Martín Dihigo biography
Martín Dihigo, bynames El Inmortal (“The Immortal”) and El Maestro (“The Teacher”), (born May 25, 1906, Cidra [Matanzas], Cuba—died May 20, 1971, Cienfuegos), skilled baseball participant who grew to become a nationwide hero in his native Cuba. In addition to taking part in within the Cuban League, Dihigo performed within the leagues of the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela and within the U.S. Negro leagues. Because of the color barrier that existed in skilled baseball within the United States till 1947, Dihigo is just not acquainted to most followers there, but he's thought of to be among the many greatest gamers within the historical past of the sport. (See additionally Sidebar: Latin Americans in Major League Baseball.)
During his profession, which spanned the years 1922 to 1947 and included play in each summer season and winter leagues in 5 nations, Dihigo had a lifetime batting common of .304 and a pitching document of 256 wins and 136 losses. He started his profession within the United States with the Cuban Stars of the Eastern Colored League, however he additionally performed for the Homestead Grays, the Hilldale Giants, the Darby Daisies, and the New York Cubans. Dihigo was recognized for his versatility and will play all infield and outfield positions. A big man—standing 6 ft 4 inches (1.93 metres) tall and weighing 190 kilos (86 kg)—he was an exceptionally sleek athlete, possessed nice velocity within the outfield and on the bottom paths, and was an impressive hitter.
As uncommon as it's to have a participant who is ready to play properly in any respect the fielding positions, what finally set Dihigo aside is that he was additionally an impressive pitcher. Once in Cuba and once more in Mexico, Dihigo was the main pitcher and the batting champion in the identical season. After his taking part in profession resulted in 1947, Dihigo managed in each Cuba and Mexico till the late Nineteen Fifties. Later in life he was the minister of sports activities in Cuba. Dihigo was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, U.S., in 1977; till the induction of Tony Pérez in 2000, Dihigo was the one Cuban represented on the Hall. He can be enshrined within the Baseball Halls of Fame in Cuba and Mexico.