Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Manuel Rafael Mota Gerónimo broke into the majors in 1962 with the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos before a 1969 trade brought him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that would define his legacy. Over 13 seasons in LA, Mota hit .315 as a Dodger. That average is second only to Mike Piazza in franchise history.
On September 29, 1979, at Dodger Stadium, Mota came off the bench and singled against the Houston Astros to set the all-time MLB record for career pinch hits. Ten days later on October 9, 1979, President Jimmy Carter invited him to the Oval Office to congratulate him in person. Manny arrived with a special gift for President Carter. His very own Dodgers Baseball jacket with "President Cater" written on the back.
Mota retired in 1982 with 150 pinch hits and a .304 lifetime batting average over 20 seasons. As a Dodgers coach he won two World Series titles, in 1981 and 1988. He later became a beloved voice in the Spanish-language broadcast booth.
🏆 Honors include:
• Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame (1988)
• Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum (2003)
• Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals (2013)
• Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (2022)
• Legends of Dodger Baseball (2023)
Off the field, Mota founded an international foundation. It has funded a medical clinic, baseball fields, and a school in the Dominican Republic.
This is the story of consistency, humility, and pride from a Dominican icon and "adopted son of the Dodger organization."
👍 If you love baseball history, like, subscribe, and share this video with a Dodgers fan.
💬 Drop your favorite Manny Mota memory in the comments.
#MannyMota #Dodgers #DodgersHistory #MLB #PinchHitter #DominicanBaseball #LatinoBaseball #BaseballHistory #LosAngelesDodgers