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Published on: 2/12/2007
Last Visited: 5/9/2009
Henry Cruz | Henry Cruz
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Henry Cruz | Henry Cruz
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Henry Cruz
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Born in Christiansted, St. Croix, Henry Cruz is one of ten big-leaguers who entered the world in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
But he is really a Puerto Rican.
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Conversely, the Cruz family was on that island until Henry was just two or three months old.
They then returned to his father's roots in Fajardo, Puerto Rico's easternmost city.
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Henry already had an older brother named Enrique, so the parents gave him the English version of the name.
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Like most local youths in his day, Henry grew up playing baseball.
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Cruz got another year of seasoning at Triple-A, hitting .304 with 6 homers and 50 RBI in 1974.
He contended strongly for a job with the big club in spring training 1975 but was one of the last cuts in early April.
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Cruz played two innings in center the next day and then made his first start on April 20.
He delivered two singles in six at-bats and made the game's best fielding play -- a running, shoestring catch of Chris Speier's sinking liner in the 12th inning. [2] Then on April 21, the lefty pulled a double down the right-field line off Atlanta's Buzz Capra with two out in the 9th inning, making his first major-league RBI a game-winner. [3]
Although Cruz generally performed well in backup duty, the Dodgers were desperate for more power.
In late June, they called up another rookie, John Hale -- who did hit a career-high six homers. [4] Henry returned as rosters expanded in September and finished his first big-league season with no homers, 5 RBI, and a .266 average.
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In 1976, Cruz made the Opening Day roster.
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Unemployed Missouri man William Errol Thomas and his son sprinkled lighter fluid on the Stars and Stripes and sought to set it ablaze before Monday's patriotic charge to the rescue. [5] Oddly enough, though, Cruz does not have a clear memory of the day.
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All of Henry's four homers in '76 came against the Cubs.
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But his manager, Walter Alston, thought that most of the Dodgers' seven homers were hit well enough to go out under any conditions. [7] Cruz remembers going deep off Rick Reuschel's brother Paul and also that the seven HRs set a new club record (which lasted until 2002).
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Overall, though, Henry was still relegated to spot duty and his hitting suffered.
He went back to Albuquerque in August after posting a .182 average in just 88 at-bats.
He hit .305 with a homer and 12 RBI and was not recalled in September.
Cruz remained in the PCL in 1977, hitting .353 with 18 homers and 88 RBI in Albuquerque, a noted haven for hitters.
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The next spring, Cruz came north with the White Sox.
Again in a reserve role, he went 2-10-.221 in just 77 at-bats.
In early August, he was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa as Chicago called up 19-year-old Britt Burns.
His last major-league appearance came on July 30, leaving him with career totals of 8 homers, 34 RBI, and a .229 average in 280 at-bats over 171 games.
He drew 25 walks, lifting his on-base average to .291, and stole just one base while getting caught four times.
"'I didn't have the chance I was looking for,' Cruz said softly as he departed. 'I had no chance at all with the Dodgers, I thought I'd have one here.' He was the victim of a numbers game in the outfield. 'Too many lefthanders here,' he said. 'I thought I did my job very well.
But I just couldn't do it enough.
I need to work.
When you sit on the bench, you get down.'" [8]
Henry felt that being out of options might have been a break for him, since he was eligible for the Rule V draft that winter.
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The 1980 season was an injury-marred one (1-11-.197); Cruz recalls, "I blew out my other knee."
Midway through the season, he went to the Detroit organization in a minor-league deal, playing with their Triple-A Evansville club.
"I was going to go to Japan, but they [the Nippon Ham Fighters] took Tommy Cruz [brother of José; no relation] instead.
He remained in Evansville through 1981, making a modest comeback (6-30-.296).
After that, Henry played in the Mexican League from 1982 through 1985.
He batted over .300 every year, first with Reynosa, next with León, and then in his last two summer seasons at Saltillo.
Never before had the line-drive hitter connected for over 20 homers -- but he notched 25 and 27 for the Saraperos.
His overall totals were 79 HRs, 307 RBI, and a .310 average in 1,581 at-bats over 447 games.
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When asked if he attracted any renewed attention from the majors, Cruz notes, "One time Milwaukee was interested and they came.
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Teammate Candy Maldonado, whose number is on the outfield wall next to Henry's at Estadio Luis RodrÃguez Olmo, credited Cruz as a father figure and spiritual leader. [10]
Henry's Puerto Rican career concluded with 46 homers -- including a high of 9 during the 1982-83 title season -- and 213 RBI.
He posted an average of .249 in 613 games, led by a .306 mark in 1978-79.
Of his decision to retire, he observes, "My knees were too sore, they didn't respond the way I would like.
I was afraid to slide.
I could have played five more years in Mexico, they wanted me.
But besides those rides, if I couldn't play 100%, I wasn't going to play."
Cruz then took a job with Pall Hydraulics in Puerto Rico.
"I started on the production line and moved up to front office supervisor over five years.
I worked for some different companies after that, but then I had a chance to get back into baseball.
He joined the Indians as a part-time scout covering Puerto Rico in 1997 and was put on the full-time payroll later that year.
Henry has also been batting coach with the Carolina Gigantes of the PRWL since the 2004-05 season.
He served as first-base coach for the Puerto Rican team against the Dominicans in the fourth annual Interleague All-Star Game that took place in December 2006.
He has rejoined the Dodgers organization and will be the hitting coach in 2007 for their rookie-league team in Ogden, Utah.
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Henry has been married to Zulma DÃaz since 1973.
Her father, José "Pacholo" DÃaz, played ball with teams in the city of Humacao.
They still live in Fajardo and are the parents of three children: son Henry Jr. and daughters Zuleima and Zurima.
Henry Jr. has been a minor-league coach and director of player personnel with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League; he is now director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Challenge program.
Says Henry Sr. today:
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[8] Richard Dozer, "Sox call up 19-year-old pitcher, drop Cruz," Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1978, p. C1.
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Telephone interview with Henry Cruz, February 12, 2007.
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