About Fernando Viña
Fernando Viña Spanish: [feɾˈnando ˈβiɲa]; born April 16, 1969) is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball second baseman and former MLB analyst for ESPN. His parents Andres and Olga emigrated from Cuba in 1968. From 1993 through 2005, Viña played for the Seattle Mariners (1993), New York Mets (1994), Milwaukee Brewers (1995-1999), St. Louis Cardinals (2000-2003), and Detroit Tigers (2004). == Career == Viña was acquired by the Brewers on December 22, 1994, to complete a transaction that began three weeks earlier on November 30 when Doug Henry was traded to the Mets and also included minor-league catcher Javier Gonzalez being sent to Milwaukee on December 6. On May 31, 1996, while attempting to tag the runner and make a throw to first to complete a double play, Viña was caught off guard and knocked down by Albert Belle, an incident which led to Belle receiving a 5-game suspension from the American League. In a 2018 interview, Viña good-naturedly laughed about the incident, claiming "that put me on the map," meaning that the play was regularly featured in highlight footage on television. Viña was a two-time Gold Glove winner (2001-2002), and a National League All-Star in 1998, becoming the first ever NL representative from the Brewers, who had moved to the league that year. In 2004, he was limited to 29 games for the Tigers—a serious leg injury ended his first season with Detroit, and Viña missed the entire 2005 season because of a strained right hamstring and patellar tendinitis in his left knee, but his signing was the first of several major acquisitions that led to the Tigers' resurrection to a playoff contender. In 2006, Viña was invited to spring training by the Seattle Mariners but was cut before the start of the season due to a labrum tear in his right hip, in effect bringing an end to his 12-year career. Viña retired with a.282 batting average, 40 home runs and 343 RBI in 1148 games played.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.