Kurt Bevacqua’s 1977-78 Mayagüez Indios Season Highlights a Colorful Career: Part III

Part II ended with Mayagüez winning the February 4-9, 1978 Caribbean Series (CS) in Mazatlán, Mexico. Part III focuses on Bevacqua’s 1978-79 and 1980-81 Mayagüez seasons. It ends with the Indios winning the 1980-81 semifinals. Part IV picks up with the 1980-81 finals, his fine 1984 World Series hitting for San Diego versus Detroit, and a rivalry with Tom Lasorda.

Background on 1978-79 Indios

Mayagüez signed RHP Jack Morris, LHP Sheldon Burnside, and catcher Lance Parrish with Detroit, fitting since the Indios had a working agreement with the Tigers since the 1960s, when Dennis McLain, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley, and John Hiller…reinforced them. Bevacqua, Jim Dwyer, and Don Collins returned. Manager Karl Kuehl (11-17) was fired. Puerto Rico’s Winter League (PRWL) was not a “developmental league”; it was designed to win. Coach Orlando Gómez (2-0) took over on an interim basis until Cal Ermer (19-11) was signed.

Second-Place Finish

Ermer led Mayagüez to a 32-28, second-place finish. Dwyer earned league MVP laurels with two-thirds of the Triple Crown (15 HR-53 RBI), .574 SLG. He scored a league-best 53 runs and was fifth with 11 SB. Bevacqua hit .280 with nine HR and 39 RBI. Bevacqua (40 BB-27 SO) and Dwyer (55 BB-24 SO) had excellent OBP. Parrish (.245 BA, 10 HR, 35 RBI) was consistent. “For myself, to be able to play with Jack [Morris] down there, it just kind of furthered our growth as pitcher and catcher in the Detroit organization,” said Parrish. “I caught him a couple of seasons in the minors, then had the opportunity to catch Jack in the PRWL, and then worked with him in the majors. It was another step in our progression as major leaguers.” Parrish acknowledged Burnside, who won eight and fanned 52, second to teammate Morris’ 58 SO.

Jack Morris led the 1978-79 PRWL with 58 SO. He went 7-3, 4.84 ERA in 102.1 IP, walking 48. Photo credit: Mayagüez Indios.net.

Table I includes standings/BA leaders. All six teams were evenly matched. Mayagüez clinched second with an 8-1 win over Santurce on January 15, 1979. The 4,376 fans gave the Indios 95,854 paid fans in 30 home contests, for 3,195/game, a 30.7 percent increase over 73,128 in 1977-78. This helped the franchise’s economic viability. Team owner Luis Gómez, an insurance business executive, was a top-notch executive.

Table I: 1978-79 PRWL Regular Season Standings-BA Leaders

ARE: Arecibo Wolves, BAY: Bayamón Cowboys, CAG: Caguas Criollos, MAY: Mayagüez Indios, PON: Ponce Lions, SAN: Santurce Crabbers. !Dwyer’s BA was in the Top 10 and listed after Ellis. Source: José Crescioni Benítez, El Béisbol Profesional Boricua, 1997, Tables I-IV.

January 18-22, 1979 Semifinals

Santurce skipper Frank Robinson opined they could beat Mayagüez. Parrish went 3-for-4 in the January 18 opener with a fourth-inning two-run HR and eighth-inning double, to cement a 5-3 win. Bevacqua was 0-for-4; Dwyer, 1-for-3 with a run, in the 8-5 win. Morris went 7.1 frames, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, four SO-to-four BB. George Riley (1 IP) picked up the win, and Jesús Hernáiz saved it. Tony Pérez went 2-for-4 for Santurce.

Sheldon Burnside took Game 2, 8-5, with relief help from George Riley (0.1 IP) and Jesús Hernáiz’s ninth-inning SV. Tony Pérez was 3-for-5, two RBI. Bevacqua doubled, led, stole a base, drove in two, going 2-for-4. Dwyer was 2-for-4, two RBI, a run, a double, and a walk. Burnside scattered 11 hits, allowed five runs (four earned), fanned four, and walked five.

Mayagüez edged the Crabbers, 6-5, in 10, as 5,940 fans cheered them on. Doug Capilla (four IP), Dave García (4.1 IP), and winner George Riley (1.2 IP) pitched for Ermer. Riley/García combined for six scoreless frames. Bevacqua’s 2-for-5 included a double. José Morales’ three-run HR in the 8^th cut Santurce’s lead to 5-3 before a two-run ninth and the winning run in the 10^th off reliever Tim Stoddard.

Rogelio “Roger” Moret—14-1 for 1971-72 Santurce under Rubén Gómez—held Mayagüez to two runs/six hits in 6.1 IP. Four relievers (Esteban Texidor, Rubén Cruz, Lynn McKinney, and Stoddard) blanked the Indios. Nicaraguan Tony Chevez threw seven, allowing five runs and 13 hits, in Santurce’s 5-2 win. The three-hour game featured a Juan Beníquez HR for Santurce.

Game 5, an 8-5 Mayagüez win, took two hours, fifty-six minutes, at Mayagüez’s Isidoro García Stadium. Morris, in seven IP, allowed 11 hits, four runs (three earned), had four SO, and three walks. “Mayagüez was crucial for my big-league career,” noted Morris. “I had injury issues with Detroit, solved them in PR, and became an ace after that winter.” Dwyer homered twice, driving in three. Ramón Avilés went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. Tony Pérez homered for the visitors, driving in three, as 5,541 fans watched.

Bevacqua was 5-for-20, two doubles, two RBI, two walks, one SB. Dwyer went 6-for-18, six runs, five RBI, a double, two HR, and six walks. Parrish’s 6-for-20 included two doubles, one HR, three runs, four RBI, and one sac fly. Tony Pérez was 9-for-21, a HR, six RBI, two runs, and two walks.

Kurt Bevacqua was a valuable Mayagüez Indios import, 1977-79 and 1980-81. Dickie Thon called him “One of the best imports of that era.” Personal collection of Roberto Mercado. Coloring: Joe Torres.

January 26-February 1, 1979 Finals

Caguas split 12 regular-season games with Mayagüez under deposed manager Jim Davenport, who was replaced in the late season by active player Félix Millán. Caguas’s Cheo Cruz had a 21-game hit streak—last 15 regular-season games plus six semifinal contests versus Ponce. The seven-game finals began/ended in Mayagüez.

January 26: Caguas (6) Indios (3). Burnside tired in the ninth, as Caguas scored four. Dwyer’s two-run HR in the third tied it, 2-2, and Mayagüez later took a 3-2 lead. Cheo Cruz (2-for-4) extended his hitting streak to 22 games. Dwyer was 1-for-3, a run, two RBI; Bevacqua, 0-for-3, a walk; Parrish, 0-for-4. Winner Jackson Todd pitched a CG. Ermer brought in three relievers (Hernáiz, Riley, Felipe Arroyo) in the ninth. Attendance: 5,500.

January 27: Indios (7) Caguas (0). Jack Morris’ SHO featured seven SO, two BB, and eight hits allowed. Batterymate Parrish clubbed a three-run HR (2-for-5, one run). Dwyer stole three; he was 0-for-1 with two runs/four walks. Bevacqua: 1-for-3, run, two RBI, two walks. Avilés: 2-for-4, run, and RBI. Caguas’s Yldefonso Solá Morales Stadium had 9,430 paid fans.

January 28: Caguas (5) Indios (3). Nicaraguan Dennis Martínez blanked Mayagüez on four hits, fanning five, walking two. His counterpart, Tony Chevez, took the loss, the first PRWL postseason history in which both starters were from Nicaragua. Cheo Cruz, 1-for-4 after missing Game 2. Avilés, 1-for-4, with Bevacqua/Dwyer going 0-for-4. Parrish went 0-for-3 with a walk.

January 29: Indios (1) Caguas (3). Randy Scarberry outpitched Doug Capilla. Dwyer: 1-for-3, walk; Bevacqua, 0-for-4; Parrish, 1-for-4, Avilés, 0-for-3, walk. Attendance: 5,352.

January 30: Caguas (0) Indios (3). Burnside blanked Caguas on six hits, stranding 13, walking seven, and striking out six. Dwyer swiped two bags, scored on an errant throw, and drew three walks. Parrish: 1-for-4 while Avilés and Bevacqua were 0-for-4.

January 31: Indios (9) Caguas (4). José Morales’s three-run HR in the first and reliever Jesús Hernáiz’s 6.1 scoreless frames were key. Cheo Cruz (2-for-4) hit in 24 straight games, breaking 23, 1956-57 regular season, by Caguas’s Roberto Clemente. (Cruz’s streak included nine postseason games.) Avilés drew four walks; Bevacqua went 3-for-5, two runs, an RBI, a double; Dwyer drew two walks, with a run, and 1-for-3 night; and Parrish got two hits, scored one, drove in two, in three AB, a walk, and a sac fly. Most of the 8,843 fans went home disappointed.

February 1: Caguas (10) Indios (3). Dennis Martínez versus Jack Morris went the Criollos’ way. Caguas coach Germán Rivera did some sweating: “Dennis decided to go by car instead of the [team] bus. We told him to get to Mayagüez early for the 8 p.m. game. It was already 7:15 p.m. and no Dennis. It was the most important game of the season. When we saw him arrive, we were so happy, and he told us, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be ready!’ Anyway, we won the game.”

Cal Ermer recalled the disappointment. “We were ahead, 1-0 (third). [Raúl] ‘Boogie’ Colón wasn’t playing first. Jim Dwyer was there. A fluke play happened. Dwyer put the bouncer in his glove and waved Morris off, but dropped the ball. Morris broke stride and hustled to the bag, and it was a bang-bang play. Instead of the third out, they had a runner on. The guy takes off to second. Morris tells the ump that time was called. Ump said no.”

Cheo Cruz singled to tie the game (26^th straight game with a hit), and his brother, Héctor, hit one out to give Caguas the momentum in their 10-3 win. Parrish’s two-run shot wasn’t enough. Martínez’s CG showed four hits allowed, three runs, two earned, seven SO to two walks. Morris (1-1) went 5.2, six runs (three earned), three SO, one BB, and gave up eight hits. Cheo went 3-for-5 with three RBI, coupled with brother Héctor’s 2-for-4 with two RBI. Avilés, Bevacqua, Dwyer, and Parrish had one hit apiece, with Parrish (two RBI) and Dwyer (one RBI) driving in their runs. Most of the 8,044 fans were still proud of their Indios.

Bevacqua: 5-for-27, scored five, with a double, three RBI, and three walks. Dwyer walked 12 times, going 4-for-18, four runs, a HR, three RBI, and five SB. Parrish’s 7-for-27 included two HR, seven RBI, four runs, two walks, and a sac fly. Avilés: 5-for-23.

1980-81 PRWL Season

Cal Ermer, Mayagüez’s GM, earned $25,000, the highest-paid PRWL GM, then. He called all big-league farm directors and rolled up his sleeves in the PRWL Draft. “I drafted Von Hayes number one—found out that his mom was from PR so that he could play as a native. Then got Iván Calderón for [Luis] Gómez and made Luis Quiñónes the third pick.” Gómez hired a PR native, Orlando Gómez, no relation, to manage them. Orlando caught for 15 years in the PRWL; was a 1973-74 regular for Mayagüez. A baseball lifer, he reached the big leagues as a 1992 Texas Rangers coach.

Bevacqua was (probably) the PRWL’s oldest import, at 33, and turned 34 on January 23, 1981. He went 56-for-199, .281 BA, four HR, 34 RBI. Other top imports included 20-year-old Cal Ripken Jr. (Caguas), 21-year-old Rickey Henderson (Ponce), and 22-year-old Lee Smith (Santurce). Some top natives were 20-year-old Candy Maldonado (Arecibo), 22-year-old Dickie Thon (Bayamón), and 31-year-old Jerry Morales (Caguas). Cheo Cruz, 33, arrived late in Caguas and was a few months younger than Bevacqua.

L to R: Caguas manager Ray Miller, 3B Cal Ripken Jr., four other Criollos, 1980-81. Ripken played for the Metro Team in the January 6, 1981, All-Star Game. Photo credit: Caguas Criollos.

Table II includes 1980-81 PRWL standings and BA leaders. Table III: HR, RBI, runs, and Table IV: doubles, triples, and SB.

Table II: 1980-81 PRWL Regular Season Standings-BA Leaders

Source: José Crescioni Benítez, El Béisbol Profesional Boricua, 1997.   

Table III: 1980-81 PRWL Runs-HR-RBI Leaders

A=Arecibo; B=Bayamón; C=Caguas; M=Mayagüez; P=Ponce; S=Santurce.

Dickie Thon, PRWL back-to-back batting champ, 1980-82. Photo credit: Bayamón Cowboys.

Table IV: 1980-81 PRWL Doubles-Triples-Stolen Base Leaders

Rickey Henderson, 1980-81 Ponce Lions. He stole 44 bases in 48 games, most single-season SB in PRWL history, and played for the Island Team in the January 6, 1981, PRWL All-Star Game. Photo credit: Ponce Lions (reposted on Facebook).

Arecibo versus Mayagüez Semi-Finals

The Indios bested Arecibo, four games to three per this summary.

January 14, 1981: Arecibo (2) Indios (4). Eric Show’s CG, with nine SO, one BB, combined with Rusty Torres’ two RBI, propelled Mayagüez. Torres was the 1980-81 league MVP. Bevacqua: 0-for-2, two walks. Candy Maldonado cracked two doubles for Arecibo, eight days after hitting two HR in the January 6, 1981, PRWL All-Star Game.

January 15: Indios (1) Arecibo (7). Greg Harris and Jeff Reardon stifle Mayagüez. Dwyer’s fifth-inning HR was the Indios only damage. He/Bevacqua went 1-for-4.

January 16: Arecibo (1) Indios (7). John Martin wins it; Gary Lance takes the loss. Bevacqua: 1-for-4, Dwyer: 2-for-3, run, and a walk.

January 17: Indios (1) Arecibo (4). Dwyer’s (0-for-3) sac fly drives in one. Bevacqua: 0-for-4.

January 18: Arecibo (0) Indios (2). Show blanks the Wolves, allowing five hits, fanning nine, walking five. Dwyer: 1-for-2, RBI, SB, two BB. Bevacqua: 0-for-3, walk.

January 20: Indios (1) Arecibo (4). Gary Lance allows an eighth-inning HR to Dwyer, and Reardon saves it with a scoreless ninth. Dwyer: 3-for-4, run, RBI; Bevacqua: 1-for-4.

January 21: Arecibo (1) Indios (4). Bombo Rivera’s fourth-inning grand slam was the difference. Lefty John Martin wins his second game. Bevacqua: 0-for-5. Dwyer: 1-for-3, two walks.

Show (2-0), 1.00 ERA, was the ace. Dwyer, 8-for-21, batted .381, with two HR, three RBI, five runs, and one SB. Bevacqua went 1-for-26 with three walks.

Special thanks to Kurt Bevacqua, Cal Ermer, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish, Germán Rivera, and Dickie Thon. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.

Photo Kurt Bevacqua by Joe Torres.

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Tom Van Hyning

Tom Van Hyning se crió en Santurce, Puerto Rico. Su familia se mudó a esta preciosa Isla cuando tenía dos años. Tom es el autor de tres libros: “Puerto Rico’s Winter League”, “The Santurce Crabbers” y “The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament 1949-2024, que fue publicado en 2025. Laboró como Economista de Turismo en el estado de Mississippi y es miembro de SABR, Capítulo Cool Papa Bell en Mississippi. Sus artículos han sido publicados por SABR en la revista National Pastime y Baseball Research Journal. Igualmente escribe para las páginas web negroleaguerspuertorico.com y safabpp.com.