With the bases loaded in the 10th inning against Boston's Stan Belinda, Perez singled to left for the walk-off win.
"I'd faced him two times before, so I had an idea to look for a breaking ball," Perez told The Associated Press of Belinda. "That's what I got and I just made good contact."
Perez was in his third season with time in the majors that year, getting into 86 games. He ultimately would play in three more, plus one season in Japan. But he never really found the regular major league role he was looking for.
Perez' professional career began in 1989, signed by the Blue Jays out of his native Venezuela.
He first hit the field in 1990, playing at short-season St. Catharines. By the end of the year, he was at single-A Myrtle Beach. He made high-A Dunedin in 1991, then AA Knoxville for 1992.
Perez played 1993 and 1994 at AAA Syracuse. In a spring 1993 game, Perez hit two home runs for Toronto. In 1994, Perez also saw Toronto, for four games in late-July. He picked up one hit in eight at bats.
For 1995, Perez returned to Toronto for 17 games. Then came his 1996 campaign, where he got into 86 games, the most in his career. He also ended up hitting .327, with two home runs.
Perez played 37 games for Toronto in 1997, then split 1998 between Seattle and Montreal. He hit .220 over his 69 total games in 1998.
Perez spent 1999 in Japan, with Orix, hitting .253 over 50 games before returning stateside and to the minors in 2000. He got his final time in the majors in 2001.
With the Yankees in 2001, Perez told The New York Times he was hoping for an extended stay with the club.
''I've worked so hard to prove to people I can play in the big leagues,'' Perez told The Times in May.
Perez' time in the majors in 2001 amounted to just eight games, spent between the Yankees and the Brewers.
Though his time in the majors was done, his time as a player was far from being done.
He spent his final time in affiliated ball in 2002, between the Brewers and the Yankees systems. He then moved to Mexico and then Korea, playing between the two through 2009. Perez' last credited time came in 2011, in Italy.
- Bangor Daily News, Associated Press, May 13, 1996: Clemens falters vs. Jays
- New York Times, May 16, 2001: Perez Moves Into Center With Williams Away
Players/Coaches Featured:1,278
Made the Majors: 705 - 55.2%-X
Never Made Majors: 573-44.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 304-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 180
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