, Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
, gets its name from this baseball anecdote.
On October 10, 1961, an expansion draft
1961 MLB Expansion Draft
The 1961 MLB Expansion Draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961 to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s. The Mets and the Colts were the new franchises which would enter the league in the 1962 season...
to stock the Houston Colt .45s
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
new National League clubs was conducted in Cincinnati. Chacón was the Mets' first candidate for the starting shortstop job. He led the club in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s in the inaugural season of 1962, but then never appeared in the major leagues again. According to The Mets Fan's Little Book of Wisdom by Bucky Fox, Chacon got into a brawl with Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
. That is why he didn't play in the majors again.
Chacón was a .232 career hitter with four home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 28 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 49 runs, and 20 stolen bases in 228 games played. In the Mets all-timers database popularity, he is ranked at # 250 in a list of 726 players.
Elio Chacón died in Caracas, Venezuela, at the age of 55.