Dalmiro Finol

Dalmiro Finol
Right fielder / First baseman
Born: (1919-08-21)August 21, 1919
Barrancas, Zulia, Venezuela
Died: May 16, 1994(1994-05-16) (aged 74)
Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
LVBP statistics
Batting average.278
Home runs   48
Runs batted in 296
Total bases 695
Slugging percentage.407
Games played 471
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Baseball World Cup Gold Medal (1941)
  • Hit the first home run in Venezuelan League history (1946)
  • Hit the first grand slam in Venezuelan League history (1946)
  • Hit the first home run in Caribbean Series history (1949)
Member of the Venezuelan
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2006 (as part of 1941 AWS team)
2012 (individual)
Medals
Representing  Venezuela
Men's Baseball
Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1941 Havana Team
Bronze medal – third place 1942 Havana Team
Gold medal – first place 1944 Caracas Team
Gold medal – first place 1945 Caracas Team

Dalmiro Finol [dahl-mee'-roh / fe-nohl'] (August 21, 1919 – May 16, 1994) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. Finol batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Barrancas, Zulia State.

A versatile utility man, Finol was able to play all positions except pitcher and catcher, playing mainly at right field and first base. Basically a line-drive hitter and a fine defensive player, he started his career in the Venezuelan League in 1946 with the Cervecería Caracas club, playing for the franchise in nine of his 11 professional seasons, often as its fourth batter.[1] He also spent part of two seasons with the Gavilanes (1953–1954) and Magallanes (1955–1956) teams.

Although he never played in American baseball, Finol teamed with major league figures as Willard Brown, Alex Carrasquel, Chico Carrasquel, Wilmer Fields, Jim Pendleton and Len Yochim, among others.

As a rookie, he led the circuit with seven home runs, becoming the first player to win the league's home run title. In the midseason, he also became the first player to hit a grand slam in the league's history.

Finol later led the league with 35 RBI in the 1947–1948 season. His most productive effort came in the 1953–1954 tournament, when he posted career-highs in home runs (10), RBI (47) and games played (70). He also had two good seasons, hitting .320 in 1948–1949 and .365 in 1951–1952.

In an 11-season career, Finol batted a .278 average (475-for-1706) with 48 home runs and 296 RBI in 471 games, including 241 runs, 73 doubles, three triples, and 35 stolen bases.

Finol died in 1994 in Maracaibo, Zulia, at the age of 74.

Milestones

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References

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  1. ^ Cordero, Rafael. "Don Dalmiro Finol", en Tiempo Muerto de Nostalgia(pp 25–41), ISBN 980-303-355-7, Ed. Universidad Lisandro Alvarado, Barquisimeto, Venezuela, 1997
  • Gutiérrez, Daniel. Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela – 1895-2006. Caracas, Venezuela: Impresión Arte, C.A., 2007.
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