Rafael Furcal

Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins.

He was subsequently signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves on November 9, 1996, for $5,000.

He began his professional career as a second baseman with the Gulf Coast Braves in 1997.

The following season, with the Danville Braves he hit .328 and stole a league record 60 bases in only 66 games.

He was named Danville's Player of the Year and Appalachian League All-Star Second Baseman.

José Furcal committed suicide in 1999 and Manuel died that same year in an accident.

Furcal attended Jose Cabrera High School and was prepared to enroll in engineering school before being spotted by a scout at a tryout in Santo Domingo.

In 1999, he switched to shortstop and joined the Macon Braves in "A" ball and hit .337 with 73 stolen bases in 83 games.

He was transferred to the advanced "A" team in Myrtle Beach and hit .293 for them with 23 steals in 43 games.

He led all of minor league baseball with 96 steals total.

He was named to Baseball America's first team All-Star team and the South Atlantic League All-Star team.

In addition, he was the Braves Minor League Player of the Year, the South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Prospect and a Class A All-Star.

An injury to Braves shortstop Walt Weiss prior to the 2000 season led to Furcal improbably making the jump from "A" ball to the Major League roster.

He made his Major League debut on April 4, 2000, against the Colorado Rockies, getting 2 hits in 4 at-bats.

His first hit was against Rockies pitcher Rolando Arrojo.

Furcal went on to hit .295 with 40 stolen bases for the Braves and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award that year.

He missed most of the 2001 season because of a dislocated left shoulder, suffered while stealing second base in a July 6 game at Boston.

The Braves learned Furcal's true age, then 23, at the start of the 2002 season.

Before then, he had claimed he was only 21.

He returned to the starting lineup that season and tied a modern Major League record with three triples in a game on April 21 against Florida.

Furcal completed an unassisted triple play for the Braves against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 10, 2003.

He was selected to the National League All-Star Team as a reserve in 2003.

In September 2004, during his final season with the Braves, he was arrested for drunk driving, violating his probation dating from an earlier drunk driving arrest in June 2000.

Furcal was ordered to serve 21 days in jail.

In an unusual arrangement, the beginning of the jail term was contingent upon the Braves' situation on the playoffs.

His DUI attorney arranged that resolution so that the baseball team had its full contingency of players for the playoffs.

Once the Braves were eliminated from post-season action, Furcal served his time.

On December 7, 2005, Furcal signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years and $39 million.

In September 2006 Furcal was selected as the inaugural winner of the Roy Campanella Award, given to the Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.

Until his death in 2010, Silvino would often call Rafael to give him advice after games.

Manuel Furcal pitched in the Seattle Mariners organization and Lorenzo played in the Oakland Athletics system before suffering career-ending injuries.

With St. Louis, he won the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers.

Furcal grew up in Loma de Cabrera, a small village in the Dominican Republic near the Dajabón River and the border with Haiti.

His father, Silvino, drove a taxi, and his mother, Aura, was a schoolteacher.

Furcal had three older brothers, José, Manuel, and Lorenzo, and a sister.

Silvino Furcal was a standout outfielder during an era when Dominican ballplayers did not get much recognition from Major League scouts.

Silvino introduced his sons to baseball and Rafael credited his father with teaching him how to enjoy the game.

It was the 12th in baseball history.

In the fifth inning, the shortstop caught pitcher Woody Williams' liner with the runners moving in a hit and run attempt, stepped on second base to retire catcher Mike Matheny (who later became Furcal's manager in St. Louis) and tagged Orlando Palmeiro before he could return to first.