The Cubans Tony Olive Y Orestes (Minnie) Minoso They are part of the group of seven players who were enshrined this Sunday in Cooperstown (New York), where the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has inducted them among the notable players of all time.
Oliva, 84, spent his major league career with the Twins, winning three batting titles (1964, 1965 and 1971) and leading the league in hits five times. He hit .304 with 220 home runs and 947 RBIs in a 15-year career, with eight All-Star games, a Gold Glove Award and the 1964 American League Rookie of the Year award. In addition, as a coach he was a two-time World Series champion (1987 and 1991).
The plaque of Miñoso, who died in 2015, will represent the Chicago White Sox, a franchise with which he spent most of his life, to the point of being recognized as Mr. White Sox. The man from Matanzas went to nine All-Star Games in the MLB and four in the Negro Leagues, where he played with the New York Cubans jersey during the first part of his career.
His major league debut came in 1949 with the Cleveland Indians, the first team to have a black player in the American League. Miñoso is considered the Latin Jackie Robinson, as he broke the racial barrier for Caribbean players.
Oliva and Miñoso join Atanacio “Tany” Pérez, Martín Dihigo, José Mendéz and Cristóbal Torriente as Cuban-born players inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Also on the Island are executive Alex Pompez and journalist Rafael “Felo” Ramírez.
In the Class of 2022, the three-time World Series champion, Dominican David Ortiz, stands out, who is considered by many specialists to be the best designated hitter in MLB history, after hitting 541 home runs and driving in 1,768 touchdowns in his career. 20 seasons between Boston and Minnesota.
Also inducted were pitcher Jim Kaat, and position players Bud Fowler, Buck O’Neil and Gil Hodges, who had, like Minoso, a posthumous plaque.
In the cases of Oliva and Kaat, they played together on the Minnesota Twins from 1962 to 1973 and will become the fifth and sixth players from that team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Kaat amassed 283 wins and 16 Gold Gloves in a 25-year career.
According to MLB, Kaat went from being a top-tier starter to a quality reliever. As a starter, he posted three 20-win seasons (he led the American League in 1966 with 25) and was often among the circuit leaders in innings pitched. He had 14 seasons of 200 or more innings, twice eclipsing the 300 mark.
Hodges represents the Dodgers, with whom he was an eight-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and two World Series during his 16 seasons between Brooklyn and Los Angeles, where the franchise moved in 1958. His playing career ended after two seasons with the Mets.
Fowler became the first African-American player in professional baseball in 1878 as part of a 30-year career as a pioneer in black baseball.
HISTORICAL! ???
Tony Oliva and Minnie Miñoso have been exalted to the @baseballhallputting the name of our country once again on high. #MLBCuba pic.twitter.com/zwU5O45QS7
– MLB Cuba (@mlbcuba) July 24, 2022
O’Neil’s baseball life spanned eight decades as a player, coach, manager, scout and executive. He was the first black coach in AL/NL history and a leading advocate for the importance of Negro League history.
In his first year on the ballot, Ortiz was the only player chosen by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in January. He had his name verified on 77.9% of ballots submitted, exceeding the 75% threshold required for entry. The rest of the inductees were selected by the Veterans Committees.
