Alex S. Gonzalez (born April 8, 1973 in Miami, Florida) a shortstop and third baseman, retired from baseball May 21, 2006 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. He joined the league in 1993, spending 8 years with the Toronto Blue Jays before signing with the Chicago Cubs. After brief stints with the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres, Alex signed with Tampa Bay Devil Rays last season as a third baseman, making the switch from shortstop. He is not to be confused with Alex González, who is also a major league shortstop, currently with the Boston Red Sox after several years with the Florida Marlins.
"Gonzo" has a reputation for strong defensive play; however, in the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, he dropped a routine double-play ball that would have ended the inning with the score 3-1 in favor of the Cubs. Seven Marlins runs ensued and the Cubs lost the game and ultimately the series. This was shortly after a distracting incident in which a fan touched a foul ball into the stands which left fielder Moises Alou might have caught. Alou reacted with very visible frustration and anger after being unable to catch it, although there was no legal interference on the play. The batter eventually drew a base on balls, and it was Gonzalez's error that opened the floodgates.
He later declared his retirement from baseball on May 22nd, 2006.
