José Reyes to the Hall of Fame: “La Melaza” immortalized in Dominican sports

José Reyes Immortalized in the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame

Santo Domingo – José Reyes, known as “La Melaza”, has been selected to enter the prestigious Dominican Sports Hall of Fame. The official announcement was made by the Hall of Fame’s Permanent Committee, headed by Dionisio Guzmán, who confirmed that the former shortstop will be inducted during the 59th Induction Ceremony. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, November 16th, in the auditorium of the Pavilion, located in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center. Reyes joins Edwin Encarnación and José Offerman, who were selected by the chapter of the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM), thus completing the list of players exalted this year. In addition, the sports figures Gonzalo Mejía and Blessed Miguel Cruz will be recognized as promoters.

“Reyes, Offerman, and Encarnación represent a golden generation of our baseball, and their induction into the Hall is a deserved recognition of their extraordinary careers”, Guzmán expressed.

Dionisio Guzmán

The act of exaltation will be led by Guzman and will be attended by the businessman Manuel Estrella, who has been designated Honorary President of the ceremony.

A Race for the History

José Reyes, born on June 11, 1983 in Santiago de los Caballeros, signed as an amateur with the New York Mets, the team with which he debuted in the Major Leagues and became a star. His 16-season career included stints with Miami, Toronto, and Colorado, leaving numbers that position him among the best Dominican shortstops of all time. Reyes accumulated 2,138 hits in 1,877 games, with a batting average of .283. In addition, he hit 145 home runs, 131 triples, 387 doubles and drove in 719 runs, scoring 1,180. His speed on the bases made him a constant threat, achieving 517 stolen bases, ranking 33rd in MLB history. He won four triples leaderships (2005, 2006, 2008 and 2011), three stolen bases championships (2005, 2006 and 2007), a hits leadership (2008) and topped the National League in official at-bats on two occasions. In addition, he attended four All-Star Games (2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011) and obtained a Silver Slugger Award in 2006.