10 Baseball Legends with Out-Of-This-World Numbers: Panama Living legends!

The 10 historical figures of national baseball share honors in the 83rd Major League Baseball Championship, dedicated to them, but at the same time they accumulate brilliant records in their careers enough to write a book.  Of the 10, five have been batting champions, plus one in the youth tournament. There are two with more than 100 home runs, three with more than 600 hits, one manager with two titles and more than 300 wins, and another with five, in addition to much more between them at the national level.  Four MVP titles, a pitcher with more than 60 wins and 600 strikeouts, and great feats.  And a shortstop who made history both locally and internationally. And another who had a career as a player, manager, and executive, among other contributions. 

They all represented Panama at some point and are top-level players. There’s no doubt about that. Let’s take a look at a summary of them:  The two Chiriquí natives, Rodolfo Aparicio and Virgilio Kaa, were great in their careers in almost the same years.  Aparicio amassed 831 hits, stole 222 bases, hit 4 home runs in a single game, and drove in 11 runs in the same game. He hit for the cycle twice, winning the batting title in 2001 (24 hits in 48 at-bats) with a .500 average, and also at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games with a .523 average (11 hits in 19 at-bats). He won 7 titles as the league’s leading base stealer, 4 of them consecutively. His final batting average was .339, the result of 831 hits in 2,448 at-bats. He hit 40 home runs and 54 triples. 

The best center fielder in these tournaments and the best base stealer, among other legendary records in a brilliant career with Chiriquí.  Virgilio Kaa hit 103 home runs, winning a batting title in 1980 tied with Manuel Rodríguez. He collected 726 hits in 2,125 plate appearances, fifth all-time in the major leagues. He hit 133 doubles and drove in 528 runs (leading the league). He was a two-time RBI champion. He hit 10 home runs in the JDA and represented his country internationally, like the other distinguished players. A true legend. He won an MVP award. His final batting average over 22 years was .342.  José Solís achieved 4 batting titles, three in a row, 80 home runs, 4 HR in one game, triple batting champion in 1995, 16 home runs in the regular series of 1996 and twice 3 HR in one game. 

He collected 533 hits in his major league career for a .391 batting average, the highest among all players in his 15 years of activity. He had 1,361 at-bats.  He also hit 4 home runs in an international game at a championship tournament in Mexico in 1996. He was a two-time MVP in 1995 and 1996. He achieved a 30-game hitting streak in two consecutive years, 1996-97.  In 1996, he hit 20 home runs in two series. That same year, he hit two home runs in one inning against Colón. He won batting titles with both aluminum and wooden bats. He reached 18 bases in a game, a record he shares with Kaa from Chiriquí. He hit three home runs in a game at the JDA stadium against Metro. Few have accomplished this feat at that stadium, among them Héctor López.

He won batting titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000.  Mauricio Ching, batting champion in 1981 with a .426 average. In a youth tournament he went 6-for-6 and in another game he hit two home runs in the JDA, one with the bases loaded. His final average was .384 over three years, with 7 home runs.  José Murillo II won two titles with Panama, managed the team in the World Series, the Pan American Games, and other tournaments. A great strategist, he played shortstop for Panama Metro and won three championships. As a manager, he achieved 329 wins and a 21-14 record in international events, along with one runner-up finish and two third-place finishes. He was a standout shortstop from a young age. 

Murillo Jr., following in the footsteps of his father “El Expreso” Murillo, leads a large baseball family, with brothers, sons, and grandsons who have made history in Panamanian baseball. His son, José III, was a youth star and has won six titles as a manager with Metro and Chiriquí.  Crispín Poveda, a great left-handed pitcher from Herrera, won 66 games and lost 31, striking out 641 batters. He twice struck out eight batters in a single game. He had seven shutouts and a 10-2 record in 1982.  One of the best left-handed pitchers of all time. His 2-1 victory over Cuba in 1982 (Central American and Caribbean Games) in Havana is remembered as a memorable win. 

Arístides Bustamante, from Los Santos, won five titles as a manager, two with Chiriquí and three with Los Santos. He amassed 406 hits in Major League Baseball. In 1987, he led the youth tournament in batting average at .594 (41 hits in 69 at-bats), a record for hits. A skilled infielder, he also represented his country internationally.  Manuel Rodríguez, from Herrera, home run leader with 140, amassed 604 hits and 445 RBIs. A member of the national team, he has distinguished himself as a manager in recent years. In 1991, he led the league in home runs with 10. He won an MVP award.  With his two sons, both with Herrera, he has over 200 home runs. A home run family. Manuel and Kaa are the only ones with over 600 hits, 100 or more home runs, and 400 or more RBIs.

The Herrera native hit home runs in eleven different stadiums.  Francisco Gutiérrez, from Bocas del Toro, was a tremendous shortstop for the national team in World Series and other tournaments. He played in four World Series during the 1970s. He was praised for his fielding skills. He won two Gold Gloves in the World Series and three at the national level. He distinguished himself as an assistant manager and coach for several years. He worked alongside José Murillo Jr. He played in seven major league tournaments.  Aníbal Reluz, first baseman, played for Veraguas, the 1984 champion, and has been a national and international manager. A great veteran of the game. He played first base. He won the major championship with Bocas del Toro in 2012. A solid defender at first base.