Baseball, often called “as American as apple pie,” could also be as American as mofongo or arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). The crisis taking place in Puerto Rico, where 3.5 American citizens are still mostly without electricity due to Donald Trump’s failure to marshal sufficient aid and recovery resources for the island, is ongoing. We have watched many celebrities, artists, entertainers, and members of communities on the mainland stepping up to the plate to raise funds, gather resources, and head to Puerto Rico to help out.
Sports fans’ current focus is on the World Series being played between the Houston Astros (from a state also recovering from a disastrous hurricane) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (whose home state of California is still reeling from devastating wildfires). Let us not forget that they may be playing a game, but the reality for many Major League Baseball players is the continued suffering of friends and family members on the island.
It should come as no surprise that from the sport dubbed “America’s Pastime,” players from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other parts of Latin America have come to the defense of their familia in Puerto Rico, a place where so many players have ties.
Baseball, (or béisbol in Spanish) has deep historical roots on the island of Puerto Rico, and that history has helped shape what we know today as the Major Leagues, as well as international events like the World Baseball Classic.
Early history (1897-1938)
The game of baseball was first introduced to the island by a group of Puerto Ricans and Cubans who had learned the game in the United States. At first the sport was not well received by the local press and general public, it was looked upon as a silly game. The first two baseball clubs were founded in 1897; the Almendares Baseball Club, owned by Francisco Alamo Armas and the Borinquen Baseball Club owned by Santos Filippi. According to the newspaper El Pais, on January 11, 1898, the first organized baseball game was played in Puerto Rico at the velodrome which was located at Stop 15 (Parada 15) in Santurce. There the Borinquen team beat the Almendares by a score of 3 to 0. The first game to go a complete nine innings was played on January 30, 1898 and the Borinquen once again beating the Almendares with a score of 9 to 3.
After the end of the Spanish-American War in the summer of 1898, Puerto Rico became a territory of United States as part of its peace treaty with Spain. American soldiers stationed in Puerto Rico were permitted to organize a baseball club to play against the local clubs as a diversional outlet. On November 4, 1900 the Almendares Baseball Club composed of Puerto Ricans and Cubans beat the American Baseball Club of the Second Regiment of Infantry with a score of 32 to 18. After the war, many people began to play the game as it spread across the island and was taught in schools with almost every town having its own baseball team that played on Sundays and holidays.
An early important team was Escuela Superior de Ponce, which would play baseball from town to town and a notable player was Amos Iglesias-Van Pelt, who had been born in Brooklyn, New York. During this era, Negro League clubs such as the All-Americans, Cuban Stars, Lincoln Giants, and Royals Giants would tour the island playing games against local competition. The first Puerto Rican that received a tryout from a Major League team was William Guzman, but he was unable to join the club as his parents would not let him go so he could finish being a lawyer. One of the first stars was José "Pepe" Santana who was known for his tremendous power.
When we think of baseball history and the impact of the integration of professional baseball here in the United States, we instantly name Jackie Robinson. However, the earlier Negro Leagues superstars all spent time playing in Puerto Rico.
My Aunt Bernice’s husband “Eddie “Ace” Stone was one of those players. I never met him, though I remember her telling stories about traveling with her husband to Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba, where they could escape the racism of travel in the States.
The last living Negro Leagues player to pass away, at the age of 105, was Puerto Rican Emilio “Millito” Navarro, who was born Sept. 26, 1905 and died April 30, 2011.
In the 1920s, the United States was a racially segregated country and Navarro's skin color presented a problem for his participation in American baseball leagues — in baseball, blacks were not permitted to play in the same leagues as their white counterparts. As a consequence of this policy, a group of white and black businessmen joined forces and organized their own "Negro Leagues". The teams played against each other and even had their own "World Series". Two of those teams were the "Cuban Stars", owned by Alex Pompez, and the "Cuban Giants". Both of those teams consisted mainly of African-American or Afro-Latino players.
Navarro played for two years with the Cuban Stars and had a batting average of .337. The experience was bittersweet for Navarro, especially when they played in the South — he felt discriminated against due both to his skin color and his lack of English. After playing with the Negro Leagues, Navarro traveled and played for teams in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela.
By the time baseball had become integrated in the United States, Navarro had returned to Puerto Rico. The experience and knowledge he had gained contributed to his success when he became one of the founders of the Leones de Ponce baseball team in his hometown of Ponce. He played, coached, and contributed in various other ways in the team, dedicating 20 years of his life to the "Leones".
This news feature (in Spanish) has early photos and an interview with Don Millito.
Puerto Rican players in Major League Baseball
The first player born in Puerto Rico who played in MLB was Hiram Bithorn, who debuted as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs on April 15, 1942. This was followed by the introduction of African American players in Major League Baseball, which allowed more chances to players born in the island. Subsequently, Afro-Puerto Rican players such as Orlando Cepeda and Victor Pellot Power began having solid performances in the league, and were selected to participate in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. In 1973, Roberto Clemente became the first player from Puerto Rico and first Latin American to be elected as a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Since then Puerto Rico has kept a stable amount of players in the league. During this timeframe, several players have been selected to participate in the All-Star Game or won awards for their performance, while others imposed records within the league. These include Javy López, who holds the record for most home runs hit by a catcher in a single season. Both Iván Rodríguez and Roberto Alomar hold the record for most Gold Glove Awards in their positions. Recipients of the Most Valuable Player Award include Orlando Cepeda, Juan González and Iván Rodríguez. Roberto Clemente and Mike Lowell also won the World Series MVP Award in their respective divisions. Carlos Delgado is the only Latin to hit 4 homers in a game.
A photo montage of Puerto Rican MLB greats
The list of Puerto Rican players here is far too long to print.
This includes baseball players from Puerto Rico that have played in MLB from 1942 to the present day. While the majority of the players were born on the archipelago, the list also includes players born on the mainland US to Puerto Rican parents, such as John Candelaria, Bobby Bonilla and John Valentin. Puerto Ricans typically consider the diaspora as their own
Baseball fans all have their favorites from that list. Most sportswriters’ pick for the No. 1 all-time great Puerto Rican player in the MLB is Roberto Clemente. He was not only a great player, but a great humanitarian who died tragically on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane that crashed en route to Nicaragua to deliver earthquake relief supplies.
It’s no surprise to see a tweet from the son of Puerto Rican all-time great Latin Jazz musician Eddie Palmieri at the Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh.
Here’s some October Clemente history:
Baseball and horse racing historian Jorge Colón Delgado has a website called Béisbol 101, and on it he has a story titled “From Puerto Rico to Cooperstown.” It details the 50 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame who have a connection to Puerto Rico as “players, managers or commentators.”
Houston Astros player Carlos Beltran has played a prominent role in raising funds and awareness for hurricane relief. Puerto Rican baseball players from across the MLB tweeted out Beltran's message, and many others are raising money alongside him.
It is both shameful and disgraceful that it takes sports heroes and other celebrities to garner the aid Puerto Rico needs now and for the foreseeable future, instead of the president of the United States doing what needs to be done for the citizens he was elected to represent.
On the other hand, we should be truly thankful that the players represented here have joined many others in stepping up to the plate.
Join them in supporting Puerto Rico!
I want to thank my friend and avid baseball fan Yasuragi for helping me write this.
Previous stories in this Sunday series:
Puerto Rico: Symbols and songs from the island of Borikén
The status of Puerto Rico: debate, discussion, and the impact of Hurricane Maria
The Puerto Rico tourists rarely see, and the U.S. role in Puerto Rican poverty
Feeding Puerto Rico
The Caribbean, the U.S., and how their past and present are intertwined