Ron Cey | |||
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Third baseman | |||
Born: Tacoma, Washington |
February 15, 1948 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 3, 1971, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
July 12, 1987, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .261 | ||
Home runs | 316 | ||
Runs batted in | 1,139 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Ronald Charles Cey (/ˈseɪ/; born February 15, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player, a third baseman in the major leagues. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971–82), Chicago Cubs (1983–86), and Oakland Athletics (1987). Cey batted and threw right-handed; a popular player, he was nicknamed "The Penguin" for his slow waddling running gait by his college coach, Chuck "Bobo" Brayton.
Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Cey was a multi-sport athlete at Mount Tahoma High School, its first to earn nine varsity letters. Following graduation in 1966, he attended Washington State University in Pullman and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Cey played two years of college baseball for the Cougars, on the freshman team in 1967, and a year on the varsity under head coach Brayton in 1968. He was selected in the second phase of the 1968 MLB draft in June.
With the Dodgers, third baseman Cey was part of an All-Star infield that included Steve Garvey (first baseman), Davey Lopes (second baseman) and Bill Russell (shortstop). This quartet was the most enduring infield in baseball history. The four infielders stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years. Cey was one of the most productive and adept-fielding National League third basemen in the 1970s, but was overshadowed by Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt. In 1977, he was named NL Player of the Month in April after helping the Dodgers to a fast start by batting .425 with 9 home runs and a ML record 29 RBIs for the month of April. The Dodgers won the Western Division title that season on their way to the National League pennant.