Erick Aybar

Infobox MLB player
name=Erick Aybar

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width=250
position=Shortstop
team=Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
number=2
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1984|1|14
debutdate=May 16
debutyear=2006
debutteam=Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
statyear=2008 season
stat3label=Home runs
stat3value=3
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.277
stat4label=RBIs
stat4value=39
stat2label=OPS
stat2value=.699
teams=
*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (by|2006-present)

Erick Johan Aybar (born January 14, 1984 in Baní, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball shortstop with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has also previously played in the Dominican Republic. He is the younger brother (by 10 months) of Tampa Bay Rays infielder Willy Aybar. He is commonly known by his team mates as "Mini-Vlad" due to his slight resemblance to fellow Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team mate Vladimir Guerrero after growing out dreadlocks similar to Vlad's shortly into the 2007 season, and for the fact that they are good friends. He is also the cousin of Wil Aybar, who coaches Central Mass Diving and the diving team at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Aybar hit his first career Major League home run on September 25, by|2007, in a game against the Texas Rangers.

Caribbean Series

During the MLB offseason Erick plays in the Caribbean Series alongside many other fellow MLB players from the countries involved. It is a way for them to prepare for the upcoming MLB season by playing in live games and it is a way for them to represent their country. The most talked about series was probably in 2006 when Venezuela and the Dominican Republic squared off. Both of these countries are no strangers to each other and have developed a very heated rivalry over the years.

Down, 4-3, in the ninth, Baltimore catcher Ramon Hernandez, named the Caribbean Series MVP, led off the bottom of the frame with a single and was immediately replaced by pinch-runner William Bergolla. The moved proved to be a wise one because Bergolla advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and tied the game at 4 when he rambled home on Gonzalez's single to right field.

He would not stay at first long.

Cubs catcher Henry Blanco followed with a high popup to shallow left field between Dominican shortstop Erick Aybar and left fielder Napoleon Calzado. Backpedaling and seemingly confused, the ball hit Aybar's head and rolled away. Gonzalez sped around the bases to send Venezuela's Caracas Baseball Club into the record books with a 5-4 victory to secure the title.

ee also

* [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060208&content_id=1308350&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlbChaotic Finale lifts Venezuela to title ]

External links