Julio Zuleta
Encyclopedia
Julio Zuleta Tapia is a professional baseball
player, most recently for the Chiba Lotte Marines
in Japan's Pacific League
. He graduated from the Colegio Javier in Panama City and speaks five languages: Spanish
, Portuguese
, French
, English
and Japanese
. He is 197 cm (6 ft 5⅝ in) tall and weighs 113 kg (250 lb).
He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs
on September 15, 1992 and spent a year with the GCL Cubs in 1993. He began 1994 in Huntington
before going back down to play with the GCL Cubs. Zuleta made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 2000, ultimately playing in 30 games, hitting .294 with 3 home runs and 20 hits everall.
Zuleta began playing professional baseball in Japan in 2003 with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
. His best year with the Hawks came in 2005, when he hit 43 home runs with a .319 batting average. He holds a club record with the Hawks for most home runs for a foreigner.
After the 2006 season, Zuleta was released by the Hawks and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines
as a free agent. He signed a two year contract with the Marines, and later resigned with the Marines after the 2008 season. During the 2007 season, Zuleta was hit by a pitch which broke his finger. He continued to play for several months and led the team in home runs with 15 home runs. He came back after his injury to hit for the cycle. During the 2008 season, Zuleta spent most of the season deactivated for various reasons, which has been a point of controversy.
The Japanese fans gave Zuleta the name "Samurai" because of his perseverance. He has hit the most home runs in the league over the last three seasons (109). He is one of only three players in Japanese baseball to hit three home runs in one game. He achieved this twice: once against the Orix BlueWave (2003) and another time against the Seibu Lions (2006).
Zuleta is a three-time All Star. On September 22, 2007, in a game against the Rakuten Golden Eagles, he became the 61st player in Japanese professional baseball history to hit for the cycle
. On June 7, 2008, he blasted a hit on the roof light in Tokyo Dome and was grounded home run, becoming the second player to ground a home run in the dome after Ralph Bryant
. He was released by the Marines after the 2008 season, though had subsequently chosen to play for the Panamanian national team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic
.
In 2009, Julio founded "Zuleta's Indoor Batting Cages" in Fort Myers Florida, providing an upscale indoor facility for baseball and softball training and instruction. company website
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, most recently for the Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
in Japan's Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
. He graduated from the Colegio Javier in Panama City and speaks five languages: Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. He is 197 cm (6 ft 5⅝ in) tall and weighs 113 kg (250 lb).
He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
on September 15, 1992 and spent a year with the GCL Cubs in 1993. He began 1994 in Huntington
Huntington Cubs
The Huntington Cubs was a minor league baseball team located in Huntington, West Virginia. The team played in the Appalachian League, and was affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. Their home stadium was St. Cloud Commons....
before going back down to play with the GCL Cubs. Zuleta made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 2000, ultimately playing in 30 games, hitting .294 with 3 home runs and 20 hits everall.
Zuleta began playing professional baseball in Japan in 2003 with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
. His best year with the Hawks came in 2005, when he hit 43 home runs with a .319 batting average. He holds a club record with the Hawks for most home runs for a foreigner.
After the 2006 season, Zuleta was released by the Hawks and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
as a free agent. He signed a two year contract with the Marines, and later resigned with the Marines after the 2008 season. During the 2007 season, Zuleta was hit by a pitch which broke his finger. He continued to play for several months and led the team in home runs with 15 home runs. He came back after his injury to hit for the cycle. During the 2008 season, Zuleta spent most of the season deactivated for various reasons, which has been a point of controversy.
The Japanese fans gave Zuleta the name "Samurai" because of his perseverance. He has hit the most home runs in the league over the last three seasons (109). He is one of only three players in Japanese baseball to hit three home runs in one game. He achieved this twice: once against the Orix BlueWave (2003) and another time against the Seibu Lions (2006).
Zuleta is a three-time All Star. On September 22, 2007, in a game against the Rakuten Golden Eagles, he became the 61st player in Japanese professional baseball history to hit for the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
. On June 7, 2008, he blasted a hit on the roof light in Tokyo Dome and was grounded home run, becoming the second player to ground a home run in the dome after Ralph Bryant
Ralph Bryant
Ralph Wendell Bryant is a former Major League Baseball player. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the major leagues, and with the Chunichi Dragons and Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball...
. He was released by the Marines after the 2008 season, though had subsequently chosen to play for the Panamanian national team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
.
In 2009, Julio founded "Zuleta's Indoor Batting Cages" in Fort Myers Florida, providing an upscale indoor facility for baseball and softball training and instruction. company website
Sources
- Bobby Valentine, Japan's Baseball Sweetheart, Japan's Quality English Magazine Weekender March 16–29, 2007