In 1991, he became the fourth player in the history of the Puerto Rico Baseball League to win the triple crown.\n', '

Héctor Villanueva attended Cupeyville High School in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He later went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham because his parents insisted that he attend college. His father was a salesman and his mother Lourdes was a schoolteacher. On March 26, 1985, he was signed as a free agent by a scout from the Cubs named Joaquin Velilla. Hector married Gizelle Krebs on December 26, 1987. They have four children, Alana, Soleil, Omar, and Joshua.\n', '

In 1986 he had a .318 average, with 13 home runs and 100 RBIs during his second season playing Class-A baseball for the Carolina league. He then advanced to Double-A and played in the Eastern league. Other catchers that eventually became big league players were in the Cubs system, including Joe Girardi and Rick Wrona so Héctor began to play mostly at first base. By 1989 he had reached Triple-A in the American Association league with a .252 batting average, 15 home runs, and 57 RBIs. During the winter he played baseball in Puerto Rico where he excelled as a player for different teams, which included, Los Cangrejeros de Santurce, Los Senadores de San Juan, and the Leones de Ponce. In 1991 he made his Major League debut for the Chicago Cubs against the St. Louis Cardinals as a pinch-hitter replacing Mark Grace. In his first at-bat, he popped up to second base. He stayed in the game playing first base and in his second at-bat he hit a two-run-homer that was estimated to be 430-feet. As a rookie for the Cubs, he hit 3 home runs in his first 6 games. After catcher Damon Berryhill returned from shoulder surgery, Villanueva became the number-three receiver on the team. He drew a cult-like following while he was in Chicago some in part was due to the comedic way Harry Carey would mispronounce his name. He ended his rookie season with a .276 average, 13 home runs and 32 RBIs in 192 at-bats. In December 1992 he signed with the St. Louis cardinals and made the roster in 1993 as a backup catcher. However, Hector did not hit very well that year and had a .175 batting average. He was later sent down to the minors to play in Louisville. He was somewhat successful playing in Louisville but never garnered momentum and was eventually released in August.\n', "

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