Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtoni ˈpeɲa]; born 4 June 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player, manager and coach.

A four-time Gold Glove Award winner, Peña was known for his defensive abilities as well as his unorthodox squat behind home plate.

[2] In 1975, Peña attended a tryout camp held by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Dominican Republic and was signed as an amateur free agent for $4,000.

The following year, he posted a .329 batting average and .367 on-base percentage with the Portland Beavers before making his major league debut at the age of 23 that September.

However, the Pirates traded Ott on 1 April and Peña platooned alongside Nicosia before taking the full-time catching job.

[6] He hit an impressive .300 batting average in 66 games and finished in sixth place in the 1981 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

[8][9] Peña further cemented his place as the Pirates' starting catcher that offseason by batting .313 in the Dominican Republic winter league baseball to earn MVP honors.

[6] In 1982, he took over as the Pirates full-time catcher and had a .340 batting average on the first of July, helping him earn a spot as a reserve for the National League team in the 1982 All-Star Game.

[7] Peña had one of his best seasons in 1983, posting career-highs with a .301 batting average and 15 home runs as the Pirates improved to finish in second place in the National League Eastern Division.

[14] He led National League catchers with 976 putouts and finished second to Gary Carter with a .992 fielding percentage, earning him his first Gold Glove Award.

[17] The Pirates entered into a period of decline, finishing in last place for three consecutive years between 1984 and 1986 however, Peña still led National League catchers in assists, putouts and baserunners caught stealing in 1984.

[25] Before the start of the following season, with Peña nearing the end of his contract, the Pirates made a decision to trade him rather than lose him through free agency.

[37][38] In November 1989, Peña was granted free agency and signed a three-year, $6.4 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

[38] In 1990, he led American League catchers in games played, range factor, and putouts, while finishing second in assists and fielding percentage.

[40] Amid a September skid that nearly cost the Red Sox the division, Peña called the team quitters and threw a folding chair in the clubhouse in an apparent attempt to fire up his teammates.

[44] In 1991, Peña led American League catchers in defensive games, putouts, double plays, runners caught stealing, and range factor.

[53] Prior to the 1994 season, Peña signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians to serve as the backup catcher behind Sandy Alomar Jr.[54] Although his batting statistics weren't as strong as his earlier career, Peña was still valued for his strong defensive skills as a catcher[55] and proved to be an invaluable substitute behind the injury-prone Alomar.

[57] Despite a .195 batting average during the regular season, he hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning of Game 1 in the 1995 American League Division Series that helped propel the Indians to a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

[72] After announcing his retirement at the end of the 1997 season, Peña was hired by the White Sox to coordinate the organization's Dominican operations and to serve as the manager of its Arizona League rookie ball team.

[75][76] He also led Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Winter Baseball League to two domestic championships in 1998 and 2000, and Caribbean Series title in 2001.

[77][78] Peña led the 2003 Royals to a seven-game lead in the American League Central Division by mid-season before settling into a third-place finish with a record of 83–79.

Armed with a roster that included Jose Reyes, Robinson Canó, Nelson Cruz, Edwin Encarnación, Fernando Rodney, and many others, the Dominican team stormed through the WBC with an 8–0 record, culminating in a 3–0 victory over Puerto Rico to win the championship.