My Take
Steve Ontiveros is one of those quietly fascinating careers that gets more interesting the deeper you dig. A switch-hitting third baseman from Bakersfield, California, of Mexican American descent, he carved out eight solid seasons in Major League Baseball — splitting time between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs from 1973 to 1980 — without ever becoming a household name stateside. What really sets him apart, though, is what came next: six years in Japan with the Seibu Lions, which puts him in a pretty select club of American players who genuinely committed to the Nippon Professional Baseball experience rather than just passing through. That cross-Pacific chapter alone makes his baseball life more adventurous than most. A journeyman in the best sense — the kind of guy who kept finding ways to play the game he loved.
Overview
Steven Robert Ontiveros (born October 26, 1951) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1973 through 1980 for the San Francisco Giants (1973–1976) and Chicago Cubs (1977–1980). He also played six seasons in Japan for the Seibu Lions (1980–1985). Ontiveros was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He is of Mexican American descent.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Steve Ontiveros
- Name (Japanese)
- スティーブ・オンティベロス (内野手)
- Reading
- すてぃーぶ・おんてぃべろす (内野手)
- Born
- October 26, 1951 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Rabbit
- Origin
- Bakersfield, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 183 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Bakersfield High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.