Dominican Dámaso García, a versatile soccer player who served as a coach in the mid-1970s and then continued his career in professional baseball, has died at age 63, local media reported.
The sources, although they did not disclose the details of the cause of death of ‘Tomasito’, as he was known especially in the field of baseball.
‘Tomasito’ García served as captain of the soccer team of the Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in 1974. The same year he directed the Dominican Republic soccer team at the XII Central American and Caribbean Games held in Santo Domingo.
Shortly after, he took a radical turn in his sports career.
Four years later he made his major league debut with the Yankees, and then went on to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he remained from 1980 to 1986 as second baseman.
After his time with the Blue Jays, García played a period with the Braves in 1988 and with the Montreal Expos in 1989, and after his retirement from the playing fields he was president of the National Federation of Professional Baseball Players (Fenapepro).
During his career as a player, he was selected for the All-Star Game twice (1984 and 85), won the Silver Bat Award in 1982 and retired after registering a .283 batting average, 36 home runs, 323 RBIs, 490 runs and 203 stolen bases, according to MBL (Major League Baseball) data.
The Dominican Football Federation regretted the news through its Twitter account.
«Fedof Fútbol joins the mourning that surrounds Dominican football for the death of Damaso García, former player and captain of the Dominican Football Team. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends at such a difficult time. Peace to your soul! “, Published the sports entity, says the official note.
The Giants of the Cibao also demonstrated before the death of García. “We express our deepest condolences for the death of the prominent former player and former president of the National Federation of Professional Baseball Players, Dámaso García,” the club published on the same social network. EFE