Luis Gómez (baseball)

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Luis Gómez (born August 19, 1951) is a Mexican former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. He attended Belmont High School, where he set school records in baseball and football.

Gómez played college baseball at UCLA from 1971 to 1973 as a shortstop. He hit .272 with 2 home runs (including a grand slam) and 34 RBIs. In his senior year he batted .301 in 52 games (186 at bats).

He began his major league career with the Minnesota Twins, debuting on April 28, 1974, and playing with them through 1977. He then joined the Toronto Blue Jays, playing for them in 1978–1979; in 1978 he set the Blue Jays’ single-season record with 19 sacrifice bunts. In 1980 he was traded to the Atlanta Braves, where he played until his final MLB appearance on October 4, 1981.

Defensively, Gómez set an Atlanta Braves record in 1980 with a .968 fielding percentage at shortstop and had 42 consecutive games without an error. He played 609 major league games, mainly at shortstop but also at second and third base. His career batting average was .210 with 0 home runs and 90 RBIs.