{"id":246825,"date":"2021-12-11T09:12:11","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T14:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=246825"},"modified":"2021-12-11T09:12:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T14:12:11","slug":"cubans-in-cooperstown-six-stars-of-the-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba-usa\/cubans-in-cooperstown-six-stars-of-the-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"Cubans in Cooperstown: six stars of the diamond"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cuban baseball will bid farewell to 2021 in the honorable position of being the foreign country with the most exponents in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. The recent election of Orestes Mi\u00f1oso and Tony Oliva leaves the Island with six players and eight representatives globally in the temple of the immortals of the sport of balls and strikes in the United States, ahead of the greatest Latin powers in the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Behind Cuba, the other foreign country with the most players inducted to Cooperstown is Puerto Rico with five (Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Iv\u00e1n Rodr\u00edguez and Edgar Mart\u00ednez), followed by the Dominican Republic with three (Juan Marichal, Pedro Mart\u00ednez and Vladimir Guerrero), Panama with two (Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera) and Venezuela with one (Luis Aparicio).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cuban account has now grown with Mi\u00f1oso and Oliva, who join Mart\u00edn Dihigo, Tany P\u00e9rez, Crist\u00f3bal Torriente and Jos\u00e9 de la Caridad M\u00e9ndez. Furthermore, the Cuban history in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame cannot be told without the obligatory reference to the executive <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hall-of-famers\/pompez-alex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Pompez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and journalist <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/discover\/felo-ramirez-passes-away-at-94\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rafael \u201cFelo\u201d Ram\u00edrez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who did not shine directly on the diamond, but left an extraordinary legacy from their respective fields of work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pompez, inducted in 2006 by the Special Committee of the Negro Leagues, was at the forefront of the internationalization of the Negro Leagues for 35 years as owner and executive in the period 1916-1950, in which he established himself as an exceptional talent scout. Under his hand, the first stars of the Caribbean, including Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, Juan Tetelo Vargas and Mi\u00f1oso, arrived at those circuits.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ZVl8T9BSsQ\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/deportes\/beisbol\/pertenecen-orestes-minoso-y-tony-oliva-al-salon-de-la-fama\/\">\u00bfPertenecen Orestes Mi\u00f1oso y Tony Oliva al Sal\u00f3n de la Fama?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"\u00ab\u00bfPertenecen Orestes Mi\u00f1oso y Tony Oliva al Sal\u00f3n de la Fama?\u00bb \u2014 OnCubaNews\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/deportes\/beisbol\/pertenecen-orestes-minoso-y-tony-oliva-al-salon-de-la-fama\/embed\/#?secret=W84qL1S5Ms#?secret=ZVl8T9BSsQ\" data-secret=\"ZVl8T9BSsQ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the racial barrier\u2019s gradual falling and the start of the process of transition to the integrated era, Pompez continued working in the United States as an international scout for the Giants in MLB.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFelo\u201d Ram\u00edrez, for his part, was the official narrator of the Marlins from 1993 to 2017, although his career began in the 1940s. For more than 70 years he recorded his voice at major world boxing and baseball events. The commentator from Bayamo immortalized Roberto Clemente\u2019s 3000 hit, Don Larsen\u2019s perfect game in the 1956 World Series or the definition of 31 MLB finals, among other great moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For his contributions and dedication, \u201cFelo\u201d Ram\u00edrez won the Ford C. Frick Hall of Fame Award for the most outstanding narrators, commentators or analysts covering the game. In 2001, he was inducted as a Cooperstown Immortal and was also elected to the Caribbean Hall of Fame.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we have mentioned, Pompez and \u201cFelo\u201d Ram\u00edrez are not the only Cubans in Cooperstown. Another six Cuban legends ascended to the temple of the immortals of U.S. baseball, of which we offer their profiles on <\/span><b>OnCuba<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Mart\u00edn Dihigo, \u201cEl Maestro\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full name: Mart\u00edn Magdaleno Dihigo Llanos<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in Cidra, Matanzas, on May 25, 1905<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He died in Cruces, Cienfuegos, on May 20, 1971<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on August 8, 1977 by the Negro Leagues Special Committee<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 336px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/HOF-Dihigo.jpg\" alt=\"Martin Dihigo plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.\" width=\"336\" height=\"478\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martin Dihigo plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dihigo was the first Cuban with a plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. His election came as a pitcher and member of the Cuban Stars, a Negro Leagues team in which he made his <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dihigma99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debut<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the age of 18, in 1923. He spent five seasons there until 1927 and then returned in 1930. In addition, in the United States he played with Homestead Grays, Hilldale Giants, Baltimore Black Sox and New York Cubans, teams of the Negro Leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although we already mentioned that he was inducted to the temple of immortals of U.S. baseball as a pitcher, Dihigo began his career in intermediate and later decided to also try in shortstop, third base and outfield, taking advantage of arm strength, speed of movements and impressive physical and athletic power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intimidating with the bat, a devil running for bases and exceptional from the plate, he soon captured the attention of fans, marveling at his supernatural ability to shine in any space on the diamond. His ambition in the fields was insatiable, he played in the United States in the summer and in the winter he went to Mexico, Venezuela or Cuba, where he also captivated with his skill and versatility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most eloquent displays of his talent came in 1938, when he pitched a game without hits or runs, batted above .300 and was the leader in strikeouts on the Mexican circuit. That was the trend of his career, which he finished with more than 200 victories and around 130 home runs adding his actions in all leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI say he (Dihigo) was the best player of all time, black or white. He could do it all,\u201d said Buck Leonard, a member of the Cooperstown Hall of Fame and one of the best batters in the Negro Leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That idea has been defended for decades by many of those who saw him play or work as a mentor after his retirement, and it also served as the basis for the induction of \u201cEl Maestro\u201d to Cooperstown and to the Hall of Fame of Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tany P\u00e9rez, \u201cBig Dog\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full Name: Atanasio P\u00e9rez Rigal<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in the Violeta sugar mill town, Ciego de \u00c1vila, on May 14, 1942 (79 years old)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on July 23, 2000 by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA)<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/HOF-Weekend-2000-Inductees_NBL_0.jpg\" alt=\"Tany P\u00e9rez (center) at the 2000 Hall of Fame ceremony. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.\" width=\"1500\" height=\"992\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tany P\u00e9rez (center) at the 2000 Hall of Fame ceremony. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second Cuban with a plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame and first elected by the Regular Committee, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/perezto01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tany<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was inducted as a first baseman and member of the Cincinnati Reds, a team in which he shone in the 1970s as part of the fearsome \u201cBig Red Machine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBig Dog\u201d earned his nickname from his production of runs, an art that he mastered as a true game animal. To get an idea, between 1967 and 1980 no one in the Major Leagues came close to his RBI numbers (1,375), not even his star Reds teammate Johnny Bench (1,259) or the great Reggie Jackson (1,231), dubbed Mr. October precisely because of his ability to bill runs in the postseason.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPete (Rose) would get his 200 hits, and (Johnny) Bench would do his thing, and Tony would get shoved in the background, driving in his 100 runs every year. You\u2019d see it in the notes at the end of the stories in the paper: \u2018Oh, by the way, P\u00e9rez hit a three-run homer to win the game,\u2019\u201d said Tany\u2019s Cincinnati teammate Pat Corrales, who saw Tany. drive more than 100 runs seven times (six with the Reds and one with Boston).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In all, the first baseman from the Violeta sugar mill town had 1,652 career TDs for four teams in the majors, where he played for 23 years. \u201cWith men in scoring position and the game on the line, Tany is the last guy any opponent would want to see,\u201d said one of his divisional rivals, Willie Stargell (Pirates), who many times suffered from the Cuban\u2019s cold blood at zero time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tany retired in 1986 at the age of 44, after participating in seven All-Star Games and hitting 379 home runs, the third most for a Cuban player in MLB. In addition, he competed in five World Series, conquered two rings and won the heart of the community in Cincinnati, where his number 24 is and will be revered as the hallmark of an immortal player.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Crist\u00f3bal Torriente, \u201cBabe Ruth de Cuba\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full name: Crist\u00f3bal Torriente<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in Cienfuegos, on November 16, 1893<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He died in New York on April 11, 1938<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on July 30, 2006 by the Negro Leagues Special Committee<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/cristobal-portada.jpg\" alt=\"Crist\u00f3bal Torriente\u2019s Cooperstown Hall of Fame Plaque. Photo: Taken from Photos of Havana.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crist\u00f3bal Torriente\u2019s Cooperstown Hall of Fame Plaque. Photo: Taken from Photos of Havana.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torriente was one of three Cubans who received his plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 2006. His election came as a center fielder and a member of the Chicago Americans Giants, a Negro League team with which he won three consecutive titles between 1920 and 1922. He spent six seasons there until 1925, and later passed through other teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Cubs, Detroit Stars, Gilkerson\u2019s Union Giants, Atlanta Black Crackers and Louisville Black Caps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognized as a total player, what today we would call a \u201cfive tools,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/torricr99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torriente<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018s stories begin with his power with the bat and end with his excellent defensive level in the fields, passing through his contact capacity in the batter\u2019s box, his speed on bases and the power of his arm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With those attributes he broke into the Chicago Americans Giants in 1920, when he led the league in doubles (21), offensive average (.411), on-base average (.479) and slugging (.606). His game in those years was monumental, to the point that he commanded the Negro Leagues in RBIs (81) in 1924, in addition to scoring two other OBP leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His career, as was usual in those days, was not limited to the United States. Torriente played assiduously in Cuba, where he batted above .300 in 11 seasons, won two offensive crowns and six titles with the Almendares team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/discover-more\/stories\/going-deep\/cristobal-torriente-bests-the-bambino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most popular stories<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of him with the Alacranes team came in 1920, when the squad hosted the New York Giants of the mighty Babe Ruth in Havana for a nine-game <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/cultura\/en-los-90-de-omara-los-100-de-bartolo-vs-babe-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThe Bambino\u201d did what was expected from the start, with a double and a triple in his first turns, but the show of the duel was stolen by Torriente.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Almendares patrolman hit three home runs in the same game on November 6, 1920. On that day he faced Ruth, who got on the plate, and hit a double to seal a memorable duel with six RBIs right in front of the best player of the time, with no hits that afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have never given Torriente the credit he deserved. He did everything well, he fielded like a natural, threw in perfect form, he covered as much field as could be covered; as for batting, he left being good to being something extraordinary,\u201d said Martin Dihigo about the \u201cBabe Ruth de Cuba,\u201d inducted in the first class of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jos\u00e9 de la Caridad M\u00e9ndez, \u201cThe Black Diamond\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full name: Jos\u00e9 de la Caridad M\u00e9ndez B\u00e1ez<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in C\u00e1rdenas, Matanzas, on January 2, 1885<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He died in Havana, on October 31, 1928<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on July 30, 2006 by the Negro Leagues Special Committee<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 343px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Mendez-Jose-Plaque_NBL_0.png\" alt=\"Jos\u00e9 de la Caridad M\u00e9ndez\u2019s plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.\" width=\"343\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jos\u00e9 de la Caridad M\u00e9ndez\u2019s plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M\u00e9ndez was one of three Cubans who received his plaque in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 2006. His election came as a pitcher and member of the Kansas City Monarchs, the Negro Leagues team with which he worked for seven years at the end of his career, after playing with the Chicago Americans Giants and the Detroit Stars.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pitcher with a powerful fastball, imposing curve and a great ability to knock opponents off balance with the contrast of speed, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mendejo99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M\u00e9ndez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> impressed on the plate since he started with the Almendares team at the beginning of the last century. He shone in Cuba and the United States, particularly in the Monarchs, where he left level records. Thirty victories, only nine defeats, a 3.46 ERA and a title in the Negro Leagues World Series in 1924 (he had two victories, with an ERA of 1.42) are some of his most relevant honors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Black Diamond\u201d did not leave anyone indifferent. John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants in MLB, expressed without fear that, for baseball, it was a failure not to put aside any unwritten laws or prejudices that prevented the signing of a player regardless of his race. If it weren\u2019t for that, M\u00e9ndez probably would have had an opportunity in MLB, because he had more than enough quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In March 2013, Ira Thomas, a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics who visited Havana on a few occasions, told <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baseball Magazine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that Mendez, if he were a white man, could have gotten a good position on any team on the MLB circuit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMendez is an extraordinary man. More than one big leaguer from the states has faced him and left the plate with a wholesome respect for the great Cuban star. It is not alone my opinion but the opinion of many others who have seen M\u00e9ndez pitch that he ranks with the best in the game,\u201d Thomas pointed out in a very tight description of the \u201cThe Black Diamond.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Orestes Mi\u00f1oso, \u201cEl Cometa Cubano\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full name: Saturnino Orestes Armas Mi\u00f1oso<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in Havana, on November 29, 1925<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He died in Chicago on March 1, 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on December 5, 2021 by the Veterans Committee (Age of Golden Days)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mi\u00f1oso is one of the two Cubans inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 2021. His election came as a left fielder and a member of the Chicago White Sox, a team in which he marked an era in the 1950s. \u201cMinnie\u201d also left his mark on the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Senators and New York Cubans, the latter in the Negro Leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/minosmi01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mi\u00f1oso<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s legacy is unmatched. In 1949 he became the first black Latino in the Major Leagues, breaking down a social and cultural barrier, finally opening a space for the huge legion of players of color born in Caribbean countries.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Anl915QyV5\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/cuba\/sociedad-cuba\/migraciones\/minnie-minoso-es-y-siempre-sera-mr-white-sox\/\">Minnie Mi\u00f1oso es y siempre ser\u00e1 \u201cMr. White Sox\u201d<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"\u00abMinnie Mi\u00f1oso es y siempre ser\u00e1 \u201cMr. White Sox\u201d\u00bb \u2014 OnCubaNews\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/cuba\/sociedad-cuba\/migraciones\/minnie-minoso-es-y-siempre-sera-mr-white-sox\/embed\/#?secret=26JZOBQYMI#?secret=Anl915QyV5\" data-secret=\"Anl915QyV5\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMinnie Mi\u00f1oso is to Latin ballplayers what Jackie Robinson is to black ballplayers. Minnie is the one who made it possible for all us Latins. He was the first Latin player to become a superstar,\u201d said Puerto Rican Orlando Cepeda, inducted into Cooperstown in 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mi\u00f1oso\u2019s impact certainly bears certain parallels with Robinson\u2019s magical story, not only because they broke down racial and cultural barriers, but because they did so with a fabulous performance on the diamond. Without going too far, \u201cMinnie\u201d won three Golden Gloves, was in 13 All-Star Games and is the only player who has achieved the leadership \u2014 in different seasons \u2014 of hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases and bases run in the era of the live ball (from 1920 to the present).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cCometa Cubano\u201d was a tough hitter, with an offensive line of .299\/.387\/.461. In addition, he formed part with Joe DiMaggio and Goose Goslin \u2014 two immortals \u2014 of an exclusive group with the following historical accumulated: 2,100+ hits, 360+ doubles, 90+ triples, 195+ home runs, 1,200+ runs scored, 1,000+ RBIs and less than 600 strikeouts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minoso retired in 1964, but returned in 1976 and 1980 to consume a few at-bats and become one of only two players in Major League history who has played in five different decades. As if that weren\u2019t enough, he also appeared in the Northern League in 1993 and 2003 on a testimonial basis and is the only professional player to have participated in seven different decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tony Oliva<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full Name: Tony Pedro Oliva<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was born in Pinar del R\u00edo, on July 20, 1938 (83 years old)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/dihigo-mart%C3%ADn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inducted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into the Hall of Fame on December 5, 2021 by the Veterans Committee (Age of Golden Days)<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ows_157134134383117.jpg\" alt=\"Tony Oliva was elected on December 5 to the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: Taken from Star Tribune.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1507\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Oliva was elected on December 5 to the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Photo: Taken from Star Tribune.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oliva will become the second Cuban \u2014 after Tany P\u00e9rez \u2014 to receive in life his plaque at the Cooperstown Hall of Fame after his recent election. The native of Pinar del R\u00edo will enter the temple of immortals as a right fielder and a member of the Minnesota Twins, the only team he has defended in MLB for 15 seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1964 Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove winner, eight-time All-Star, three-time AL batting champion, and five-time on-circuit king of hits, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/olivato01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oliva<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was a true offensive phenomenon in his first eight full seasons in MLB<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In that span, he dropped an offensive line of .313\/.360\/.507, with 1,455 hits, 278 doubles, 177 home runs, 719 RBIs, 711 runs scored and 84 stolen bases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are a lot of other guys I\u2019d rather see up there in a clutch situation.You can\u2019t make a bad pitch on him,\u201d Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog said of the star from Pinar del R\u00edo, who played a World Series in 1965 with Minnesota, although he could not win the year after falling against the Dodgers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, Oliva\u2019s career took a turn at the end of the 1971 season, when he injured one of his knees while fielding a hit ball in Oakland. That accident completely shaped the future of the Twins patrolman, who had to undergo eight surgeries in the last five seasons he played in MLB.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although his playing time in MLB was limited, Oliva is one of the few players with three batting titles and five hitting leads, something that only three true monsters such as Stan Musial, Pete Rose and Tony Gwynn achieved before.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cuba is the foreign country with the most exponents in the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame: six players and eight representatives in total.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2213,"featured_media":246827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13926,13944],"tags":[15188],"ppma_author":[33652],"class_list":["post-246825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baseball","category-cuba-usa","tag-beisbol-cubano"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - 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