Rafael Bournigal

Rafael Antonio Bournigal Pelletier is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball in the 19th round of the 1987 draft, and played for the Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners. He played college baseball for the Florida State University Seminoles.
In 1992, Bournigal won the MVP award and the Jack Perconte Award for inspirational play with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. Bournigal debuted with the Dodgers that year and was a September call-up in both 1992 and 1993, blocked by shortstop José Offerman. Bournigal was a victim of the hidden ball trick on June 28, 1994, when San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Williams told Bournigal to step off the base so it could be cleaned.
The Dodgers traded Bournigal to the Montreal Expos in June 1995 for pitcher Kris Foster, but Bournigal did not play in the majors that year. He fractured his thumb later that month, missing several weeks of the season. His best years were with Oakland. In his three seasons with the A's he started about 36% of their games, batted.249, and made 8 errors.
In 365 MLB games, Bournigal hit.251 with 4 home runs, 85 RBI, 104 runs scored, and an on-base percentage of.301. In the field, his fielding percentage was.988.
Career highlights include:

One 4-hit game...two singles, a double, and a home run against the Mariners on June 25, 1997
Eleven 3-hit games, including a single, two doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored against the Detroit Tigers on April 29, 1999

Personal life

As a child, Bournigal contracted tetanus after an infection resulting from sliding into second base on a dirt field.
Bournigal's late father, George, was a sports broadcaster in the Dominican Republic.
Bournigal's son, also named Rafael, also played baseball for the Florida State Seminoles as well as Belmont University. Bournigal also has a daughter.