{{Short description|Cuban baseball player}} {{family name hatnote|Chávez|González|lang=Spanish}} {{For|the Portuguese racing driver|Pedro Chaves}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name = Pedro Chávez |image_size = |image = Pedro Chávez 1986.jpg |caption = Chávez at the [[1986 Amateur World Series]] |position = [[Outfielder]] / [[first baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1936|6|7}} |birth_place = [[Quivicán]], [[Cuba]] |bats = Right |throws = Right |debutleague = |debutyear = |debutteam = |finalleague = |finalyear = |finalteam = |statleague = SNB |stat1label = [[Batting average]] |stat1value = .287 |stat2label = [[Home run]]s |stat2value = 22 |stat3label = [[Runs batted in]] |stat3value = 192 |teams = * [[Cuban baseball league system#History of the Cuban baseball league system|Occidentales]] ([[1962 Cuban National Series|1962]], [[1963–64 Cuban National Series|1963–64]]) * [[Industriales]] ([[1962–63 Cuban National Series|1962–63]], [[1964–65 Cuban National Series|1964]]-[[1966–67 Cuban National Series|1967]]) * [[Metropolitanos|Habana]] ([[1967–68 Cuban National Series|1967]]-[[1968–69 Cuban National Series|1969]]) |hofcolor = |hoflink = |hoftype = |hofdate = |medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [[baseball]] }} {{MedalCountry | {{CUB}} }} {{MedalCompetition | [[Baseball World Cup]] }} {{MedalGold | [[1961 Amateur World Series|1961 San José]] | [[Cuba national baseball team|Team]] }} {{MedalCompetition | [[Baseball at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]] }} {{MedalGold | [[Baseball at the 1963 Pan American Games|1963 Sao Paulo]] | [[Baseball at the 1963 Pan American Games|Team]] }} {{MedalSilver |[[Baseball at the 1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|[[Baseball at the 1967 Pan American Games|Team]]}} {{MedalCompetition | [[Baseball at the Central American and Caribbean Games|Central American and Caribbean Games]] }} {{MedalGold | [[Baseball at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games|1966 San Juan]] | [[Baseball at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games|Team]] }} {{MedalCompetition | [[International Amateur Baseball Tournament|International Amateur Tournament]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[International Amateur Baseball Tournament|1968 Mexico City]] | [[International Amateur Baseball Tournament|Team]] }} }}
'''Pedro Chávez González''' (born June 7, 1936) is a Cuban former [[baseball]] player and manager. He spent most of his playing career with [[Industriales]] of the [[Cuban National Series]] (SNB). One of the league's early stars following the abolition of professional baseball in the country after the [[Cuban Revolution]], he was a two-time batting champion and won the [[Cuban National Series Most Valuable Player Award|most valuable player]] in 1964. He also played with the [[Cuba national baseball team]].
== Playing career == Chávez began his playing career at 16 in the Quivicán League, before playing four seasons in the top level [[Cuban Amateur League]] with the Santiago Sport Club of [[Santiago de las Vegas]] (1955), and Círculo de Artesanos (1956–1959), based in [[San Antonio de los Baños]]. He later moved to the independent Pedro Betancourt League, playing with the Araujo club managed by [[Andrés Fleitas]], where he won the [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]].<ref name="cafe">{{cite news |title=Glorias del béisbol cubano: Pedro Chávez |url=https://www.cafefuerte.com/deportes/leyendas-del-beisbol-cubano-pedro-chavez/ |access-date=24 September 2025 |agency=Cafe Fuerte |date=22 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="ciber">{{cite news |title=Pedro Chávez: “Yo siempre salía a darla” |url=https://www.cibercuba.com/noticias/2020-07-15-u172318-e42839-s27066-pedro-chavez-yo-siempre-salia-darla |access-date=24 September 2025 |agency=CiberCuba |date=15 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="herald">{{cite news |title=Era capaz de echarse el equipo al hombro y llevarlo al título. Para muchos es uno de los grandes del béisbol amateur cubano |url=https://www.elnuevoherald.com/deportes/beisbol/article302858909.html |access-date=22 September 2025 |agency=El Nuevo Herald |date=27 March 2025}}</ref> During this period, Chávez was offered a contract by [[Tom Greenwade]] of [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[New York Yankees]] in 1957, but declined, citing a desire to stay closer to family.<ref name="globe">{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/09/22/old-cuban-stars-don-begrudge-ballplayers-who-defect/gFGQuTrhGfsnndPT8imsuM/story.html |title=Old Cuban baseball stars don’t begrudge defectors |agency=Boston Globe |author=Stan Grossfeld |date=23 September 2014}}</ref> In 1960 he played with Planta Eléctrica and in 1961 he managed the Aeropuerto team in the Quivicán League.<ref name="cafe" />
Following the [[Cuban Revolution]], the country's [[Cuban League|professional winter league]] was abolished and replaced with the [[Cuban National Series]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Después de cincuenta años, el béisbol, la luz en la vida de Pedro Chávez |url=https://cubasi.cu/es/cubasi-noticias-cuba-mundo-ultima-hora/item/3404-despues-de-cincuenta-anos-el-beisbol-la-luz-en-la-vida-de-pedro-chavez |access-date=24 September 2025 |agency=CubaSi |date=12 January 2012}}</ref> At age 26, Chávez debuted in the [[1962 Cuban National Series|first National Series]] with Occidentales. The following season, he joined [[Industriales]], of Havana, under manager Ramón Carneado, becoming part of a dynasty that won four consecutive championships between 1963 and 1966, losing to Orientales in 1967.<ref name="herald" /> He won the batting title in 1967 in the final game of the season, finishing with two hits against [[Manuel Alarcón]] to end with a .318 average and beat out Félix Isasi (.317).<ref name="ciber" /> In his final season, he played with [[Metropolitanos|Habana]], managed by Juan "Coco" Gómez.<ref name="herald" />
Over the course of his National Series career, Chávez won three championships: one with Occidentales (1962), three with Industriales (1963, 1964, 1966),and one with Habana (1968). He was absent for Industriales 1965 pennant win due to playing with Occidentales for the season.<ref name="ciber" /> He won the two National Series batting titles, in 1964 (.333) and 1967 (.318), and was named the circuit's [[Cuban National Series Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] in 1964. He also led the league in hits (78 in 1967), triples (seven in 1964), RBIs (27 in 1964), and intentional walks (10 in 1967).<ref name="herald" /> He finished his National Series career with a .287 batting average and 22 home runs.<ref name="bjarkman">{{cite book |last=Bjarkman |first=Peter |title=A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006 |year=2007 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0786428298 |pages=381}}</ref>
Chávez made his debut with the [[Cuba national baseball team]] at the [[Baseball at the 1959 Pan American Games|1959 Pan American Games]] in Chicago. At the [[1961 Amateur World Series]] in [[San José, Costa Rica]], he won his first international title with Cuba. He also appeared with Cuba at the [[Baseball at the 1963 Pan American Games|1963 Pan American Games]], the [[Baseball at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games|1966 Central American and Caribbean Games]] in 1966 in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], the [[Baseball at the 1967 Pan American Games|1967 Games]] in Winnipeg, Canada, and at the [[International Amateur Baseball Tournament|unofficial tournament held after the 1968 Olympic Games]] in Mexico City. Chávez always batted third or fourth for the Cuban team between 1959 and 1968.<ref name="herald" />
== Managerial career == After his retirement as a player, he became a coach and manager in the National Series. He steered Industriales to two championships in 1973 and 1986. He also managed with [[Metropolitanos]] and with La Habana.<ref name="herald" />
As manager of the Cuban national team, he led the team to two consecutive world championships, first on home soil at the [[1984 Amateur World Series]] in Havana, then at the [[1986 Amateur World Series]] in the Netherlands. Chávez also led Cuba to an undefeated record at the in the [[Baseball at the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games|1986 Central American and Caribbean Games]] in the [[Dominican Republic]].<ref name="herald" />
==Legacy== [[Stan Grossfeld]] referred to Chávez as "[[Carl Yastrzemski|Yaz]] before Yaz was Yaz."<ref name="globe" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Industriales managers}} {{Cuba national baseball team managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chávez, Pedro}} [[Category:1936 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century Cuban sportsmen]] [[Category:Baseball players at the 1959 Pan American Games]] [[Category:Baseball players at the 1963 Pan American Games]] [[Category:Baseball players at the 1967 Pan American Games]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games]] [[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba]] [[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists in baseball]] [[Category:Pan American Games baseball players for Cuba]] [[Category:People from Quivicán]] [[Category:Industriales de La Habana players]]