Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtoni ˈpeɲa]; born June 4, 1957, in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. Peña was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He currently is the bench coach for the New York Yankees. As a playe...
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Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtoni ˈpeɲa]; born June 4, 1957, in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. Peña was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He currently is the bench coach for the New York Yankees. As a player, Peña was known for his defensive abilities as well as his unorthodox squat behind home plate.
Peña was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1975. Originally an outfielder, he didn't start playing as a catcher until 1977 while playing in the minor leagues. As a catcher, Peña adopted an unorthodox squat behind the plate when there were no runners on base, extending his left leg straight out while squatting on his right leg. He did this in order to help his pitchers keep their pitches low in the strike zone. In 1979...
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