Davalillo in 1970. Morales' record stood until John Vander Wal of the Colorado Rockies had 28 in 1995. Later career After Minnesota acquired Morales, he became an effective part-time designated hitter and his pinch-hitting skills remained intact. In 1978 he hit .314 for the Twins and posted an American League leading with 15 pinch-hits. Morales faded the next season (.267), then rebounded in 1980 hitting .303 with eight home runs (a career-high) as his 13 pinch-hits again led the league. Again in the National League, he appeared exclusively as a pinch-hitter with the Dodgers in 1982 and finished 9-for-30 (.300). He saw his only post-season action in 1983, going hitless in two pinch-hit at-bats as Los Angeles lost the NL Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. In a 12-season career, Morales was a .287 hitter (375-for-1305) with 26 home runs and 207 RBI, including 126 runs, 68 doubles and six triples, hitting .300 five times overall. He struck out in only 13% of his plate appearances (182-for-1305), a testament to his skill as a contact hitter. Over his two decades-plus in the Puerto Rican Winter League, he collected a .290 batting average (840-for-2,901) with 84 home runs and 467 RBI. He also led the league three times in doubles and one in hits. In the 1968–69 season he hit .402 with the San Juan Senators, becoming one of 19 players to break the .400 line in the PRWL. However, his 112 at-bats did not qualify him for the batting title, as he was backing up teammate Johnny Bench. Later life Following his playing career, Morales worked as a batting instructor for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants and Florida Marlins organizations. He resides in Montverde, Florida. See also All-Time pinch hits records Players from Virgin Islands in MLB References External links Baseball in the Virgin Islands José Morales MLB - Baseballbiography.com SABR Encyclopedia 1944 births Living people Amarillo Giants players Baltimore Orioles players Cleveland Indians coaches Florida Marlins coaches Fresno Giants players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Oaks players Lexington Giants players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball players from the United States Virgin Islands Memphis Blues players Minnesota Twins players Montreal Expos players Oakland Athletics players People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands San Francisco Giants coaches Tidewater Tides players Tucson Toros