Gil was a talented defensive specialist with a career
fielding percentage that was eight points higher than the league average over the span of his playing career. He was signed as an amateur
free agent by the
Cincinnati Reds in
1959. He spent the next seven seasons playing in the
minor leagues before being purchased by the Indians in
1966. He joined the Indians' major league club in
1967, at the age of 27. a
walk-off, two-run double with two
outs in the bottom of the ninth for the
Brewers as they came from behind and defeated the
Minnesota Twins, 4–3 (June 23, 1970); drove in both
Milwaukee runs with a pair of
sacrifice flies in a 2–1 win over the
Kansas City Royals (July 5, 1970); hit the only
home run of his
major league career, a solo shot against
Chicago White Sox left-hander
Jim Magnuson (August 5, 1970). In between major league seasons, Gil also played winter baseball with the
Industriales de Valencia,
Navegantes del Magallanes and
Cardenales de Lara clubs of the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League in a career spanning 19 seasons from 1959 to 1977. In the
1970 Caribbean Series, he hit .387, scored four runs, and had a series-leading seven RBI, to help the
Magallanes win the series, marking the first time a Venezuelan team had won the tournament since its inception in 1949. In the
1973 Caribbean Series, Gil earned a spot on the series' All-Star team. ==Career statistics==