Tommy Herrera
American baseball player (1931–2016)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tomás Herrera Jr. (November 9, 1931 – December 14, 2016) was a Mexican-American professional baseball player and manager, beginning his professional career in 1953. Herrera spent six seasons playing in the Mexican League and was enshrined in the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023. His nickname was "Sargento Metralla".[1]
| Tommy Herrera | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pitcher / Manager | |
| Born: November 9, 1931 Laredo, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: December 14, 2016 (aged 85) Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Member of the Mexican Professional | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2023 |
Playing career
Herrera was born on November 9, 1931, in Laredo, Texas.[2]
Herrera played in the minor leagues for at least six seasons, never reaching the major leagues - though he did spend parts of four seasons at the Open designation, which was created to help build the Pacific Coast League into a major league and in the Mexican League, the highest-level professional league in Mexico. A pitcher, Herrera won as many as 10 games in a season, per the records available.
Herrera spent six seasons in the Mexican League, from 1957 to 1962, playing for the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo, the Tigres de México, and the Diablos Rojos del México, recording 167 games, 49 wins, 44 losses, and an ERA of 4.14.[3]
Managerial career
After retiring, in 1963, Herrera was given the chance to manage the Diablos Rojos del México, leading them to first place finishes and league championships in 1964 and 1968; he left the team after the 1969 season.[2]
He managed the Saraperos de Saltillo from 1970 to 1972, reaching the Final Series twice, but losing against the Charros de Jalisco in 1971 and against the Cafeteros de Córdoba in 1972. In 1973 he managed the Pericos de Puebla and the Mineros de Coahuila in 1974 and 1975.[4] He was the first manager in the history of the Saraperos and Mineros.[5][6]
Death
Managerial statistics
Mexican League
| Year | Team | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | Finish | Won | Lost | Pct. | Notes | ||
| 1963 | MEX | 132 | 71 | 61 | 0 | .538 | 2nd | – | – | – | – |
| 1964 | MEX | 140 | 82 | 58 | 0 | .586 | 1st | – | – | – | – |
| 1965 | MEX | 140 | 66 | 74 | 0 | .471 | 5th | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | MEX | 140 | 74 | 66 | 0 | .529 | 3rd | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost Final Series (Tigres) |
| 1967 | MEX | 140 | 75 | 63 | 2 | .543 | 3rd | – | – | – | – |
| 1968 | MEX | 140 | 82 | 58 | 0 | .586 | 1st | – | – | – | – |
| 1969 | MEX | 154 | 74 | 80 | 0 | .481 | 5th | – | – | – | – |
| 1970 | SLT | 150 | 67 | 83 | 0 | .447 | 5th in North | – | – | – | – |
| 1971 | SLT | 146 | 86 | 59 | 1 | .592 | 1st in North | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost Final Series (Jalisco) |
| 1972 | SLT | 140 | 89 | 51 | 0 | .636 | 1st in North | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost Final Series (Córdoba) |
| 1973 | PUE | 133 | 71 | 62 | 0 | .534 | 4th in South | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | COA | 138 | 59 | 77 | 2 | .435 | 7th in North | – | – | – | – |
| 1975 | COA | 134 | 57 | 77 | 0 | .425 | 7th in North | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 1827 | 953 | 869 | 5 | .523 | 7 | 12 | .368 | |||