CARACAS, Venezuela — A year after retiring from baseball, former star Magglio Ordonez has been elected as the mayor of a city in his native Venezuela.
Ordonez’s victory in the city of Sotillo in eastern Venezuela was announced by President Nicolas Maduro at a rally Sunday for pro-government candidates who won the majority of 335 races nationwide.
The socialist president has turned to celebrity candidates such as the six-time All-Star to overcome rising anger with his handling of the economy. Maduro prevailed in his first electoral test since narrowly winning the presidency in April following the death of Hugo Chavez.
Ordonez retired in 2012 with a career .309 average over 15 seasons with the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox. The right fielder’s 294 homers are the second-most by a Venezuela-born player, trailing only Andres Galarraga’s 399.