PLEASE
NOTE THAT JORGE ORTA IS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AUTOGRAPH TO OBTAIN AND THIS 8X10
PHOTO WAS SIGNED AT A RARE PRIVATE SIGNING. This listing is for the following
autographed Jorge Orta signed 8x10 photograph. The proof photograph of Mr. Orta
from the private signing this signature was obtained is not included in the
auction.
BIO:
Jorge Orta 1985 World Series Champion, 2x All-Star (1975, 1980), Chicago White
Sox (1972–1979), Cleveland Indians (1980–1981), Los Angeles Dodgers (1982),
Toronto Blue Jays (1983), Kansas City Royals (1984–1987). In 1755 games over 16
seasons, Orta posted a .278 batting average (1619-for-5829) with 733 runs, 267
doubles, 63 triples, 130 home runs, 745 RBI, 79 stolen bases, 500 bases on
balls, .334 on-base percentage and .412 slugging percentage. He finished his
career with a .973 fielding percentage. In 8 postseason games, he hit only .111
(2-for-18) with 1 run, 1 triple and 1 RBI. Orta was born in Mazatlán from Cuban
parents. His father Pedro Orta, former baseball player and a legend of Cuban
baseball and Mexican League.
1985
World Series:
During
the 1985 World Series Orta was the runner incorrectly called safe by Don
Denkinger. He is best remembered for being at the center of one of the most
controversial plays in World Series history. Orta was held hitless in five
at-bats in the 1985 American League Championship Series against the Toronto
Blue Jays. At-bats were hard to come by in the World Series against the St.
Louis Cardinals, as it was played under National League rules without the DH in
1985. Orta appeared in games one and two as a pinch hitter, flying out to
center each time. The Royals lost both of the first two games held in Kansas
City, but surprisingly, took two out of three in St. Louis to return home in a
two games to three hole. Game six was a pitchers' duel between the Royals'
Charlie Leibrandt and St. Louis' Danny Cox. Each held the opposing team
scoreless through seven innings before the Cards finally broke through for a
run in the eighth. Orta was called upon to pinch hit for Pat Sheridan leading
off the ninth inning with the Royals down 1-0. He hit a slow roller Cardinal
first baseman Jack Clark fielded, and flipped to pitcher Todd Worrell covering
first. First base umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe on what turned out to
be a very close play, but television replays showed that Worrell beat him to
the bag.
The
following batter, Steve Balboni hit a pop foul that ended up falling between
Clark and catcher Darrell Porter. Given new life, Balboni hit a single to left
on the very next pitch, moving Orta to second base. With Onix Concepción pinch
running for Balboni, Jim Sundberg followed with an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt
in which Orta was thrown out at third. The next batter was Hal McRae, pinch
hitting for Buddy Biancalana. After Porter allowed a passed ball that allowed
both runners to move up a base, McRae was intentionally walked to load the
bases. Dane Iorg, pinch hitting for Dan Quisenberry, singled to right field
driving in two runs, and giving Kansas City a 2–1 win. The only out recorded by
the Cardinals in the inning was Orta at third. The win shifted momentum of the
Series to the Royals, who won the Series the next night on Bret Saberhagen's
11–0 shutout. Years of debate between Cardinals' and Royals' fans have followed
over what might have happened if Orta had been put out at first instead of
third.
Chicago
White Sox:
Orta
signed with the Chicago White Sox out of the Mexican Baseball League, and made
the team out of spring training 1972 at shortstop without first playing in the
minor leagues. He batted just .211 through the middle of May, losing his
starting job to Rich Morales. He spent two months as a utility infielder before
being optioned to the Southern League's Knoxville Sox in mid-July after
compiling a .191 batting average, one home run and seven runs batted in. After
batting .316 with seven home runs at Knoxville, he returned to Chicago when
rosters expanded that September. His second major league home run was an extra
innings game winner on September 19 against Gary Waslewski and the Oakland A's.
Orta was shifted to second base for the 1973 season after batting over .500 in
spring training. Playing through injuries for much of the year, he batted .266
and tied for second in the American League (AL) with eighteen errors among
second basemen. Orta began the 1974 season batting at the bottom of the White
Sox line-up, but was moved up to the number two spot in manager Chuck Tanner's
batting order, and batted .411 with 23 runs scored in the month of June. More
specifically, he batted .516 with four home runs from June 17 to June 23 to
earn AL Player of the Week honors. For the season, his .316 batting average was
second only to Rod Carew in the AL.
For
the 1975 season, Orta batted .296 with four home runs and 46 RBIs in the first
half to be named to the AL All-Star team, but did not appear in the game due to
a pulled hamstring in his right leg. He returned healthy on July 17, and batted
.314 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in the second half. Prior to the start of
the 1976 season, the White Sox acquired Jack Brohamer from the Cleveland
Indians. New Chicago manager Paul Richards opted to use Brohamer at second and
Orta at third. Orta proved himself a poor third baseman, and was eventually
moved into the outfield while rookie Kevin Bell took over at third. The Sox
narrowly avoided a hundred losses in 1976. For his part, Orta batted .274 with
hitting a career-high fourteen home runs and scoring a career high 74 runs.
Orta returned to second base when Bob Lemon replaced Richards as manager in
1977. The White Sox won ninety games to finish third in the American League
West. Orta, now batting third in the line-up, finished second on the team (to
Richie Zisk) with a career high 84 RBIs. He remained at second in 1978, but new
player-manager Don Kessinger deployed Orta as the designated hitter in 1979, and
Orta struggled in the role, accruing a .212 batting average, three home runs
and 21 RBIs through June 27. Meanwhile, second base had become something of a
revolving door, with Kessinger, Alan Bannister, Joe Gates, Jim Morrison and
Greg Pryor all manning the position at one point or another. Orta returned to
second base in the middle of July, and batted .313 with seven home runs and 22
RBIs the rest of the way.
Cleveland
Indians:
Following
the 1979 season, Orta signed a five-year deal with the Cleveland Indians. With
the Indians, Orta became a full-time right fielder, and soon emerged as one of
the better fielding right fielders in the league. He maintained a .987 fielding
percentage in his two seasons in Cleveland, and his eleven assists in 1981 tied
for second among A.L. outfielders. On June 15, 1980, he tied an A.L. record for
the most hits in one game with six. The feat raised his season average to .339,
and likely played a part in his being named Cleveland's sole representative at
the 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He did not, however, appear in
the game.With prospect Von Hayes ready to assume an everyday major league job
in right field, Orta became trade-bait at the 1981 Winter meetings. On December
9, he and two minor leaguers (Jack Fimple and Larry White) were sent to the Los
Angeles Dodgers for Jack Perconte and former Rookie of the Year winning pitcher
Rick Sutcliffe.
Los
Angeles Dodgers:
With
the Dodgers, Orta found himself in a reserve role for the first time in his
career. As a pinch hitter, Orta batted just .150 with one home run and five
RBIs. He would occasionally spell Pedro Guerrero a day off in right field, and
batted .291 in that role. After his only season in Los Angeles, he was traded
to the New York Mets for pitcher Pat Zachry.
Toronto
Blue Jays:
Shortly
after acquiring Orta, the Mets traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher
Steve Senteney. Orta was used primarily at DH by the Jays, though he did
occasionally sub for Jesse Barfield in right. After the 1983 season, he was
traded to the Kansas City Royals for Willie Aikens.
Kansas
City Royals:
Orta
made 438 plate appearances in 1984, his most since 1980. He and Hal McRae
formed a very successful lefty/righty platoon at DH with the Royals, as the
Royals got a .305 batting average, ten home runs and 81 RBIs out of their DH
position for the season. Orta also played some outfield, batting .310 with
three home runs and fifteen RBIs in that role. His ninth inning sacrifice fly
on September 12 defeated the Minnesota Twins to move the Royals into a first
place tie in the A.L. West. The race came down to the wire between the Royals,
Twins and California Angels with the Royals eventually winning the division by
three games over each team. Orta may have been on the receiving end of some
gamesmanship on September 20 when Angels catcher Bob Boone accused Orta of
using a corked bat after his first at-bat of the game. His bat was confiscated
by umpire Jim McKean, and the accusation turned out to be fruitless. Orta led
off the fifth with a single with a different bat.
Orta's
first trip to the post-season did not go as well as he may have hoped. The
Royals were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 American League
Championship Series. Orta went one-for-ten with a triple and an RBI. The Royals
stuck with the platoon of McRae and Orta at DH in 1985. Though the DH
position's batting average dropped to .256, they hit nineteen home runs while
driving in 114 runs. The 1985 season once again came down to the wire between
the Royals and Angels. The Royals went on an eight-game winning streak at the
start of September to jump into first place in the A.L. West for the first time
on September 6. They took first place for good when they took three of four
games with the Angels in Kansas City toward the end of the season to head to
the post-season for the second year in a row.
THIS
IS AN AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED 8x10 PHOTOGRAPH. I ONLY SELL AUTHENTIC HAND
AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA. I do not sell reprints or facsimile autographs. When
you bid on my items you will receive the real deal authentic hand autographed
items. You will receive the same signed 8x10 photograph that is pictured in the
scan. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. PLEASE NOTE this 8x10
photograph was printed and then autographed post war. I combine S&H when
multiple items are purchased. I ship items internationally the price for
international S&H varies by country. I currently have other rare
autographed military and historical signed items available. Please take a look
at my other auctions of rare military and historical autographed items.