Roberto Alomar Velázquez (/ˈæləmɑːr/; Spanish pronunciation: [aloˈmaɾ]; born February 5, 1968)[1] is a Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seventeen seasons.

He made his major league debut with the team three years later, establishing himself as an exceptional base-stealing, hitting, and fielding threat before becoming an All-Star in 1990.

Alomar spent the final years of his career with the New York Mets, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox, before retiring at spring training in 2005.

[6][7] In April 2021, the Blue Jays also announced that Alomar would be removed from the Level of Excellence and his retired number banner would be taken down at Rogers Centre.

[11] When school in Puerto Rico was out for the summer, they joined their father, who let his sons hang around the clubhouse, shag fly balls, and absorb the game—especially from his New York Yankees teammates, such as Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles.

[10] Alomar made his major league debut on April 22, 1988, against the Houston Astros, recording a hit in his first at bat, off of Nolan Ryan.

On December 5, 1990, Alomar and Joe Carter were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández.

[16] It was in Toronto that he developed into a premier offensive second baseman, combining a .300-plus batting average with power and high end speed on the bases.

Alomar's game-tying, ninth-inning home run against Oakland relief ace Dennis Eckersley, in Game 4 of the 1992 American League Championship Series (ALCS), is considered by many as the most important hit in the club's history,[15] as the team's three previous trips to the ALCS had ended in disappointment; he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series.

[16] On September 27, 1996, during a game against the Blue Jays, Alomar got into a heated argument over a called third strike with umpire John Hirschbeck and spat in his face.

Alomar and Hirschbeck settled their differences publicly and made apologies to each other on April 22, 1997, standing at home plate and shaking hands in front of the crowd before an Orioles game.

[20] On November 24, 1998, Alomar signed a four-year contract with the Cleveland Indians, joining his All-Star brother, Sandy Jr.

Alomar was traded to the New York Mets before the 2002 season, for pitcher Billy Traber and outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar.

The Mets were puzzled by Alomar's mediocre play, which some attributed to his lack of comfort with being under the greater scrutiny of the New York fans and media.

[2][3] Known for his acrobatic and flamboyant style of defense, Alomar won 10 Gold Glove Awards, establishing a major league record for second basemen.

[16] His game-tying home run in Game 4 of the 1992 ALCS is often considered the most important hit in Blue Jays history, as it changed the fortunes of the franchise.

[28][29] His former manager Davey Johnson said of him, "He reminds me of some of the great players that I've played with, who seem like they write their own script  ... Frank Robinson's one, Henry Aaron was the other.

"[21] He became only the third Puerto Rican to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, after Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda, and has since been joined by Iván Rodríguez and Edgar Martínez.

[30] On April 4, 2008, Alomar was inducted into the Blue Jays Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre, prior to the team's home opener.

[50] Later on April 30, Manfred announced that following an investigation into those allegations that had taken several months, Alomar had been placed on MLB's ineligible list and banned from baseball.

At the same time, the Blue Jays severed all ties with Alomar, removing his name from the "Level of Excellence" at the Rogers Centre and taking down his Hall of Fame banner.

The next year, Rivera alleged that she had been a victim of domestic violence on three occasions, including her life being threatened with a knife by Alomar, and she wanted to end the marriage.