Tony Peña

Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla, widely known as Tony Peña [PAY-nyah] (born June 4, 1957, in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He currently is the bench coach for the New York Yankees. He is the father of Tony Peña, Jr. who plays for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Peña was known for his defensive skills with the Pirates, Cardinals, ... more

Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla, widely known as Tony Peña [PAY-nyah] (born June 4, 1957, in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He currently is the bench coach for the New York Yankees. He is the father of Tony Peña, Jr. who plays for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Peña was known for his defensive skills with the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. He won four Gold Glove Awards and was a five-time All-Star. He was known for his habit of sitting on the ground when there were no runners on base, one leg splayed out to the side, in an arrangement some call the hurdler's position. He did this in order to help his pitchers keep their pitches low in the strike zone. For the National League Championship Series and World Series in 1987, he hit 17-for-43 in that postseason, with 4 RBIs in the WS. While playing for the Indians in the opening game of the... less