Aurelio Rodriguez ✝

A native of Cananea, Mexico, Rodríguez made his major league debut at the age of 19 with the California Angels in 1967. He was traded to the Washington Senators early in the 1970 season. Rodríguez went to Detroit with shortstop Ed Brinkman and pitchers Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan before the 1971 season in an eight-player trade that brought Denny McLain to the Senators along with Don Wert, Elliott Maddox, and Norm McRae.\n', ' Rodríguez was a model of consistency at third base for the Tigers during the 1970s. Though a below-average hitter, he was sure-handed and blessed with a strong, accurate arm. In 1976, he earned Gold Glove Award honors, becoming the first American League third baseman since 1959 to beat out Brooks Robinson. He made only 9 errors in 409 chances in 1976, leading all AL third basemen with a .978 fielding percentage. He again led AL third basemen in fielding percentage during the 1978 season. Playing for the Yankees in the 1981 World Series, he hit .417 (5-for-12). He played in his final major league game on October 1, 1983 at the age of 35.\n', ' Rodríguez was a .237 hitter with 124 home runs and 648 RBI in 2,017 games. His most productive season was 1970, when he posted career highs in home runs (19), RBI (83), runs (70) and stolen bases (15).\n', '