Rafael Furcal
| Rafael Furcal | |||
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Furcal with the Los Angeles Dodgers
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| Shortstop | |||
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Born: October 24, 1977 Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 4, 2000, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 21, 2014, for the Miami Marlins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .281 | ||
| Home runs | 113 | ||
| Runs batted in | 587 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, he won their 2011 World Series championship over the Texas Rangers.
Furcal grew up in Loma de Cabrera, a small village in the Dominican Republic near the Dajabón River and border with Haiti. His father, Silvino, drove a taxi and his mother, Aura, was a schoolteacher. Furcal had three older brothers, José, Manuel and Lorenzo, and a sister.
Silvino Furcal was a standout outfielder during an era when Dominican ballplayers did not get much recognition from Major League scouts. Silvino introduced his sons to baseball and Rafael credited his father with teaching him how to enjoy the game. Until his death in 2010, Silvino would often call Rafael to give him advice after games. Manuel Furcal pitched in the Seattle Mariners organization and Lorenzo played in the Oakland Athletics system before suffering career-ending injuries. José Furcal committed suicide in 1999 and Manuel died that same year in an accident.
Furcal attended Jose Cabrera High School and was prepared to enroll in engineering school before being spotted by a scout at a tryout in Santo Domingo. He was subsequently signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves on November 9, 1996 for $5,000.
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