After the game, rumors that Garciaparra refused manager Terry Francona’s request to pinch-hit in the late innings rubbed salt into the wound. Although a divorce seemed imminent, the July 31 trade to the Chicago Cubs shocked New England. Gone was the franchise shortstop and in his place was Orlando Cabrera, a less distinguished player who toiled in the relative obscurity of Montreal. Had this been a fantasy league swap, the commissioner might have fielded irate calls from players seeking to void such a lopsided transaction.1 But baseball is not played on paper and the Boston front office was convinced that Cabrera was a better fit. They would have two scant months to prove their point.

Orlando Luis Cabrera was born on November 2, 1974, in Cartagena de Indias, a city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. His father, Jolbert Sr., was a former Florida Marlins scout who instilled a strong competitive streak in his sons, Jolbert Jr. and Orlando: “I learned my passion for winning from my father,” Orlando once said. He hated to lose and so do I.”2 However, this was a dual baseball household, with his mother, Josefina, “a teacher for 44 years” who “would still find time to be at my baseball games and my brother Jolbert’s. She really knew her baseball.”3 Josefina preferred that her sons be supervised on the diamond rather than unmonitored on the streets.

Although baseball is a distant second sport to soccer in the hearts of Colombians, the country boasts deep baseball roots. The game entered Colombia in the late nineteenth century, brought by Cubans and Panamanians to Cabrera’s hometown. Baseball is king in Bolívar state, of which Cartagena is the capital; the country’s first league was founded here in 1916.4 The professional circuit (Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombiano, or LPB), dates to 1948.5 Although the nation has not produced many big leaguers (31 as of the beginning of the 2023 season), it boasts the first major leaguer born in Latin America, Lou Castro.6

Cabrera began playing at 6 years old, often in the outfield. His slight build made teams wary of trusting him with a key defensive position, though Cabrera soon proved his mettle. When he moved into the infield, he modeled his game after Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin, two future Hall of Famers against whom he would play in the big leagues. He soon moved from the sandlots to playing for an organized team,  named Barakat after its mattress-making sponsor.7 The brothers would often play together, and although Jolbert was seen as a better prospect – he signed with the Montreal Expos – Orlando worked hard to develop his skills: “I was 14 when my brother signed to play professional baseball. I thought if he could make it maybe I had a chance.”8 Although he would eventually reach 5-feet-99 and was listed at 195 pounds, his stature was still seen as an obstacle: “They signed my brother, but they didn’t sign me. There were a lot of high expectations for me in Colombia, even from my family, but I figured it wasn’t going to happen.”10

Despite his father’s connections, teams passed on Cabrera in no fewer than 15 tryouts, prompting him to enroll in college at his mother’s urging. He continued to excel in athletics while studying maritime engineering, but both his father and scout William Marrugo remained in contact with various franchises. Another Colombian scout, Arturo DeFreites, a friend of Jolbert Sr.’s, enticed Montreal to sign Cabrera sight unseen. He bypassed the size concern by inflating the shortstop’s height. Two months into the college semester, the Expos offered Cabrera a contract with a $7,000 signing bonus. He accepted it and was assigned to the Dominican Summer League.11 The franchise almost backed out of the deal when Cabrera stepped off the plane, but he proved his ability on the field.

In 1994 Cabrera played 22 games in the rookie Gulf Coast League and batted a solid .315 (23-for-73) with 6 stolen bases. Unlike many Latin players on their first foreign experience, he was not alone, as brother Jolbert was also an Expos farmhand: “That was a big help. He helped me settle in and he taught me how to order food.”12 The GCL Expos also boasted two of the organization’s top prospects: Vladimir Guerrero and Javier Vázquez, taking their first steps toward the big leagues.

Cabrera played with the Vermont Expos of the short-season Class-A New York-Pennsylvania League in 1995 and hit well (.282/.323/.407) in 65 games. He appeared in three other contests with the advanced Class A West Palm Beach Expos and went 1-for-5. He was promoted to the Class-A Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League for the 1996 season and led the club with 134 games played, 580 plate appearances, 86 runs, 14 home runs, and 51 stolen bases, and made the league all-star team.13

Cabrera progressed through three minor-league levels in 1997. In 69 games for West Palm Bach, he hit .276/.340/.412 and was promoted to the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League. He improved his offense to .308/.378/.549 and thus prompted the Expos to move him up to the Ottawa Lynx of the Triple-A International League. Cabrera played 31 games for the Lynx and batted .262/.306/.385. He was now regarded mostly as a shortstop, and his defense steadily improved as he climbed the ladder. After committing 20 errors in 64 games in West Palm Beach, he had only 8 miscues in 66 contests with the Senators and the Lynx.

Once rosters expanded, Cabrera reached the major leagues in September but at first was used only as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter, and late inning defensive replacement. On September 22 he made his first start and collected two hits in five at-bats against Greg Maddux. Cabrera had watched Maddux “pitch on the super-station [TBS] and I knew he always pitched outside so I was ready.  I got two hits against a future Hall of Famer in my first game!”14 For the Expos he hit .222/.263/.222 in 20 plate appearances and was praised by skipper Felipe Alou, who envisioned him as a leadoff hitter, saying: “He has good speed, is a pure base stealer, and hits the fastball.”15

As the 1998 season began, rookies Brad Fullmer, José Vidró, and Cabrera were expected to join Grudzielanek in the infield. A 1-for-16 stretch in the Grapefruit League, punctuated by several defensive mistakes, led to a reprimand from skipper Alou.16 Despite being ranked as the 92nd prospect in Baseball America’s preseason rankings, Cabrera began the season in Triple A and hit only .232/.298.294 in 66 games with Ottawa. Still, he was recalled on June 24. He hit his first major-league round-tripper on July 21, an inside-the-park home run against Mark Portugal of the Phillies. Since Cabrera was cheaper, a few years younger, and “already … a better defensive shortstop than Grudzielanek,” the Expos traded the latter to the Dodgers.17 Cabrera performed admirably in 79 games in both middle infield positions (.280/.325/.414).

Cabrera played winter league baseball in Venezuela with the Tigres of Aragua. Although official statistics are incomplete, he was credited with a .285 batting average and a .391 slugging percentage in 39 regular-season games and a .239 average in 16 postseason contests.18

Montreal named Cabrera as its starting shortstop for the 1999 season. He was dependable and played in 104 of the team’s first 108 games before a severely sprained ankle in August forced him out of the lineup. After the season The Sporting News described him as “flashy and effective” though it added, “[O]ffensively, he had some good moments, but he neither hits for power nor average.”19 Like his teammates, he went 0-for-3 against David Cone on July 18; his third at-bat marked the final out of Cone’s perfect game.20

During the offseason, Cabrera played in the winter league in Colombia to rehabilitate his injury. He reported to spring training with “pain only when … hitting and pivot(ing) on the ankle.”21 However, off-the-field tragedy struck as Jolbert Sr. died unexpectedly in 2000 and Cabrera suffered through a tough season: .237/.279/.393.

Cabrera focused on his physical conditioning and plate discipline during the offseason, as new teammate Tim Raines preached about working the  count. Cabrera credited Raines with “making him more aware of the value of a walk” and showed “a better eye at the plate.”22 Often the cleanup hitter, Cabrera hit .267 in his first 43 games, made only two errors, and batted .324 with runners in scoring position.23 He won a Gold Glove “despite playing 81 games on a surface that resembled a parking lot with holes.”24 He registered two 34-game streaks without an error, played in all 162 games, compiled a 2.1 Defensive WAR (fifth in the NL), and led the league’s shortstops in fielding percentage.

Though Cabrera enjoyed playing with the Expos, the franchise’s struggles in Montreal played a heavy role in his looming free agency. New Expos hitting coach Bill Robinson suggested that Cabrera work on hitting to the opposite field in the 2002 season.25 Mixed results followed: Bothered by a bad back, Cabrera stole more bases and walked more, but his slugging percentage dropped by 48 points. He clashed with management early in the season, questioning their support when he was asked to bunt twice in a row in an extra-inning game. José Vidro, his double-play partner, had matured into a consistent .300 hitter, and Montreal boasted young prospect Brandon Phillips in the minor leagues, adding to the frustration. Perhaps the only highlight of the season was the June 21 game against Cleveland, which featured the Cabrera brothers as opponents for the first time in the major leagues.26

The Expos sought to sign Cabrera to a multiyear deal, but the parties could not agree to terms and the franchise started to explore trades. Cabrera’s last full season in Montreal (2003) was his finest wearing the Expos uniform. He appeared in every game and hit .297/.347/.460 (105+ OPS) as the Expos finished in fourth place (83-79) in the competitive NL East.

Montreal struggled early in the 2004 season and Cabrera seemed lost at the plate (.246/.298/.336), but his fielding was spectacular (seven errors in 101 games). As the franchise played out the string before its move to Washington, it traded some of its assets to contending clubs. Cabrera was as shocked as anyone once he learned about his trade to the Red Sox from Expos manager Frank Robinson: “I thought, oh, my gosh, I’m in trouble” upon realizing he would replace Garciaparra.27 He figured he would be dealt to a team without an established shortstop, not to one with an All-Star at the position.

Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy complained that “the club has some explaining to do because it didn’t get enough for [Garciaparra] in the trade,” bemoaning not necessarily Garciaparra’s departure, but rather what many Red Sox fans felt was an insufficient replacement.28 Cabrera paid little attention to the newspapers thanks to counsel he received from former Expos teammate  Pedro Martínez: “(He) gave me some good advice. He said, ‘Do the interviews but don’t ever read a paper here.’”29 Cabrera acknowledged that “the first days were very hard with the media. Fans don’t expect an idol to be replaced, but if he were, by someone from the same level … and I knew that I would not reach Nomar Garciaparra’s level. … He was an offensive powerhouse, but he was not the same defensive player I was … so I had to play to my strengths and make the team more fundamentally sound.”30

Despite the hostile press, Cabrera received the backing of the Red Sox pitching stars. Martínez noted, “I remember Cabrera as a young, good steady player at shortstop in Montreal, but he’s gotten even better over the years. He’s going to be a good player for us.”31 Curt Schilling agreed: “I know Cabrera from playing against him and he’s one of the best shortstops in the game. He can hit and he can play good defense for us. He is a game-changer in the field for me.”32 Manager Terry Francona also provided a vote of confidence: “I saw him play when he was with Montreal and thought he was an excellent player. Everyone in Boston found out right away how good he is defensively. (Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills) was with him in Montreal last year. He thought (Cabrera) could again become the hitter he was last year and would thrive in this type of environment. He was right.”33

Cabrera proved his worth from his very first at-bat. The Red Sox battled the Twins in Minnesota on August 1 and Cabrera, in Garciaparra’s old third spot in the batting order, hit a home run against Johan Santana in the first inning. He made an error in the eighth inning that allowed the go-ahead run to score in a 4-3 Boston loss. However, Cabrera’s value, as the front office anticipated, soon became apparent as the Red Sox defense improved. His sold hitting, though, was a bonus.

Ron Jackson, the team’s hitting coach, helped Cabrera take advantage of his new surroundings: “I was hitting about .230 and (Jackson) said, ‘Orlando, I want you to concentrate on pulling the ball. You’ve got that wall out here in left field, and if the ball is in the zone, I want you to pull it.’ It was like a light went off from there on.”34

Cabrera hit a robust .294 in the regular season for Boston, including a walk-off home run on September 22 against the Orioles. His ebullient personality fit in with the scrappy Red Sox but Cabrera knew when to be serious. After Manny Ramírez begged off playing a game because of a headache, Cabrera told he mercurial outfielder “There’s no way you’re coming out of the lineup. I’ve never been in the playoffs.”35 The statement convinced Ramírez, whose ill-timed requests were often the bane of management.

Perhaps nervous in his first postseason series, Cabrera hit .154 in the Division Series against the Angels but a blistering .379 versus the Yankees in the AL Championship Series. To Cabrera, the Red Sox “organization launched (my) career.”36 The ALCS “was amazing. It’s something that will always live in my memory and my heart. It was one of the best-played series in my career, as a team to come back after that three-game deficit and win the next four, especially against the team that the Yankees had that year, it was special. After that, in the World Series, it was so much easier to win those four games, and it will always have a very big space in my mind.”37

Often overlooked in Colombia, Cabrera now became the topic of incessant media attention. “I was doing interviews to every single news outlet in Colombia. It was crazy. Nonstop. … (T)here was so much excitement – I couldn’t sleep. I was talking and talking and talking and thinking, ‘Wow, this is incredible.’”38 Cabrera hit .235 in the World Series, but the robust Red Sox offense did not need his bat. On the field, Cabrera’s glovework was flawless as he played every Red Sox defensive inning in the postseason. Cabrera recalled “the friendship and the trust … the chemistry of the team” that galvanized the roster toward Boston’s first World Series championship in 86 years.39

A first-time free agent, Cabrera was well-positioned to secure a lucrative contract. Boston chose to pursue Edgar Rentería instead of re-signing Cabrera. Though Rentería had been one of the few Cardinals whose bat was not silenced in the World Series, Cabrera had earned the pitching staff’s trust. Years later, Cabrera would have a falling out with his business partner, Rentería’s brother. The relationship between the two shortstops turned cold over a provocative ESPN Magazine article that planted the seeds of discord.

Cabrera was not the only playoff hero not to return in 2005. Mientkiewicz and Dave Roberts left for other teams, leaving the Red Sox without anything to show for the Garciaparra trade – except for the World Series trophy. A more nuanced look reveals other domino effects. The Red Sox received two draft picks from the Anaheim Angels as part of the compensatory draft; those extra slots yielded Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie.40

The Angels signed Cabrera to a four-year deal worth $32 million, though Cabrera acknowledged that “it would have been nice to stay in Boston.”41 Indeed, the fans gave him a standing ovation when he returned as an opponent on June 3. “I will never forget that moment,” he said in 2014.42 Cabrera hit .257/.309/.365 in 141 games for the Angels in 2005 as they reached the ALCS but fell to the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Statistically he was arguably the AL’s best shortstop, with a 19.6 UZR, 7 errors, and a .988 fielding percentage in 140 games.43 However, Derek Jeter was the Gold Glove winner at shortstop.

Cabrera’s 2006 statistics (.282/.335/.404) demonstrated marked improvement. Cabrera reached base in 63 consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in major-league history, surpassed only by Ted Williams (three times) and Joe DiMaggio (twice). Despite baseball’s sabermetric revolution, the accomplishment flew under the radar of many, including Cabrera himself: “It was a good run. With all the greatest players to have played the game, to even be on that list is crazy. It’s just crazy, me doing that kind of stuff. I’m a free-swinging hitter. Reaching base every day? It was hard to believe I was doing it.”44

Cabrera won his second Gold Glove in 2007 and finished 15th in the AL MVP voting with a career-high .301 batting average. His 11 sacrifice flies led the league for the second consecutive season. This was the last season Cabrera would enjoy with a permanent home. With one year remaining in his contract, the Angels traded him to the White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland.

Cabrera was durable for Chicago; he played 161 games and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award.45 He overcame an awful start (.215 in his first 27 games and challenged scoring decisions that assigned him errors) to finish at .281/.334/.371 and a 14.9 UZR on the field. Though he butted heads with Ozzie Guillén over perceived lack of managerial support, the feisty former White Sox skipper lauded Cabrera’s efforts: “He’s a winner and always has been. … He had a great career.”46

Cabrera became a free agent on November 1. He signed with the Oakland Athletics on March 6, 2009, and played in 101 games (.280/.318/.365) before the perennially cash-strapped club flipped him to Minnesota for Tyler Ladendorf. He helped the Twins in the stretch drive, providing veteran leadership and stability on the field while hitting .289, but hit only .154 in Minnesota’s Division Series loss to the Yankees.

Cabrera returned to the National League in 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds and played in 123 games, his fewest since 1999. At age 35, his offense dipped to .263/.303/.354. A free agent again, he split the 2011 campaign with Cleveland (91 games, .244) and San Francisco (39 games, .222) after a July 30 deal for Thomas Neal.

After 15 years in “The Show,” Cabrera retired before the 2012 season. “It was time,” he said. “I love baseball too much to ever play at less than 100 percent.”47 His lifetime totals (1,985 games, 2,055 hits, 459 doubles, 985 runs scored, 123 home runs, 216 stolen bases, 21.33 WAR) are second among Colombian players, behind only Rentería. Though not a power hitter, his 459 career doubles surpass Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Jimmie Foxx, Roberto Clemente, Larkin, and Eddie Collins.

Cabrera hit .228 in 37 postseason contests, reaching the playoffs in six years (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) with five different teams. Post-Boston, Cabrera played in 1,023 games and obtained 1,111 hits (.275 average). With his glove, Cabrera is credited with a .977 fielding average, above Hall of Famers Jeter, Larkin, and Luis Aparicio.

Cabrera was successful against Joe Saunders (14-for-27), Jae Weong (Seo) 2-for-22), Matt Morris (8-for-21), Brandon Duckworth (13-for-34), Liván Hernández (16-for-37), Félix Hernández (16-for-36), Maddux (16-for-47), and Schilling (15-for-44) but could not figure out Antonio Alfonseca (0-for-12), Octavio Dotel (0-for-20), Joe Nathan (1-for-17), Rick Porcello (2-for-18), Kris Benson (2-for-24), Barry Zito (3-for-32), and John Smoltz (4-for-27).48

During his playing days, Cabrera started the Prospect Sport Foundation, which has helped young baseball talent in Colombia, especially from ages 12 to 16. (Sixteen-year-olds can be signed to professional contracts in the United States.) He consults (as of 2023) with GenTrust Wealth Management in Miami to help young players handle the sudden influx of money that often accompanies a professional contract.

Cabrera paid $200,000 to repave streets surrounding his foundation’s offices and a neighboring park, with plans for medical facilities. The foundation partnered with the US Embassy to conduct baseball clinics in 2019 taught by former major leaguers Yamid Haad, Sugar Ray Marimon, and Yhonathan Barrios.49 Cabrera stressed the importance of the effort by noting that “Cartagena will always be the cradle of baseball in Colombia; I am convinced of our young talent, and we must support them.”50 He stressed the criticality of playing in the winter leagues and noted “some scouts and people who have not played (in the winter leagues) don’t know the importance in the development of those youngsters. You find players who have competed in Triple-A, Double-A, the majors, the rookie leagues, and some who have not yet signed a contract.”51

Nevertheless, a 2008 attempt to join the governing body for the league was unsuccessful due to disputes about sponsorship and funding. After that Cabrera focused his efforts on player development. He wishes it were more focused on development, noting that as the number of Colombians in the minor and major leagues has grown, the number of franchises in the Colombian league has dwindled. He commented, “Big leaguers don’t play in Colombia because they weren’t given the opportunity growing up, and now that they have reached the majors, they are being asked to play. They resent that.”52

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he provided economic assistance to 77 coaches of the Bolívar State Baseball League.53 Cabrera said he “wanted to support those coaches … to lend a helping hand, let them know we have not forgotten about them, and that the Prospect Sport Foundation depends on them.”54 The lockdown prompted the Cabrera brothers to collaborate on a podcast, Colombianos MLB, hosted by Diego Martínez that covered topics such as superstitions, how to learn English, the role of the agent, and how to overcome slumps.55 The podcast is the top social media source for Colombian baseball.

Orlando joined Jolbert’s coaching staff prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Colombia’s second appearance in the event. The entire Cabrera family cheered from the stands, led by their mother, Josefina. The team beat Mexico, 5-4, in its first game, but lost its next two contests, 7-5 to Great Britain and 5-0 to Canada. The team gave the United States a scare but lost 3-2 in a tight game that saw both nations struggle to hit. Six members of the roster were products of Cabrera’s Foundation, adding an extra layer of pride to the occasion. Rentería was also a coach, thus reuniting the country’s baseball triumvirate.

Orlando and his family live in New Hampshire. Being in New England keeps him close to the Red Sox faithful, who “are the way any fan base should be. If you show support for your team, you deserve to have a good team. The fan base in New England is always with you, you should always do your job, and if you do this, you will always be loved here.”56 Reflecting on his career during a TV interview, Cabrera noted that he “wasn’t an All Star, but I had the privilege to walk among them. … My career, whatever I did, was always past my expectations.”57

Acknowledgments

Bill Nowlin for connecting the author to Katie Cabrera.

Katie Cabrera for connecting her husband, Orlando, to the author for an interview.

Sources

Unless otherwise specified, quotes stem from the author’s telephone interview with Orlando Cabrera on June 27, 2023.

Notes

1 The transaction, as complex as it was shocking, involved four franchises: Boston received Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz; the Twins obtained Justin Jones; the Expos received Francis Beltran, Álex González, Brendan Harris, BRENDAN HARRIS; and the Cubs obtained Garciaparra and Matt Murton.

2 Herb Crehan, “Orlando Cabrera Remembers the 2004 World Championship,” Boston Baseball History, November 7, 2014. https://bostonbaseballhistory.com/new-orlando-cabrera-remembers-the-2004-world-championship/.

3 Crehan.

4 Gustavo Adolfo Acuña Romero, “El béisbol también se juega en municipios del Caribe,” El Espectador, October 21, 2020. https://www.elespectador.com/deportes/mas-deportes/el-beisbol-tambien-se-juega-en-municipios-del-caribe-article/.

5 Mariano Panchano, “Colombia Making Its Mark in Baseball, One Step at a Time,” MLB.com, March 4, 2023. https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/colombia-making-its-mark-in-baseball-one-step-at-a-time.

6 Castro was born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1876 and played 42 games for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League in 1902. Esteban (Steven) Bellán, a Cuban, played with the Troy Haymakers (1871-72) and New York Mutuals (1873) of National Association (NA), but the NA is no longer considered a major league.

7 “Orlando Cabrera y el legado de una leyenda del béisbol colombiano,” Infobae, November 3, 2022, https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2022/11/03/orlando-cabrera-y-el-legado-de-una-leyenda-del-beisbol-colombiano/.

8 Crehan.

9 Though often listed as 5-feeet-11, Cabrera is, by his own admission, 5-feet-9.

10 Art Davidson, “On Baseball: Cabrera Making It on His Own,” Milford (Massachusetts) Daily News, October 3, 2004. https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/sports/2004/10/03/on-baseball-cabrera-making-it/41182959007/.

11 Baseball Cube, Orlando Cabrera page. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/993/prospects/.

12 Crehan.

13 Baseball Cube, Orlando Cabrera page. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/993/awards/.

14 Crehan.

15 Jeff Blair, “First Order Is to Find a Lead-Off Man,” The Sporting News, September 8, 1997: 44.

16 Stephanie Myles “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, March 16, 1998: 22.

17 Stephanie Myles “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, July 13, 1998: 31.

18 Venezuelan League Statistics, Orlando Cabrera page. https://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=cabrorl001.

19 Stephanie Myles “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, December 13, 1999: 68.

20 Expos at Yankees Box Score, July 18, 1999. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199907180.shtml.

21 Stephanie Myles, “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, February 14, 2000: 60.

22 Stephanie Myles, “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, May 7, 2001: 27.

23 Stephanie Myles, “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, May 28, 2001: 47.

24 Stephanie Myles, “Baseball: Expos,” The Sporting News, November 19, 2001: 50.

25 Stephanie Myles, “N.L. East,” The Sporting News, December 24, 2001: 57.

26 Indians at Expos Box Score, June 21, 2022. https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2002/B06210MON2002.htm.

27 Crehan.

28 Dan Shaughnessy, “No Room for Neutrality,” Boston Globe, August 4, 2004. https://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/08/04/no_room_for_neutrality/.

29 Crehan.

30 “Orlando Cabrera en ‘el Magazine Deportivo’: Entrevista con el ex-MLB exclusiva de Caribe Sports,” originally streamed July 27, 2022, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlHZxQ7zp0Q.

31 Crehan.

32 Ben Shapiro, “Orlando Cabrera Retires: Looking Back on 3 Months That No Sox Fan Will Forget,” Bleacher Report, January 19, 2012. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1030622-orlando-cabrera-retires-looking-back-on-3-months-that-no-sox-fan-will-forget.

33 Davidson, “On Baseball: Cabrera Making It on His Own.”

34 Crehan.

35 Jorge Arangue Jr., “Now It’s Personal,” ESPN, April 21, 2008. https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=3356524.

36 Michael Smithers, “2004 World Champion Orlando Cabrera Visits Polar Park April 13 for ‘Throwback Thursdays’ Debut.,” milb.com, April 18, 2023. https://www.milb.com/worcester/news/orlando-cabrera.

37 Smithers.

38 Ian Browne, Idiots Revisited: Catching up with the Red Sox Who Won the 2004 World Series (Thomaston, Maine: Tilbury House, 2014), 149.

39 Author’s telephone interview with Orlando Cabrera, June 27, 2023.

40 Baseballism Blog. http://baseballism.blogspot.com/2011/02/why-do-teams-keep-passing-on-orlando.html.

41 Crehan.

42 Crehan.

43 For Ultimate Zone Rating, see https://www.fangraphs.com/players/orlando-cabrera/766/stats#fielding.

44 Bill Shaikin, “‘A Good Run’ for Cabrera,” Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2005.

45 The DPOY award is now part of the Esurance MLB Awards and was voted by the fans. It is not connected to the Wilson Defensive Players of the Year Award (2012-present). For more information, consult Baseball Almanac, https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/defensive_player_of_the_year_award_plch.shtml.

46 Ozzie Guillén, “Rumbo a Chicago para una visita,” Ozzie Habla, January 19, 2012. http://ozziees.mlblogs.com/tag/orlando-cabrera/.

47 Crehan.

48 “Selected Batter-Pitcher Matchups for Orlando Cabrera,” Retrosheet. https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/MUS0_cabro001.htm.

49 US Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, August 30, 2019, @USEmbassyBogota. https://twitter.com/USEmbassyBogota/status/1167602979270250496.

50 “Ex beisbolistas de grandes ligas desarrollan en Cartagena las Clínicas de Béisbol,” Noti Cartagena, date not published, https://noticartagena.com.co/ex-beisbolistas-clinicas-del-beisbol/.

51 “Orlando Cabrera en ‘el Magazine Deportivo’: Entrevista con el ex-MLB exclusiva de Caribe Sports.”

52 “Orlando Cabrera en ‘el Magazine Deportivo’: Entrevista con el ex-MLB exclusiva de Caribe Sports.”

53 Ernesto de la Hoz, “Cabrera entregó 77 mercados,” El Universal, April 24, 2020. https://www.eluniversal.com.co/deportes/cabrera-entrego-77-mercados-DY2717948.

54 Juan Manual Ulloque, “‘Hemos querido aportar un granito de arena en las necesidades de muchos afectados’: Orlando Cabreda,” Primer Tiempo, May 1, 2020. https://primertiempo.co/beisbol/hemos-querido-aportar-un-granito-de-arena-en-las-necesidades-de-muchos-afectados-orlando-cabrera/.

55 Orlando Cabrera and Diego Martínez, “El camino a las grandes ligas,” Spotify Podcasts. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elcaminohacialasgl/episodes/El-slump-en-el-bisbol-eepsl7.

56 Smithers, “2004 World Champion Orlando Cabrera Visits Polar Park April 13 for ‘Throwback Thursdays’ Debut,” The016. https://the016.com/videos/25/29131/orlando-cabrera-interview-with-michael-smithers.

57 “Pillow Talk Show Episode 5: Orlando Cabrera,” NESN, August 11, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0valS3Vcbk.

Castro’s memorable place in major-league history has other origins as well. He was the first player to replace Napoleon Lajoie at second base when a Pennsylvania court ruled that Lajoie couldn’t play for the Athletics during the baseball war at the turn of the century. Before entering Organized Baseball, Castro played varsity ball at Manhattan College in New York City and was deemed to be one of the best college players on the East Coast.

He had one of the largest personalities in the game, standing out for his charm, geniality, and wit. Few left his company without a smile on their face. Castro was also one of the early baseball clowns. He performed skits on the coaching lines and chattered with teammates, opponents, umpires, and fans throughout each contest. Amusing stories of his antics were heard as far back as his earliest days at Manhattan College. Fans were attracted to his sideshow and loved to listen to his witty retorts and jests. But there was a dark side. In the end, Castro, who came from a well-to-do family and plunged into American sports and business ventures crashed with the rest of the country during the Depression. He had to seek assistance from the impoverished former ballplayers’ fund and died at what is now known as Manhattan Psychiatric Center.

Louis Michael Castro was born on November 25, 1876, in Medellin, Colombia, the second largest city in Colombia. This we know from the naturalization form he filled out in July 1917. But in recent years, controversy, fueled by Castro himself, has surrounded Castro’s actual birthplace. Was he a pioneering ballplayer of foreign birth, or was he actually born in New York City, as he maintained at a certain point in his life. Still, it seems clear that he was born outside the United States; otherwise, why would he file for naturalization?

As the encyclopedias indicate, Castro may well have been born Luis Manuel. However, when he entered the United States at the age of 8, the ship’s listing identified him as Louis. Castro was the son of Nestor Castro and Inez (Agnes) Vasquez. Nestor was a banker in Medellin who during political instability faced pressure from the government because of his wealth. Louis told a Philadelphia reporter (reprinted in the Baltimore Sun) in December 1902, “I’ll never go back home. It’s a little too exciting. If they don’t have a rebellion every few months the whole country gets an impatient idea that something has gone wrong. Then they begin a revolution to right it.”

The article continued, “While his father was conducting a bank in Colombia during one of the customary rebellions in that country, the government, unable to raise the expenses of war, descended upon his father with an armed force and a demand to turn all of his cash over to Colombia’s treasury. Refusals to oblige the government with little ‘loans’ often resulted in fires of ‘mysterious’ origin that destroyed the real estate of the disobliging citizen, who might consider himself lucky if a shot from a roadside some night did not end his career.” Castro told the reporter, “On this occasion my father remained firm in his refusal to give up his fortune. As he persisted in his stand the whole family [was] imprisoned in our own house, which was guarded outside and in with the armed body of government soldiers. In the end my father won.” In later years Nestor was involved in politics and journalism, and worked as a government official for Antioquia, the Colombian province in which Medellin was situated.

The instability of the political climate may have led Nestor Castro to relocate young Louis to the United States. They arrived in New York on October 14, 1885. Nestor returned to Medellin; there was work to be done to forge the new country. Within a year, the Colombian Constitution was signed, unifying the individual provinces, which up to then were semiautonomous states that formed the United States of Colombia. Louis grew up in New York City and remained in the United States for the rest of his life, save for a trip to Central and South America in 1922. Presumably, the family sent money to their son for living and educational expenses through his college years. In the fall of 1891, Louis, then 14, entered Manhattan College High School, a prep school attached to Manhattan College, a Catholic school then in Harlem. He attended both institutions (though they weren’t officially separated until later), leaving in 1900 without graduating to play ball. He resided on campus during his time there.

It was at the school that Castro began playing his first organized baseball games. In 1895, at 18, he joined the college’s main nine, despite still being a prep student. He was a key member of the squad through the 1900 season. At first Castro was a middle infielder — mainly shortstop — and outfielder. During his last few years at Manhattan, he was one of the team’s key pitchers, and was named by Sporting Life as one of the top college players on the East Coast by 1898. Among his college teammates who also played in the majors were Cy Ferry, Pete McBride, Doc Scanlon, Henry Thielman, and Jake Thielman. Among the school’s opponents during Castro’s era were various semipro clubs, the Cuban X-Giants, and the National League New York Giants.

Castro was dark-skinned, though clearly identified as white, with black hair and brown eyes. He was a righthander who stood 5-feet-7. A picture from his time with Portland of the Pacific Coast League in 1904 shows him to be trim and athletic looking, so comparing him to similarly built ballplayers puts his weight at about 155 to 165 pounds.

In 1897 Castro began playing ball for money with semipro squads in the New York area and New Jersey. During June through September of that year, he played for the Arlington team in New Jersey. Castro negotiated with Arthur Irwin, the former major-league player and manager and a respected figure in college circles, to join Toronto but instead signed with Utica of the New York State League after the college season in 1898. Castro signed about June 17 and played his first game in Organized Baseball on the 25th. He pitched and lost to Rome, 4-1, in an abbreviated five-inning game. The Syracuse Herald wrote, “He has speed and some deceptive curves, but is as wild as a bronco.” Castro was released by Utica in mid-July and joined Cooperstown in the Mohawk Valley League. On August 31 he joined rival Auburn for one contest, a complete-game loss to Rome, 8-3. In a total of 11 games in the New York State League, Castro made the rounds, playing at second, third, and shortstop and in the outfield as well as pitching.

In 1899 it became clear that Castro probably wasn’t going to make it in professional baseball as a pitcher; though he continued to work occasionally on the mound during his entire career. In 1899 and 1900 he played only for semipro teams — for North Adams, Massachusetts, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1898 and for West New York, New Jersey, and North Attleboro, Massachusetts, in ’99. He may have also played for Paterson, New Jersey. No longer in school, Castro joined Norwich of the Connecticut State League to kick off the 1901 season. He played with Norwich through early June and then joined several semipro clubs — West New York, Hoboken, New Jersey, and Meriden, Connecticut– before returning to the Connecticut State League with New London. In 52 games with Norwich and New London, Castro batted .221 while covering all the positions he did in 1898 in the New York State League. By the middle of 1901, major-league managers were noticing Castro’s work. The Boston Globe wrote, “It is said that manager (Frank) Selee (of the National League Boston Beaneaters) has lines out for pitcher Lewis [sic] Castro of Norwich, Conn., team.”

Instead of landing with Selee in Boston, Castro signed with Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics in early 1902. He was brought in as a utility player, initially playing third base during the early parts of spring training. It was the second year of the battle between the upstart American League and the established National League. When the American League declared itself a major league after the 1900 season, it began offering lucrative contracts to lure talent from the National League. The bidding war particularly hurt the National League Philadelphia Phillies. They lost Napoleon “Larry” Lajoie, Bill Bernhard, Chick Fraser, and Elmer Flick to the crosstown Athletics. Washington lured Big Ed Delahanty away. The Phillies sought redress from the legal system. On April 21, 1902, a Pennsylvania court issued an injunction preventing Lajoie and the others from playing for a team in the state other than for the Phillies. The order was delivered on Opening Day, April 23, at Baltimore’s Orioles Park at the end of the seventh inning. Lajoie was pulled in the ninth and Castro took his place in the field; it was the rookie’s major-league debut. Philadelphia won, 8-1, but the game was decided before Castro came in. He didn’t come to bat. Unable to retain future Hall of Famer Lajoie, Mack initially slotted Castro as his replacement.

Castro performed well with the bat into June. He had a ten-game hitting streak. Teammates immediately nicknamed him Larry, a reference to his replacing Lajoie. Later in the season, Castro was dubbed Judge. Newspaper articles following a postseason celebration banquet for the pennant-winning A’s in October seem to be the first written reference to the nickname. Castro was a bit of a ham. Despite the fact that he was only a utility player for the club, he made a major speech at the banquet and acted as a sort of master of ceremonies. It is possible that he developed the nickname that night — as he was referred to as such in a Sporting Life article recapping the event. The nickname may have been meant to denote his talkative, powerful personality — in a fun, take-charge manner. He even regaled the guests with a Spanish song or two. Today, the reference sites list his nickname as Jud, a shortened version of Judge, but Jud isn’t found in any contemporary source, at least in print. It appears to have surfaced in 1943, when a writer used it. However, that doesn’t mean Jud wasn’t used informally during his career.

Unfortunately for Castro, his skills at second base were not major-league caliber. This became more apparent after his batting cooled off. As Mack biographer Norman Macht put it, “Lou Castro … turned more errors than double plays.” On June 11, Mack purchased Frank Bonner from Cleveland to take over second base. Even when Bonner was suspended for two weeks in July, Castro did not rejoin the lineup regularly. Instead, Mack brought in former New York Giant Danny Murphy, who was killing the ball for Norwich (.462 in 212 at-bats), on July 7; he would be the A’s main second baseman through 1907.

Later in July, Baltimore Orioles manager John McGraw jumped his club and took a large percentage of his players to the National League with him. American League president Ban Johnson asked the other league franchises to send men to fill the Orioles’ roster. Mack offered Castro but new Orioles manager Wilbert Robinson didn’t want him. Castro remained with the A’s through the rest of the season, appearing in a total of 42 games, mostly at the beginning of the season, and batting .245. Philadelphia won the pennant but there was no World Series; that tradition started the following year. After the season, Castro barnstormed with some teammates for extra cash.

Another interesting, confusing, and mildly significant (or perhaps insignificant) event in Castro’s career occurred in 1902. In an interview in December, he claimed to be the nephew of Cipriano Castro, a military strongman in Venezuela, who as president of the country angered the United States and other nations early in the 20th century with his dictatorial actions. In truth, the claim may have come from the reporter. Nevertheless, Castro played off it for years; bear in mind that much of his reputation stems from his clowning. No one has been able to emphatically confirm or deny the relationship. (As all good tales go, future writers have skewed the details and played up the story — often mixing up the particulars, such as stating that they were cousins or other such relations.) The story led to yet another nickname when Castro later joined Portland. Upon hitting the West Coast, he was dubbed “The President of Venezuela.” Perhaps in a rare serious mood, Castro finally told an Atlanta Constitution reporter in February 1909 that his claim was untrue. Castro “denies all relationship to the deposed president,” the article said.

In recent decades, Castro has received attention out of proportion to his actual accomplishments on major-league diamonds. The attention stems not from his work on the field but from the very essence of who he was. He was the first Latino major leaguer born outside the United States. Esteban Bellan, a Cuban, performed in the National Association, the precursor to the National League, for three years in the 1870s, but the National Association is not universally viewed as a major league. Still, perhaps Bellan is a more significant figure than Castro. Both Castro and Bellan, though foreign-born, were reared and learned to play ball in the United States and developed their reputations first at American colleges — Bellan at St. John’s College (now Fordham University) and Castro at Manhattan. (Another player, Sandy Nava, was identified as a Latino despite the fact that he was born in San Francisco. Nava, a major leaguer from 1882 to 1886, had dark skin and a last name that identified him as being of Latin descent.)

Unlike most of today’s Latin ballplayers, Castro (as well as Bellan) first learned to play the game in the US. He was not the product of the fertile Latin ballfields that fill major-league rosters in the 21st century. He was thoroughly Americanized, having lived in the country since his youth. And unlike many later Latin players, Castro, with a darker tint to his skin than most of his teammates, was still clearly adopted as white and suffered no significant racial harassment. The fact that he had a college degree may have played a role in people’s perceptions. He was well-liked everywhere, even in the South. His personality also played a major role in his acceptance. The Atlanta Constitution wrote in 1907, “There is no player in the Southern (Association) today more universally liked than Count Louis Castro, the Atlanta shortstop, and this popularity is due in a great measure to the never-ceasing flow of good humor which he is fortunate enough to possess. … Castro is one of the most brilliant fielders in the league, and gets away with some sensational work in every game. He is a consistent player, never lets down and is a great man for a baseball team, with his abundant supply of ginger, and an over-flowing line of talk while in action…He is the comedian of the league, and hardly a day passes that he does not pull off some funny performance on the coaching lines or on the field. He is so serious about it all that he reaps great success, and it is a safe bet that he would make good on the stage in this line of work.”

Regardless of any distinctions, there is no denying that Castro was the first foreign-born Latin to play in the major leagues in what is typically referred to as the modern era. He had a Latin surname and was understood throughout his career to hail from outside the United States (though, some were confused in recent decades). He was identified by writers at various times as a Spaniard, Colombian, Venezuelan, or Cuban. Later, when he managed two Southern clubs, Castro may have been the first Latin to do so in Organized Baseball. Castro played in the Connecticut State League in 1901 and began a precedent by which many future Latin ballplayers funneled into Organized Baseball through that league. For example, the Cincinnati Reds tapped the Connecticut circuit in 1911 to kick off a long and significant wave of signing Cuban ballplayers.

This is not to say that Castro was a pioneer who opened the floodgates for poor Latin athletes. It would be another decade before Latin players started to make headway into the game, mostly Cubans. As the numbers rose, so did controversy — especially as skin tones became darker. The Washington Senators signed many Latins in the 1930s and ’40s, but they were virtually the only team to do so then. Talented dark-skinned Latin players wouldn’t be fully embraced until the 1960s.

Castro didn’t fit in the A’s plans for 1903 and he was released. Arthur Irwin signed him for his Rochester club of the top-tier Eastern League. He didn’t last long though, being fined and suspended in early June for insubordination. Trying to force a trade to Detroit, Castro refused to play for Rochester. Irwin sold him and outfielder Jack Hayden to Baltimore of the same league for $2,000 on or about June 7. The Washington Post wrote, “The Baltimore team has been greatly strengthened by the acquisition of several new players. Pitchers Snake Wiltse and Fred Burchell, outfielders [John Kelly] and Hayden, and infielders [Stephen Griffin] and Castro have braced up the team considerably. The boozers have been chased and subdued.” Castro put up the best batting numbers of his career. In 111 games in the Eastern League, he batted .329 and led the league with 23 triples, while playing every infield position, but mainly at second base.

Over the winter, the Orioles offered Castro a contract with a pay cut of $50 a month. Unhappy, the ballplayer took some advance money from Portland of the Pacific Coast League in December, signed a contract calling for $2,000, and was named team captain. Hayden signed with Portland as well. In essence, Castro jumped his contract. It became a major to-do because the PCL was negotiating to join Organized Baseball. The issues surrounding Castro, Hayden, and Frank Dillon, who had signed with both Los Angeles and Brooklyn, could potentially disrupt the entire negotiation process. The PCL owners met, signed the National Agreement and voted to return the players to their Eastern teams. The Portland and Los Angeles owners, however, didn’t see it that way. The disagreement still loomed as the season neared, threatening the merger. In the end, Dillon and Hayden returned east but Castro refused. Portland eventually worked out a deal for the player.

Castro’s ethnicity seemed to draw more attention on the West Coast than elsewhere, or perhaps the newspapers were just a little more politically incorrect. The Daily Californian, for example, wrote that Castro “walks like a Mexican” and that “he resembles a toreador and the bleacher boys call him ‘Bullfighter.’ ” Castro received heavy criticism in Portland as the season began. The Morning Oregonian commented on April 20, “Portland’s captain is of the farce comedy order. If one did not know that Louis Castro was the nominal leader, it would never be suspected. He is not a natural director and things take their course in the most haphazard manner. The cases of office bear heavily on him for all his apparent inefficiency. He is fielding poorly and hitting in indifferent form.” Perhaps the paper had a point, as Castro was soon relieved of the captaincy.

It was a contentious season; some felt that Castro didn’t live up to his hype as a former major leaguer who had killed the ball in the Eastern League. He appeared in 112 games for Portland through mid-September, batting .265 while playing the middle infield, mainly shortstop. He was released without warning soon after hurling a ball at an umpire in frustration. Portland finished last in the league. In October, Castro sued the club for $775 in damages for termination of his contract. The original telegram from the club offered a set sum for the season. Castro argued that he was due the difference. Portland countered that all baseball contract amounts are assumed to be based on a monthly figure. The team won out. Around this time, Castro married a Vermont native named Margaret about seven years his junior. It appears that they didn’t have any children.

In January 1905, Art Irwin again signed Castro — this time with Kansas City of the American Association, which Irwin was now managing. Castro’s salary was stated to be $325 a month. In 146 games, he hit .263 while playing first base, third base and the outfield. Castro became good friends with teammate and former major leaguer Suter Sullivan. The two were said to be inseparable. Castro claimed that Sullivan was his personal manager and trainer.

Just before Opening Day in 1906, Castro was traded to Nashville of the Southern Association with outfielder Jack Gilbert for Billy Phyle. Castro started at shortstop and even pitched a little for Nashville. Around August 19, he was loaned to Birmingham for the remainder of the season for a $500 payment. Both of Birmingham’s shortstops had come down with typhoid fever and the club needed a replacement for the final pennant push. Irate league opponents objected to the deal. They protested individual games Castro played in and ultimately questioned the legitimacy of the championship. Birmingham was the front-runner anyhow (they won the pennant by eight games); this obviously sparked competitive ire. The fact that Castro initially hit well only poured salt in the wound. Also, “loaning” a ballplayer was considered an illegal transaction. Publicly, Birmingham and Nashville agreed on an outright sale of Castro for $1,000. But when tempers settled over the winter, Castro was quietly returned to Nashville. He batted .233 in 122 games for the two clubs. Over the winter in Birmingham, Castro began working as an undertaker. Rumors of his retirement from baseball soon followed. In the South he picked up yet another nickname, “Count Castro.” As he lived in the South through World War I, this nickname was used more extensively than the others, especially in Atlanta, by the Constitution, where Castro lived for a decade beginning in 1907.

In January 1907, after returning to Nashville, Castro was immediately traded to Atlanta of the Southern Association, probably to stave off any lingering criticism. However, Castro still hadn’t decided if he was returning to the diamond and he reported to the club late despite signing in February. At one point during the season he was described as using the longest bat in the “entire South.” In late July, Castro knocked a homer to win a game. The Washington Post exclaimed, “For swatting out that home run in the New Orleans series with Atlanta, shortstop Castro of the latter team was showered with $21.20 in change, one hat and two pairs of shoes.” Nevertheless, in September he was placed on waivers but never officially released. Atlanta won the pennant by 3½ games. In 114 games, Castro batted .228.

Castro’s personality won him a lot of fans in the South. Sporting Life wrote in May 1907 from Memphis, “The unique spectacle of a visiting player, unknown personally to home fans, being presented with diamond studded buttons, was witnessed here on the 11th … for ‘services rendered in amusing spectators with the wittiest line of coaching and the best lot of ball playing ever seen.’ ” Castro was one of the earliest baseball clowns in the tradition of Nick Altrock and others. One time in Atlanta, he donned a dress and “widow’s hat” and paraded around the field with a baby carriage, offering kisses to all. It doesn’t appear that he did his clowning while in the majors or it would be more widely known. He treated minor-league audiences to his antics, barbs, and jokes for years. It became one of the highlights of the game when Castro took his place along the coaching lines. Fans eagerly awaited his return to their city.

That Castro was known throughout baseball for his personality might not be notable except for the fact that it was commented on time and again in a wide assortment of newspapers and by numerous reporters and followers of the game. The adjective probably used most often was “witty.” He was quick-witted and amused most of the people he came into contact with. He was described as a “live wire” with plenty of “ginger.” He was also a constant practical joker, nailing teammates’ shoes to the floor and the like. Another typical adjective was “genial.” He was said to have a “sunny disposition.” As one reporter stated, “He smiles at every opportunity.”

Castro returned with Atlanta in 1908, the first and only time he was held over by a professional club. By July, he wasn’t being used very much, instead spending a good deal of time helping to coach the players and, of course, entertaining the crowd. In early August, he was placed on waivers but pulled back when outfielder Ginger Winters fell to injury. On the 19th, he was released anyway. The Atlanta Constitution wrote, that “Count Louis Michael Castro” was being let go to make room for a pitcher, Phil Sitton, and added, “The release of Castro was not done without considerable comment on the part of the fans, who have always liked the genial Venezuelan.” The Constitution was overjoyed to hear of his return on September 6 when another player, outfielder Roy Moran, went down: “Have you heard the good news? It seems too good to be true but it is just the same. Count Louis Michael Castro will be back in the game at his old accustomed place on short today. … Castro may not be a heavy hitter but no one can say that he is not always in the game from start to finish and he can field with any of them and when it comes to using gray matter there are few who have anything on Castro. … Won’t it look natural to see the Count at his old place and see his antics on the coach lines and hear his ready puns all through the game?”

In 82 games with Atlanta, Castro hit a meager .173. In September, between gigs with Atlanta, he umpired local games. In October and November, he headed a barnstorming club known as Count Louis Castro’s Insurgents, filled mainly with Southern Association players. Over the winter, he fielded offers from several clubs, some of whom wanted him as a manager. He lived and worked, still as an undertaker and mortician, in Atlanta, though, and didn’t want to stray too far. Castro was ecstatic in February 1909 when nearby Augusta of the South Atlantic League extended an offer to him to manage the club. The Constitution wrote, “He was beaming over with smiles and his usual supply of wit seemed to be doubled.”

During the 1909 season, Castro’s usual good nature failed at times due to the pressures of managing, especially when it came to umpires. At least twice, rows with the men in blue resulted in forfeitures. Augusta finished in third place overall but won the second half, securing a spot in the playoffs. In 121 games at second base, Castro hit .195. On September 15, Augusta faced Chattanooga. After the contest Chattanooga’s manager, Johnny Dobbs, accused Castro and his crew of poisoning them when a bunch of his players became ill after drinking from a water bucket. Castro, indignant, blasted back that Dobbs was merely looking to avoid the coming postseason series. With his usual humor, Castro signed a subsequent telegram or two “Poisoner Count Castro.” But Castro’s Augusta team lost the postseason series to Chattanooga four games to two. In December, Castro was given his unconditional release, probably at his own behest. He was changing occupations and retiring from baseball, at least temporarily. In 1910 and ’11, he worked in Atlanta as a beer salesman for Falstaff, a St. Louis brewing company.

Portsmouth of the Virginia League hired Castro as player-manager for the 1912 season. The club finished fourth, 12 games behind Roanoke. In 130 games at second base, he hit .247 and led the league with 12 home runs. He seemed to get faster with age, stealing a total of 42 bases in 1909 and 1912. In November, he re-signed with Portsmouth; however on March 6, 1913, he injured his arm refereeing a boxing match between Battling Nelson and Frank Whitney in Atlanta. The injury ended his playing career. Portsmouth immediately replaced him as manager as well. Castro was 35. He promoted boxing matches in Atlanta from 1912 through 1915. He set up a boxing ring at a skating rink. He also refereed matches during that span.

In November 1913, it was announced that Castro had signed with New Orleans as a player-coach for the 1914 season. The club was interested in the marketing potential of his clowning antics. It appears, though, that he never joined the club. The split with Portsmouth must have been contentious. Despite not using him, they reserved Castro at the end of 1913, listing him as suspended. He was still listed as reserved at the end of 1914. The latter year, he umpired local games in Atlanta.

In 1913, Castro also managed the Motordome in Atlanta, a motorcycle race track. In September, he opened the Diamond Saloon on Luckie Street, across from the Piedmont Hotel. He spent part of 1914 in Nashville but returned to Atlanta. In 1915, he managed two hotels in Griffin, Georgia. In February 1916, Castro was charged with illegally dispensing whisky at the saloon but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Near the end of World War I, Castro moved to Jacksonville, Florida. By the early 1920s, the Castros moved to Philadelphia. In 1922, he headed a group of investors who looked to purchase the Jersey City club of the International League and move it to Providence. The venture didn’t come to fruition. On March 17, 1926, Castro pleaded guilty in a Philadelphia court to failing to file income tax reports for 1922 and 1923 on income of $30,370. He was fined $2,500.

By 1930, the Castros were living in the New York City borough of Queens. Despite the wealth of his family and his various business interests, the Depression apparently hit Castro hard. In 1937, he applied for financial assistance from the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America. He received some benefits — verifiable in 1941 and probably earlier as well. This may explain why little is known about Castro’s life after the mid-1920s. He fell off the grid, so to speak, like so many Americans fighting for daily sustenance during the Depression.

On September 24, 1941, Louis Castro died at Manhattan State Hospital, a psychiatric facility on Wards Island, at the age of 64. He was buried at Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.

Author’s Note

Castro’s application for citizenship claims that he was 5-feet-10½ and weighed 175 pounds. This seems unlikely as he was identified more than once in contemporary newspapers as “little” or otherwise described as diminutive. The 5-feet-7 cited in the encyclopedias seems much more realistic.

The Castros, Louis and Margaret, were married around 1904, as noted in the 1910 US Census (Atlanta). No listing of children was found in the 1930 Census (Queens, NYC). Hence, I concluded that they couple had no children. This could readily change if other data is uncovered, such as a citation in the 1920 Census (Unknown).

Adrian Burgos wrote in Playing America’s Game that Castro may have gotten his nickname “Judge” from his father’s occupation. The basis for this was a reference during a Philadelphia A’s postseason celebration in October 1902 in which a “Judge Louis M. Castro” gave a speech at the affair. The author took the “judge” to be Castro’s father when it fact it was Castro himself.

Castro applied for citizenship on July 10, 1917. Forty years old at the time, he was living in Jacksonville, Florida. In the document he clearly noted his birthplace as Medellin, Colombia. In subsequent documents he listed his birthplace as New York — in a passport application in 1922 and in the 1930 US Census. This has led to confusion about his birthplace. It may be, as researcher Gary Ashwill has surmised, that Castro was not granted citizenship for some reason and feared reprisal. Hence, he eliminated the question of his nationality by claiming an American birth from that point on.

In the 1930 US Census, Castro oddly listed his occupation as baseball player. At the time he was 53 years old, so that is unlikely. The difficulty in tracing him during this time suggests, among other things, that he had no connection with baseball. Listing his occupation as such may suggest that Castro was unemployed and already hitting hard times.

Sources

Thanks to Ray Nemec for opening his vault of minor-league numbers for the Louis Castro biography.

Much appreciation to Rory Costello for sharing some insight into Castro’s life and career.

Dr. Gilberto Garcia went out of his way to get me his article when I was having difficulty accessing it. His efforts are much appreciated.

Ancestry.com.

Ashwill, Gary, Agate Type website.

Atlanta Constitution, 1907-16.

Baltimore Sun, 1902-1904.

Baseball-reference.com.

Boston Globe, 1900-01, 1926.

Boxrec.com.

Brooklyn Eagle, 1900.

Burgos Jr., Adrian. Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007.

Coshocton Daily Age, Ohio, 1903.

Daily Californian, 1904.

Daily Kennebec Journal, Maine, 1903.

Galveston Daily News, 1906.

Garcia, Gilberto, “Louis ‘Count’ Castro: The Story of a Forgotten Latin Major Leaguer,” Nine, Volume 16, Number 2, Spring 2008, pp. 35-51.

Genealogue.com.

Gojaspers.com.

Hartford Courant, 1901-02.

Herbert, Ian. “Debating Louis Castro: Was He the First Foreign-Born Hispanic in Major Leagues?” Smithsonian.com, September 1, 2007.

Heritagequest.com.

Irish World and American Industrial Liberator, New York, 1892.

Janesville Daily Gazette, Wisconsin, 1903.

Johnson, Lloyd, and Miles Wolff. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. 2^nd ed. Durham, NC: Baseball America, Inc., 1997.

Los Angeles Times, 1904-14.

Macht, Norman L. Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007.

Morning Oregonian, Portland, 1904.

New York Times, 1895-1901, 1921.

New York World, 1899.

North Adams Transcript, Massachusetts, 1899.

North American, Philadelphia, 1898-99.

Oakland Tribune, 1904.

Oswego Daily Palladium, New York, 1898.

Petersburg Daily Progress, Virginia, 1912.

Racine Journal-News, Wisconsin, 1915.

Retrosheet.org.

Sanchez, Jesse, “Uncertainty Swirls around Louis Castro: Legendary Latin American Ballplayer as Mysterious as Ever,” MLB.com, April 23, 2007.

Sporting Life, 1898-1914.

The Sporting News, 1902-03.

Surak, Amy, Archivist at Manhattan College, was very helpful in clarifying a few issues relating to Castro’s time at the institution.

Syracuse Herald, 1898-99, 1911.

Syracuse Post-Standard, 1902.

Trenton Times, New Jersey, 1903.

Washington Post, 1902-07.

Wikipedia.org.

Unfortunately, after a promising first full season in 1984, the flashy-fielding Gutierrez regressed. He was out of the majors after 1988.

Gutierrez, like the vast majority of Colombian big-leaguers, was born in the city of Cartagena.1 Joaquín Fernando Gutierrez Hernandez came from a family of athletes. Two were Olympians — his father Campo Elias Gutierrez (“Campo”) threw the javelin at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He worked as a traffic supervisor in Cartagena, but unfortunately died of a heart attack when Jackie was just 4 years old. There is a track and field stadium in Cartagena named in his honor.

In 1964, Jackie’s brother Francisco (known as “Freddy”) was a sprinter who ran the 100 and 200 meters at the Olympics in Tokyo. Another brother threw the javelin in the Pan-American Games. Several Colombians of his day were competing as boxers, but Gutierrez said, “I didn’t want to make a living having someone punch me in the face. All I ever wanted to be was a baseball player.”2

Jackie’s mother, Rosa Hernandez, was a homemaker who gave birth to 11 children, eight boys and three girls. Two died when they were young, reported her grandson Freddy Gutierrez, including a sister Nora, “but nine were alive when my grandfather passed. The older children were adults at the time of his death. Their second oldest child, Hernando, helped support the family after my grandfather died. My grandmother died in December of 2006.”3 Jackie was the baby of the family. His sister, Alma Rosa Gutierrez, was married to none other than Orlando Ramirez.

Gutierrez was signed out of Liceo de Bolivar High School at age 17 on January 14, 1978, by Red Sox scout Willie Paffen.4 Paffen’s territory included Venezuela; he crossed the border into Colombia to catch a couple of tournaments and spotted Gutierrez.5

Gutierrez had become adept at infield defense in part because of games he played as a child. He “used to play with a stick, a plastic ball and six infielders, and batters were allowed to hit only ground balls.”6

The young infielder was assigned to the Elmira Pioneers, Boston’s short-season Single-A club in the New York-Penn League. He played there both in 1978 and 1979 under manager Dick Berardino, the first of six seasons in the minors before he got his first shot with the big-league team. The nickname Jackie apparently arose because of the difficulty many Americans had with the name Joaquin, pronouncing it “Jack-een” and eventually “Jackie.”

In both years, Gutierrez played in 63 games. He was a raw talent in 1978 and struggled both at bat (.194, with a .278 on-base percentage) and in the field (a .943 fielding percentage in 348 chances at shortstop.) In 1979, Gutierrez improved at the plate, hitting .251 (.332 OBP), and with the glove. He played about a third of his games at second base.

Two more years of Single-A ball followed, with Winter Haven in 1980 (Florida State League) and Winston-Salem in 1981 (Carolina League.) Both his offense and defense remained more or less about the same as in ’79. With Winter Haven he played outfield in 22 games, the only time he played outfield in his professional career, handling 49 chances without an error. In October 1981, he was added to the Boston Red Sox 40-man roster

Gutierrez joined the major-league team for spring training. A brief observation in the Boston Globe was nearly the first mention of him in Boston: “Red Sox training camp has been so routine that most exciting topics are 145-pound shortstop Jackie Gutierrez’ rifle arm and the 100 dozen oysters brought in for the Winter Haven barbecue this week.”7 Red Sox coach Johnny Pesky, who hit any number of fungos to him, knew he hadn’t established himself as a hitter — but said his arm was “nearly as good as [Rick] Burleson’s, and with a quicker release.”8

He’d already been penciled in for Double-A Bristol in the Eastern League, but manager Ralph Houk saw Gutierrez as a “bright prospect.”9 He was starting to draw attention and Red Sox farm director Ed Kenney said that he was “almost always brought up by other teams in trade talks.”10

At the higher level, Gutierrez improved his batting average to .278 (.352 OBP) over a full 138 games. Manager Tony Torchia described his play as “dazzling.”11

A year later, the Boston Globe’s Larry Whiteside wrote that Gutierrez “may be the best prospect of all.”12 He hadn’t shown a lot of power — he had three career home runs, one each in 1980, 1981, and 1982. He was two weeks late to spring training because Colombian authorities “held up his visa for reasons known only to them.”13 When he arrived, he was optioned to the New Britain Red Sox (the Double-A club had moved about 10 miles east in Connecticut).

Gutierrez more or less evenly split the season between New Britain (67 games) and the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox (66 games). His option was transferred to Pawtucket on July 1. “He’s got major league written all over him,” said his manager at New Britain, Rac Slider.14 He hit .278 with four homers under Slider, and then .266 with one homer at the higher level. He was a little shakier on defense in Triple A, with 20 errors as compared to 13.

The 1983 Red Sox had started off well. They were tied for first place in the A.L. East as late as June 5 but then began a steady decline. By the time Jackie Gutierrez was called up to Boston and got into his first major-league game on September 6, they were in sixth place, 15 games out of first. A Boston Globe writer declared, ‘[T]hey’re not only bad but they’re frightfully boring…Ralph Houk has made fewer moves this season than the Statue of Liberty.” He added a hope that Houk had plans to move Glenn Hoffman to third, Wade Boggs to first, and Jackie Gutierrez to short.15

Gutierrez’s debut was in a Tuesday night game in Baltimore. The Orioles were leading, 8-1, when he entered the game in the bottom of the eighth, playing shortstop. He saw no action, but had played his first inning on a big-league diamond.

He didn’t get into another game for 19 days. There was a pennant race on, and even though the Red Sox were by no means in it, they still had a responsibility to field a strong team against any contenders, and not try out rookies. His second game was as a pinch-runner on September 25 in Detroit. There were two outs in the top of the ninth, with the Tigers up, 3-1. A two-base error put a runner on second base. A single by Dwight Evans made it 3-2. Gutierrez ran for Evans but was forced out at second base and the game was over.

He played the last three games of the season and got his first at-bat on September 30. All three games were at Fenway Park against the Cleveland Indians. He was 3-for-10 — .300 — in the majors when the season ended. He’d committed one error in 16 chances.

Apparently he enjoyed himself once he had made it to the majors. The Herald’s Charles Pierce said he was “loose…standing in the locker room and singing Donna Summer songs in Spanish.”16

He had impressed, “with his speed, range, and arm…if he can hit even a little in the big leagues, he may be the shortstop of the future,” wrote a Boston Herald writer.17

Indeed, in 1984, a Globe columnist called Gutierrez, aside from Roger Clemens, “the best prospect in this camp.”18 He made the team as backup shortstop, despite having just the half-year of Triple-A experience. The Sox needed depth because Glenn Hoffman was working his way back from left knee surgery.

The news that Gutierrez had made the major leagues out of spring training was big news in Colombia. It was broadcast over El Caracol Radio in Cartagena by co-hosts Eugenio Baena Calvo (“This is a historic day for my country”) and Jorge Sierra, the latter telling a Boston newspaperman, “As soon as we went on the air, everybody in Cartagena came out of their offices and houses and stores and started dancing in the street. It’s a holiday all over my country.”19

The season got off to a truly bad start for Gutierrez. On Opening Day the Sox were winning, 1-0, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning at Anaheim Stadium. He had come into the game for defensive purposes in the eighth, but with two outs and the bases loaded, he threw away a groundball hit to him for a two-run error that cost the game.20

But it got better. His first starting assignment in ’84 came on April 7 in Oakland. He singled and walked, and scored two of the three runs in a 3-0 win over the Athletics. He collected his first runs batted in on April 22 at Fenway, driving in one run on a fourth-inning single and then another on a solo home run in the fifth. The homer was just the second one hit by a Colombian in the major leagues.21

Meanwhile, Hoffman struggled to play with a brace, playing in pain all year long. In mid-May, he lost the starting shortstop job to Gutierrez.22 Around then, Peter Gammons wrote, “Jackie Gutierrez has blossomed into the league’s best rookie infielder.”23 Marty Barrett had settled in at second base, and the Red Sox suddenly had a good middle infield combination. Gutierrez even pulled off the hidden ball trick on Tim Teufel in the seventh inning of the August 17 game against the Twins.24

The rookie wound up playing in 151 games and acquitted himself very well. Over the course of the season, he drove in 29 runs and scored 55. He hit .263, very respectable for a shortstop at the time. He stole 12 bases. And he earned rave reviews for a number of his fielding plays.25

Gutierrez became something of a fan favorite in 1984 — he played with verve. Tony Torchia had said of him, “In all my years in this organization [dating back to the mid-’60s], I’ve never seen a guy who liked to play or brought as much life to his team as Jackie, and I’m not sure I’ve seen many who ever played harder.”26 Author Leigh Grossman called him “Flashy” and said he was “best known for his habit of whistling loudly during games…fans loved him.”27 Larry Whiteside once dubbed him “The Whistler.”28 Grossman had mixed comments on his fielding, though: “He had spectacular defensive tools, including speed and a fine arm, but often botched routine plays.”29

After the season, Topps named him to their All-Rookie team. The Boston Baseball Writers voted him Red Sox rookie of the year.

However, the weight of all the adulation — in the U.S. but especially at home — may have put extra pressure on the young shortstop’s shoulders when he returned home after the season. In addition, Gutierrez was aware that there might be challenges facing him. In April 1985, he told Peter Gammons, “The instruction in Colombia isn’t what it is some other places. Before I got to the big leagues, I could get by on some physical skills. Now….”30

John McNamara became Red Sox manager in 1985, and Hoffman and Gutierrez shared shortstop duties. By the end of April, Gutierrez was only batting .211. He raised it 30 points by the end of May, but suffered a strained tendon behind his knee, and Hoffman filled in. By June, Hoffman had pretty much won back the starting role, though when he was injured in late July, it was Gutierrez back at the position for most of August, only to yield it to Hoffman once again in early September. Gutierrez never got a hit in September; he was 0-for-24 from August 31 until October 3.

There was one game Gutierrez won for the Red Sox without a base hit. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth of a 5-5 game on July 24 against the Athletics, and runners on second and third, Oakland’s Jay Howell intentionally walked Rich Gedman, preferring to pitch to Gutierrez. He stepped into the box, and took three pitches for balls. He took a called strike, then took another ball for a game-ending walk.

By season’s end, Hoffman had played in 96 games with 321 plate appearances. Gutierrez got into a few more games (103) but came to the plate less often (297). Hoffman hit for a much higher average, .276 to .218 for Gutierrez (.343 to .250 in on-base percentage). He drove in 34 runs to Gutierrez’s 21. Hoffman committed fewer errors — 11 in 400 chances compared to 23 in 404 chances for Gutierrez (20 of them in his last 48 games).31

There had been trade rumors throughout the year. They came to fruition on December 17, 1985, when Boston traded Gutierrez to the Baltimore Orioles for right-handed relief pitcher Sammy Stewart. The Sox had acquired Ed Romero at the winter meetings as their utility infielder.

During winter ball in both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, Gutierrez had exhibited some “erratic behavior” that “led some to suspect he may have had a nervous breakdown. He had been released by two different clubs during the winter, reported the Associated Press. “There have also been reports of altercations between Gutierrez and teammates and of erratic behavior off the field.” The Orioles asked that the American League look into his condition and place the trade on hold until resolved.32 His agent, Jim Turner, said that Gutierrez had endured a bad season in 1985, due to his leg injury, and then a bad winter. Jackie acknowledged that “his family had some concerns about him,” but that he had gotten some rest and was ready to play.33

When he showed up in camp, he said he felt fine. “I’m just happy to be here and I hope to help the team.” He underwent a reported nine days of tests in Baltimore.34 League president Bobby Brown declined to void the trade. Gutierrez acknowledged, “I was depressed. Anybody in the world can be depressed. A lot of things were wrong.”35

Tom Boswell provided a lengthy article about Gutierrez just as the regular season opened; he quoted Orioles manager Earl Weaver: “He’s a big-league player — period. He’s on the team.”36

Some observers mused that the Orioles would move Cal Ripken Jr. to third base and go with Gutierrez at short, but that turned out not to be the case. Ripken — in the fourth year of his ironman streak — played every game all season long. Gutierrez spent lengthy stints on the disabled list and at Triple-A Rochester. He appeared in 61 games for Baltimore over the course of the season, 53 at second base but none at short.

After going 0-for-10 to start the season, he doubled, but then came down with chicken pox and had to go on the 15-day DL. He was placed with Rochester until July 27, when he was recalled after hitting .303 in 54 games. By year’s end, he was batting .186 in the big leagues. When the Orioles played in Boston at the end of the season, he popped into the Red Sox clubhouse to congratulate his former teammates on making the playoffs — wearing an Afro wig, which soon was worn by Sox pitcher Oil Can Boyd, who wore it and started taking ground balls at shortstop.37

That offseason, Gutierrez played winter ball again, this time in Puerto Rico. On December 20, he lost a friend, Ponce teammate Joe DeSa, killed in an automobile accident. Gutierrez was the last to see him alive.38 Barry Bloom wrote in the San Diego Tribune, “The accident sent Jackie Gutierrez into a prolonged funk. Gutierrez, the Baltimore infielder who has suffered spells of mental anguish, disappeared from his team. For 10 days nobody knew of his whereabouts.”39

In 1987, he appeared in just three early-season games for Baltimore, each time as a pinch-runner. He stayed in one of the games and grounded out in his only at-bat of the season. In early May, he was outrighted to Rochester. He spent the rest of the season there, batting .255 in 92 games.

Gutierrez was brought to 1988 spring training as a reserve infielder, but Baltimore said “Adios” on March 23, giving him his release.

After a couple of months without work, on May 29 he signed with the Maine Phillies (Triple-A International League). He played in 40 games, batting .236. In mid-July, three things combined to create an opening for him with Philadelphia. The team traded infielder Luis Aguayo, then found that both Bob Dernier and Von Hayes needed to go on the disabled list.40 Philadelphia acquired his contract from Maine and he spent the rest of the season with the big-league club, appearing in 33 games, batting .247. At the end of the first week of October, the Phillies released him.

Within days, the Boston Red Sox reached out to Gutierrez with an invitation to spring training in 1989. He was assigned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and played an even 100 games for them, with a .228 batting average and 21 runs batted in. In October, he was released.

In 1990, Gutierrez played for the Miami Miracle, an unaffiliated team in the Single-A Florida State League. It was quite a drop from Triple A. He played in 121 games under manager Mike Easler, a former Red Sox teammate. Easler stated his belief that the pressure of being a national hero in his native Colombia may have played a major role in his regression as a player (the article reiterated that it was front-page news when he first made the Red Sox).41

His hitting remained about the same — .220, with 35 RBIs. Gutierrez even pitched briefly in three games, for a total of two innings, allowing one earned run.

In 1992, Gutierrez played baseball in Italy, and in 1993, he played in Taiwan for the China Times Eagles in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Appearing in 27 games, he had four RBIs and hit for a .210 average.

He returned to Colombia, played for two or three more seasons, and retired from play. “I became a coach,” he said in a July 2020 interview. “I managed for a little while, but then after that I became a coach most of the time.”42

About three years before the interview, he retired from coaching. “I just practice my son, practice with kids.” His son Joaquin Fernando had turned 14 and was becoming interested in playing baseball, so Jackie began to work with “Jackie Junior.” He and his wife Julia have another child, Ana Gabriel, three years younger than Jackie Jr. He also has an older child, in his 30s, Joaquin Gabriel, from a previous relationship.

During the interview, Gutierrez added, “Boston. Great city and great memories. I would like to ask you to say hello to the Boston baseball fans.”

Last revised: September 3, 2020

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Jackie Gutierrez for his input (interview with the author on July 14, 2020). Thanks also to Freddy Gutierrez for assistance in providing information regarding his uncle, Jackie Gutierrez.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Norman Macht and fact-checked by Bill Lamb.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and SABR.org. Thanks also to Rod Nelson and the Boston Red Sox.

Notes

1 Rory Costello’s biography of Orlando Ramirez offers solid information on Cartagena and how it became the baseball capital of Colombia.

2 UPI, “Gutierrez Follows Different Path.” Other brothers found careers as an executive with Avianca and in chemistry. See Michael Madden, “Outsider Looks In,” Boston Globe, March 17, 1984: 27.

3 Email to author from Freddy Gutierrez on July 11, 2020.

4 UPI, “Gutierrez Follows Different Path,” St. Albans Daily Messenger (St. Albans, Vermont), September 18, 1983: 5. The April 5, 1985 Boston Globe offered a few articles that discussed Latin American scouting by the Red Sox. See, in particular, Peter Gammons, “For Starters, Two Latin American Red Sox,” Boston Globe, April 5, 1985: 47, and Larry Whiteside, “Learning American Ways,” Boston Globe, April 5, 1985: 46.

5 “For Starters, Two Latin American Red Sox;”

6 Peter Gammons, “Taking A Show Of Hands On Fielding Styles,” Boston Globe, April 5, 1985: 47.

7 Ernie Roberts, “King Husy Savors Birthday Gift,” Boston Globe, March 6, 1982: 26. Gutierrez is listed as 6-foot-1 with a playing weight of 180 pounds on his Sporting News contract card, available through the sabr.org website.

8 Steve Harris, “A New, Improved Hoffman,” Boston Herald, March 4, 1982: 11.

9 Larry Whiteside, “Lansford Hitting, Ready to Take Field,” Boston Globe, March 24, 1982: 60.

10 “Millers Return Home After Loss,” Springfield Union (Springfield, Massachusetts), May 18, 1982: 5.

11 Tom Shea, “Digging the Minors,” Springfield Union, May 30, 1982: 35.

12 Larry Whiteside, “He’s No Heavyweight,” Boston Globe, March 3, 1983: 59.

13 Tim Horgan, “Talen at Short Bring Tall Dilemma,” Boston Herald, March 15, 1983: 53.

14 Larry Babich, “A Newark Bearfest,” Jersey Journal (Jersey City, New Jersey), August 15, 1983: 26.

15 Michael Madden, “Trading Tips on the Course,” Boston Globe, September 10, 1983: 25.

16 Charles Pierce, “Stape Awaits Finish of His Worst Season,” Boston Herald, September 30, 1983: 7.

17 Joe Gordon, “Houk Optimistic About ’84,” Boston Herald, October 5, 1983: 65.

18 Michael Madden, “Outsider Looks In.”

19 Tim Horgan, “History in the Making in Cartagena,” Boston Herald, March 27, 1984: 45. Horgan said he was being treated as “a national hero on a par with Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong and Babe Ruth, combined.”

20 Leigh Montville, “A Nightmare to Remember,” Boston Globe, April 4, 1984: 29, 32. A couple of days later, Dave Stapleton said he had looked at video and that he should have caught the ball at first base. Tom Shea, “Gutierrez Bounces Back from The Throw,” Springfield Union, April 8, 1984: 11.

21 Lou Castro had homered once in 1920.

22 Clayton Trutor, “Glenn Hoffman,” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/glenn-hoffman/.

23 Peter Gammons, “Sox Touching Off A Spark by Touching Up the Lineup,” Boston Globe, May 10, 1984: 58. A couple of weeks later, Larry Whiteside called him “the most pleasant surprise in the league.” Larry Whiteside, “Buckner Nails Hit No. 2000,” Boston Globe, June 28, 1984: 47.

24 Joe Giuliotti, “The ‘Wave’ Crashed Down on Fenway,” Boston Herald, August 18, 1984: 49.

25 See, for instance, Mike Shalin: “Gutierrez had a spectacular day in the field, making five slick plays to help Hurst to his sixth win. This was a day on which the shortstop showed us why he cam here with all those rave notices.” Shalin, “In Short, He’s Good,” Boston Herald, May 28, 1984: 11.

26 Peter Gammons, “Murray Gets MVP Vote in Tight Race,” Boston Globe, October 2, 1993: 50.

27 Leigh Grossman, The Red Sox Fan Handbook (Cambridge, Massachusetts; Rounder Books, 2005), 149.

28 Larry Whiteside, “Short Notice,” Boston Globe, March 13, 1984: 30. Hoffman was hampered all year in 1984; he hit .189 in just 80 plate appearances.

29 Grossman, 150.

30 Peter Gammons, “For Starters, Two Latin American Red Sox,” Boston Globe, April 5, 1985: 47.

31 Thomas Boswell, “Gutierrez Whistles While He Works,” Washington Post, April 9, 1986: D3.

32 Associated Press, “Birds’ Infielder Investigated,” The New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico), February 6, 1986: 8. See also Peter Gammons, “Gutierrez’ Health at Issue,” Boston Globe, February 4, 1986: 26.

33 Richard Justice, “Orioles Ask League to Check Gutierrez,” Washington Post, February 4, 1986: B1.

34 “Orioles,” The Sporting News, May 10, 1986: 34.

35 Richard Justice, “Brown Refuses Orioles’ Request to Rescind Trade for Gutierrez,” Washington Post, March 12, 1986: D6.

36 Thomas Boswell, “Gutierrez Whistles While He Works.” He made it clear there was never any question of substance abuse. For an even more complete look at Gutierrez and his bouts with depression, see Ian Thomsen, “After A Series of Ups and Downs in His Life, Gutierrez is Hoping…He’s Back in Tune,” Boston Globe, August 4, 1989: 59.

37 Larry Whiteside, “Seaver Sees Progress,” Boston Globe, October 1, 1986: 82.

38 Rory Costello, “Joe DeSa,” SABR BioProject, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/joe-desa/

39 Barry Bloom, “Baseball Players Don’t Hibernate for the Winter Down Here,” San Diego Tribune, January 14, 1987: E1.

40 Paul Hagen, “Bottom Falls Out for Phils: Hayes Surgery News Dwarfs Aguayo Trade,” Philadelphia Daily News, July 16, 1988: 44.

41 Ed Giuliotti, “Scouts Could Warm to New Nicaragua,” Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), May 6, 1990: C6.

42 Author interview with Jackie Gutierrez on July 14, 2020.

Acknowledgment to the work of Raúl Porto Cabrales and John Jairo Capella.

Cartagena, Colombia, is a city of many charms. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is known for its historic walled district and Spanish colonial architecture. Cartagena also has a pleasant Caribbean climate and beautiful beaches nearby. Yet it has another less heralded distinction as the capital of Colombian baseball. Although this nation had sent just 20 men to the majors as of 2018, 12 of them came from Cartagena – including the first big-leaguer who learned the game in Colombia, shortstop Orlando Ramírez.

El Ñato (which translates as Snub Nose, a fairly common nickname in Latin America) played in 143 games for the California Angels from 1974 to 1979. His was the classic shortstop story: “good field, no hit.” In the spring of 1975, manager Dick Williams said the job was Orlando’s if he managed to hit .200.[1] Over his career, though, Ramírez hit just .189 in 321 plate appearances with the Angels. And while Nolan Ryan called him “Spider” for the way he moved, his .931 fielding percentage at short also fell well short of his reputation.

Although his record at the top level has left him obscure in the United States, his homeland recognizes this man as a pioneer. Since the winter of 2005-06, the Colombian Professional Baseball League has given its Most Valuable Player award in the name of Orlando Ramírez. In September 2009, he became one of the initial inductees in the Colombian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Orlando Ramírez Leal was born on December 18, 1951.[2] Miguel Ramírez and his wife, Raquel Leal, had 12 children in all. Little Orlando began to play baseball in his local neighborhood, Pie de la Popa, at the age of eight. He and his friends used balls of cloth and bats of cañabrava, a giant woody reed. As he grew up, he learned from his father, who was also a ballplayer. Orlando’s Angels teammate and translator, Winston Llenas, said in 1975, “His father played baseball with him every day. He said his father taught him the fundamentals…how to slide…throw…and catch. His father taught him a lot.”[3]

In Colombia’s first professional league, which lasted from 1948 to 1958, Miguel Ramírez (also known as El Ñato) played shortstop. During the winter of 1955-56, he was with a club called the Willard Blues. The third baseman was an Orioles farmhand who later became one of the all-time greats at the hot corner: Brooks Robinson.[4]

Baseball had come to Colombia decades before – as early as the 1870s, by one account. According to Raúl Porto Cabrales, the premier historian of Colombian baseball, it definitely reached Cartagena in 1897.[5] The sport took root along the nation’s Caribbean coast in the early 1900s and continued to gain popularity in the first half of the 20^th century. For a synopsis, see Milton Jamail’s book Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom, which was informed by Jamail’s meeting with Raúl Porto.

Colombia was also active in international amateur ball. The national team took part in the Amateur World Series (now known as the Baseball World Cup) for the first time in 1944. They entered each of the seven subsequent tournaments from 1945 through 1953. In 1947, the ninth edition took place in Barranquilla, the other major city along the nation’s Caribbean coast. The host team – which included Miguel Ramírez – won (as they had in the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games, also held in Barranquilla). The Amateur World Series did not take place again until 1961. Colombia did not participate that year, but won the next tourney in 1965; Cartagena was the host city.

Ramírez – who had served as an altar boy and errand boy when he wasn’t playing baseball – reached the top level of Colombian ball with the Willard club in 1966, just a week after his father died. A local star named Antonio “Manía” Torres, who had played professionally in Nicaragua, took Orlando under his wing. The speedy young shortstop played with various other club teams over the next few years. In 1969, aged 17, he made his debut with the Colombian national team as the Amateur World Series came to Santo Domingo. He hit third and played third base.

In 1970, the Amateur World Series returned to Cartagena, and Ramírez moved to shortstop and the top of the lineup. He led all players in stolen bases with eight. Orlando and Team Colombia also took part in the Bolivarian Games that December in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo.

At the 1971 Amateur World Series in Havana, Ramírez helped Colombia to a silver medal by swiping seven bases, again the best in the tournament. That year Ramírez also led his team to victory in the Torneo de la Amistad (Friendship Tourney), held in Managua, Nicaragua. In addition, Colombia – hosting in the city of Cali – took the bronze medal at the 1971 Pan-American Games. The shortstop was later described as “a sensation.”[6]

The manager of the Colombian team in 1970 was Carlos Manuel Santiago, a Puerto Rican who had played in the Negro Leagues, the U.S. minors, and various other nations. Santiago was also an Angels scout. He signed Ramírez on March 15, 1972. The money wasn’t big: a sliding bonus that started at $5,000 with increments of $5,000 for reaching Double-A and Triple-A within 90 days. Still, it was way better than the 1,000 Colombian pesos a month – then a little less than US$50 – Orlando was making as an assistant mechanic for the local port authority, Colpuertos. The level of competition was also higher than the industrial league in which Colpuertos fielded a team.

Young Ramírez got a 90-day leave of absence from Colpuertos, during which the company held his job open in case he didn’t make it in the U.S., as everyone was warning him. At the time, he did not speak a word of English. His first pro season was also an odd reverse progression. He was initially assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake City, but before he played a game there, he went to Shreveport in the Texas League (Double A). There he went just 6 for 61 (.098) in 30 games, but that included his first pro home run. In mid-June, Orlando was sent to Idaho Falls in the Pioneer Rookie League. The Idaho Falls Post-Register wrote, “the shortstop just needs to work on his hitting…he can hope to go higher in the Angels organization…he could make it just on the quality of his fielding.”[7]

Indeed, despite the cultural obstacles and his mild hitting (.125-0-6 in 35 games for Idaho Falls), Orlando moved up quickly in the minors. El Ñato spent the 1973 season with Quad Cities of the Midwest League (Class A). He hit respectably enough (.260-3-45) and so he climbed back to Double-A El Paso to start 1974. Although his batting fell off to .194-0-20, he nonetheless reached Salt Lake City in mid-June.

Just a few weeks later, he made his big-league debut. Dick Williams had replaced Bobby Winkles as manager on July 1, and as part of his rebuilding effort, he decided to give some young minor-leaguers a look. Williams shifted Dave Chalk from short to third base and called up Ramírez, who got the news in a Tacoma hospital where he had been treated for a beaning.[8] He started and batted ninth at Anaheim Stadium on July 6. Two days later, the Angels sold veteran Sandy Alomar Sr., who had been sent to welcome Ramírez upon his arrival. Orlando remembered going to Alomar’s home for lunch and meeting his sons Sandy Jr. and Roberto, then aged eight and six.

Reporters informed Ramírez (erroneously) that he was the first Colombian to make the majors, which was also the reason he was issued the uniform number 1. Several articles then quoted Orlando as saying, “This makes my country and my family very proud.” He then quipped, “They might build a statue of me and put it next to the one of Simon Bolivar,” the revolutionary hero of several South American nations. The only paper that seemed to realize the rookie had tongue in cheek, though, was the New York Times.[9]

Actually, the first player born in Colombia to reach the majors was Louis Castro, in 1902. He was the first Latin American in the modern era, for that matter. However, as Brian McKenna detailed in his biography for the SABR BioProject, Castro moved to New York in 1885 at the age of eight. He learned baseball while attending Manhattan College High School. Indeed, for many years conflicting stories clouded this man’s origins. In 1976, Ramírez himself said, “My people tell me Castro wasn’t a Colombian. They think he was a Panamanian who lived in Colombia for a few years.”[10] Note also that Panama was part of Colombia until 1903, but that aside, Castro was born in the city of Medellín.

Ramírez started 20 games before he was sent back to Salt Lake. On July 22, the Los Angeles Times had written that the Angels “felt that Orlando Ramirez was not ready for the American League but the rookie shortstop has earned a longer look. He has been making the plays and his hitting has been acceptable.”[11] Before the month was out, though, California decided to move Dave Chalk back to shortstop. They called up Rudy Meoli and put him at third. Bobby Valentine, whose badly broken leg the previous year derailed his career, also saw action at short.

Ramírez hit for his best average as a pro at Triple A in 1974, .337 in 214 at-bats. When the rosters expanded that September, he returned and started another 11 games. After the season, the president of Colombia, Alfonso López Michelsen, sent Ramírez a telegram of congratulations.[12] The good feeling was regional; Nicaraguan baseball historian Tito Rondón said, “He was a morale builder for the part of the Caribbean that had no pro leagues at the time. Both Colombia and Nicaragua come to mind.” (By that time, Panama’s winter league was also defunct.)

In the winter of 1974-75, Ramírez went to play in the Venezuelan League. He got into just 11 games with Águilas del Zulia, hitting .294 with 2 RBIs in 34 at-bats. The regular shortstop was a Venezuelan native, César Gutiérrez, then in his fifteenth season at home. Venezuela made sense for Ramírez because its league was the closest to his homeland, but that was the only winter he played there. He wasn’t happy with the pay and left, and when he had a chance to play with the Caracas Leones, Zulia blocked him.

Ramírez made the Angels out of spring training in 1975. California was committed to having Dave Chalk play third, and it was the only position he occupied that year. The Colombian got off to a solid start with the bat; as of May 8 he was hitting .304. Coach Grover Resinger got credit for helping with Orlando’s mental approach. Winston Llenas said, “Grover has the right attitude toward Latin American players. He’s especially good with young players.”[13]

El Ñato’s high point in the majors came on April 29, when he got four hits in five at-bats at Royals Stadium and started three double plays. He said, “I felt out of place when the Angels brought me up. Now I feel relaxed. Oh boy, do I feel relaxed. I know I can play baseball, and I know can help this club.” Dick Williams, who called Orlando one of his “rabbits,” said, “I’d have loved to have seen Ramirez get the fifth [hit]. He’s a big key to our ball club. He has outstanding lateral movement. If the other team hits the ball on the ground, we’ve got an outstanding chance to get ’em out with Ramirez and our second baseman, Jerry Remy.”[14] Yet despite his “slick-fielding” rep,[15] Orlando committed 16 errors in 41 games in 1975, for a .905 fielding percentage.

The Colombian also ran into hard luck. “He pulled a hamstring on May 8. Before he could recover, he caught the chicken pox. Within a short time he had to return to Colombia to attend the funeral of a brother, who was killed in an airplane crash. Visa problems delayed his return and he finally was sent to Salt Lake City [in July] to play his way into shape. Ramirez’ luck – all bad – continued. He suffered a rib injury and wound up hitting only .197 for the Gulls.”[16] Billy Smith played most of May and June at short for California, but after Smith was found wanting, Mike Miley started for the remainder of the year.

During the winter of 1975, Ramírez lived with a family named Crawford in Garden Grove, California. He studied English at school and also with his host family, learning from TV news and even “Sesame Street.” As the 1976 season began, he still had the good will of Dick Williams, who said, “Shortstop is the key to the whole club. I want one guy to be the regular at shortstop. I don’t want to platoon. And I don’t want to move Dave Chalk over from third base.” He added of Orlando, “He feels more sure of himself. That’s the important thing.”[17]

Much the same pattern was visible in 1976. Again Ramírez was the starting shortstop on Opening Day, but this time the Angels gave him only until mid-May before shipping him back to Triple A. Dave Chalk did have to move back over again; California also obtained Mario Guerrero in May. Meanwhile, Orlando suffered yet more bad luck. He missed nearly two months following a freak accident that took place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on May 17.[18] He “had doctors baffled with a mysterious injury after being hit on the chest with a ball while sitting in the dugout.”[19] He played just eight games at Salt Lake and finished the season back in El Paso.

Ramírez played with the Ciudad Obregón Yaquis in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) in the winter of 1976-77. Although full data are lacking, he played several more seasons in the LMP, with Culiacán, Tijuana, and Mexicali. He recalled a number of appearances in league all-star games.

Ramírez spent his only full season in the majors in 1977. The Angels had signed Bobby Grich as a free agent to be their shortstop in November 1976, but a backup spot was open, especially after Mike Miley died in a car crash that January. When a back injury sidelined Grich for the year in early June, rookie Rance Mulliniks stepped into the revolving door. Orlando played very sparingly, getting into just 22 games with 13 at-bats through July 13. His main role was pinch-runner. Torn ligaments in his thumb then landed him on the disabled list until September, when he made three more pinch-running appearances.

El Ñato did not see any big-league action in 1978, playing 99 games for El Paso and just six for Salt Lake City. He made the big club again to start the 1979 season, thanks in part to neighborly Rod Carew, who had arrived in a trade that February. “Carew even asked to room with Orlando Ramirez, one of those in the running for the Angels’ open shortstop job. Ramirez is from Colombia, and Carew, a native of Panama, felt he might be able to help Ramirez develop.”[20] Bobby Grich had moved to second base, and while Dave Chalk was still on hand, Rance Mulliniks won a three-way competition in spring training with Ramírez and Jim Anderson.

Orlando appeared in 13 games, including a hitless seven-game trial as the starter in late April and early May. On May 4, the Angels traded Chalk for 37-year-old Bert Campaneris; later that month they called up Dickie Thon to start his big-league career. California assigned Ramírez outright to Salt Lake City. He spent 27 games there, plus four with Charleston in the Houston Astros chain (likely on loan). His pro career in the U.S. then ended with an ignoble demotion to Bakersfield in the Class A California League.

The Angels released Ramírez in April 1980. He then played three summers in the Mexican League with the Chihuahua Dorados. In total, he hit 13 homers, drove in 107 runs, and batted .306; he was above .300 in each season. Orlando played for the North team in the Mexican League’s 1981 All-Star game. The Dorados finished poorly during this period, however, and the team folded after the 1982 season.

In the winter of 1980-81, Ramírez returned to Colombia. He played for Indios de Cartagena in the Colombian League, which had started up again in the winter of 1979-80 and lasted for seven seasons. Orlando’s playing career ended after the 1984-85 season, his fourth with Indios (he returned to Mexico for the winter of 1983-84). After a hiatus during the next two seasons, the second Colombian pro era ended in the winter of 1987-88.

Ramírez had several children with various women. One of them, Antonio Ramírez Vásquez, pitched in the Dominican Republic with the Montreal Expos organization in 1995. Orlando also had one daughter with a woman named Alma Rosa Gutiérrez – sister of Joaquín “Jackie” Gutiérrez, the second Colombian-raised major-leaguer. A fellow shortstop from Cartagena, Jackie batted .237 in 356 games from 1983 through 1988. It would be 13 years before the next and most famous Colombian ballplayer came along: 2010 World Series MVP Édgar Rentería from Barranquilla. The Cabrera brothers from Cartagena, Orlando and Jolbert, followed in 1997 and 1998.

Ramírez was named coach of the national team in 1988 but moved on from this role after a short period to serve as an instructor at lower levels. When Colombian pro ball resumed once more in the winter of 1993-94, he went on to the coaching staff of various teams. As of January 1, 2009, he became administrator of Cartagena’s main ballpark, Estadio de Béisbol 11 de Noviembre.[21] This stadium seats 12,000, more than any other baseball facility in the nation. It is sometimes called “the temple of Colombian baseball,” and Orlando Ramírez is a most fitting and dedicated guardian of this tradition.

John Jairo Capella’s article (“Orlando ‘Ñato’ Ramírez, abriendo caminos”) was originally published on August 18, 2010 on his “Playball” blog at Colombia’s leading newspaper, El Tiempo of Bogotá. It may be found at http://www.eltiempo.com/blogs/playball/2010/08/orlando-nato-ramirez-abriendo-1.php.

Capella’s article drew in turn on “Orlando Ramírez, ‘El Ñato’” by Raúl Porto Cabrales, originally published on April 22, 1995 in El Periódico de Cartagena.

Continued thanks to SABR member Tito Rondón; Jesús Alberto Rubio (Mexican statistics).

Sources

www.baseball-reference.com

www.retrosheet.org

www.purapelota.com (Venezuelan statistics)

www.newspaperarchive.com

Jamail, Milton H. Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom. Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Nebraska Press, 2008.

Porto Cabrales, Raúl. Historia del béisbol aficionado de Colombia. Instituto Distrital de Deporte y Recreación de Cartagena de Indias, 2000.

Bjarkman, Peter C. Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005.

Not many players can claim to be a national hero, nor do many have as unique a place in World Series history as Edgar Renteria. As a 21-year-old, Renteria hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game Seven of the World Series to win the World Series for the Marlins. As a 28-year-old, Renteria grounded out to Keith Foulke to end the World Series. As a 34-year-old, he hit a go-ahead home run in the decisive Game Five en route to winning World Series MVP. Between his first and last World Series, Renteria established himself as the best-ever major-league player from Colombia and one of the best shortstops of his era.

Edgar Enrique Renteria was born on August 7, 1976, in Barranquilla, an industrial city in northern Colombia located near the Caribbean Sea.1 He was the youngest of seven children born to Francisco and Visitación. When he was one year old his father died, leaving his mother to raise the family alone. To survive, Edgar and his siblings sold coconut candy, fried pork rind, and raffle numbers. As a youngster he played chequitas, a Colombian version of stickball, in which players try to hit a bottle cap with a broomstick. He learned to play baseball from his older brother, Edinson, whom Edgar looked to as a father figure. Edinson played minor-league baseball for nine seasons as an infielder in the Astros and Marlins farm systems. At 11, Edgar started playing in Colombian youth leagues. He immediately demonstrated his major-league talent: His coach said he would dive at any ball that came his way and quickly jump up to fire off a hard throw.2 He neglected his schoolwork in favor of practicing baseball. At 15, Renteria was signed by the Marlins. From 1992 to 1996, he played in the Marlins farm system. Baseball America ranked him 51st among major-league prospects before the 1993 season and 33rd before the 1996 season. During his time in the minor leagues, Renteria was known to be reserved with his teammates, though he did speak English.

Playing for Triple-A Charlotte, Renteria was called up on May 9, 1996, after Marlins starting shortstop Kurt Abbott was injured. He made his major-league debut on May 10 against the Colorado Rockies, entering the game as part of a double switch in the ninth inning. Renteria made his first start on May 18, 1996, at Wrigley Field. Facing Steve Trachsel with one out in the top of first, Renteria hit an 0-and-1 offering to left field for his first major-league hit. He started slowly, but showed enough for the Marlins to shift Abbott to second base upon his return. As his first major-league summer wore on, Renteria heated up, going on a 22-game hitting streak from July 25 to August 16. In August Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden called him the second-best shortstop in the National League, after Barry Larkin.3 Renteria concluded the season strong, batting .309 and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Todd Hollandsworth.

Unhappy with low attendance, Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga decided to construct a team capable of winning the World Series. The Marlins spent $89 million before the 1997 season, adding Jim Leyland as manager, Bobby Bonilla and Moises Alou to the outfield, and Livan Hernandez and Alex Fernandez to the pitching rotation. Renteria started the 1997 season slowly, though there were highlights for him during the first two months of the season. On April 5 he hit an inside-the-park home run to tie a game against Cincinnati and won the game with an RBI single in the 11th inning. From May 13 to May 29, Renteria had a 13-game hitting streak. He performed better as the season went along, but failed to match his rookie-season batting prowess, finishing at .277. The Marlins won the National League wild card and defeated the Giants and Braves to advance to the World Series.

In the World Series, the Marlins and the Cleveland Indians alternated wins and losses for the first six games, setting up a winner-take-all Game Seven, in Miami. Renteria got two hits in his first four at-bats, including a double in the first inning. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins tied the game on Craig Counsell’s sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the 11th the Marlins put the leadoff man aboard and sacrificed him to second. After an intentional walk and a force play at the plate, Renteria came up with two men out and the bases loaded. He hit an 0-and-1 pitch from Charles Nagy between the shortstop and second baseman to win the World Series for the Marlins. As Renteria’s ball looped into the outfield, a gathering at a bar in Colombia started screaming “Goal!”4

In the aftermath of the hit, Renteria was hailed as a hero in South Florida, but the greatest acclaim came from his native Colombia, where he became a national hero overnight. Even though national elections in Colombia occurred the same day as Game Seven, the next day’s newspapers had headlines like “Renteria Wins in Miami.”5 His brother Edinson said that Edgar was nearly as adored in Colombia as Michael Jordan was in the United States. Colombia’s president said that Renteria showed the world a different side of the nation, rather than the violence-torn country depicted in the media, and he bestowed Renteria with the nation’s highest honor, the San Carlos Cross of the Order of the Great Knight. Renteria approached his newfound fame with humility, believing that he was not a hero, but just an athlete representing his country. Renteria spent the offseason at home in Barranquilla, basking in the aftermath of his shining moment.

Immediately after the 1997 season, the Marlins began dismantling their championship team. As a result, expectations for 1998 were not high. Renteria began the season where he finished the 1997 season: batting second and playing shortstop. The Marlins won on Opening Day, but proceeded to lose 11 straight games. By the All-Star break, Florida was 32-55. Renteria was the only Marlin selected for the All-Star Game. Both he and the Marlins performed worse during the second half of the season. He finished with a .282/.347/.342 batting line. The Marlins finished with a 54-108 record, becoming the first defending World Series champion to finish dead last in their division.

After the season, the Marlins traded Renteria to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals had coveted him for over a year, and were willing to pay a premium, giving up minor-league shortstop Pablo Ozuna and minor-league pitchers Braden Looper and Armando Almanza. Expectations for Renteria were high given his strong performance in his early 20s for the Marlins. On Opening Day 1999, Renteria started at shortstop and batted leadoff for the Cardinals, going 0-for-2. He hit his first home run for the Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 16, and even hit two home runs in a victory over the Marlins later in the season. Yet these moments were few in 1999 for Renteria as he endured a mediocre campaign. Despite hopes of making the postseason, the Cardinals finished fourth in the National League Central Division.

The Cardinals made significant improvements going into the 2000 season, adding catcher Mike Matheny, center fielder Jim Edmonds, second baseman Fernando Vina, and starting pitcher Darryl Kile. Despite the influx of talent, Renteria was the team’s sole representative at the All-Star Game in Atlanta, being selected as an injury replacement for Mark McGwire. Renteria won the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop and finished fourth among NL shortstops in wRC+. The Cardinals qualified for postseason play, winning the Central Division with a 95-67 record, but fell to the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. They also reached the postseason in 2001 but bowed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series. Renteria had a mediocre season at bat (.260/.314/.371).

Both Renteria and the Cardinals had better seasons in 2002. Renteria batted .305/.364/.439 and finished seventh among shortstops in Wins Above Replacement as calculated by FanGraphs. His most memorable series of the season was a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium July 26-28. In the first game Renteria got his 1,000th career hit, off Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber, and in the third game hit a walk-off three-run home run to cap a six-run ninth inning for a 10-9 victory. Renteria’s season earned him Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards. The Cardinals led the NL Central Division for the third year in a row, but fell short of the World Series, losing the NLCS to San Francisco.

In 2003 Renteria had his best season as a major leaguer, hitting .330 with 13 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. He tied for ninth among all position players in Wins Above Replacement as calculated by FanGraphs. He also became the only Cardinals shortstop since 1900 with 100 RBIs and the first National League shortstop with 100 RBIs since Hubie Brooks of the 1985 Expos. Renteria fell just six hits short of joining Honus Wagner as the only National League shortstops to get 200 hits and 100 RBIs in a season. Renteria thought the key to his success was batting sixth or seventh in the lineup behind many good hitters all season.6 Such a strong campaign earned Renteria an All-Star Game appearance and Silver Slugger Award and Gold Glove Awards. The Cardinals did not make the postseason in 2003, finishing third in the NL Central.

Renteria was due to qualify for free agency after the 2004 season. After a career year, his performance took a step backward. Although the fans voted him into his second consecutive All-Star Game, Renteria finished the season fifteenth among major league shortstops in Wins Above Replacement as calculated by FanGraphs. Still, in a clubhouse full of stars, he was a highly respected teammate who Tony LaRussa referred to as “The Captain.”7 It was a memorable season for the Cardinals, who won 105 games en route to the National League pennant. Renteria found himself one of two Colombian shortstops in the World Series, the other being Boston’s Orlando Cabrera. The people back home were excited, with a Colombian newspaper describing the Series as “Cabrera vs. Renteria.” Renteria told reporters he hoped the presence of two Colombians in the World Series would bring professional baseball back to Colombia.8 Notably, Cabrera and Renteria were not on good terms. Renteria believed that Cabrera had disrespected baseball people in Colombia working to improve the sport.9 Cabrera’s Red Sox got the better of Renteria’s Cardinals as the Red Sox swept St. Louis. Though Renteria had a good offensive Series, he made the final out of the game, hitting a weak grounder back to Keith Foulke, who threw to first to win Boston’s first title since 1918.

After the season Renteria became a free agent. Though the Cardinals wanted to retain him, it was unclear whether there would be room in the club’s budget for him. In the end, the Cardinals offered Renteria a four-year, $32 million contract. But the Red Sox, in need of a shortstop to replace the departing Orlando Cabrera, offered a little more. On December 17, 2004, Renteria agreed to terms with Boston on a four-year, $40 million contract, becoming the starting shortstop for the defending World Series champions.

On Opening Day 2005, Renteria had an 0-for-4 day at the plate as Boston lost to the New York Yankees, 9-2. The poor start was a sign of what was to come. By the end of May, he was hitting only .245 and had already made eight errors. The fans were angered at his performance and called him “Edgar Rent-A-Wreck.” Renteria finished the year hitting only .276 with a career-high 30 errors. Boston returned to the playoffs, but lost in the Division Series to the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox. After the season he and the Red Sox recognized that it would be mutually beneficial to part ways, leading Boston to trade Renteria to the Atlanta Braves for Andy Marte. Reflecting a year later on his brief Red Sox tenure, Renteria admitted that he “just never got comfortable” in Boston and apologized to the fans for his poor performance.10

Renteria had a nice two-year stint with the Braves. He bounced back in 2006, opening the season with a 23-game hitting streak, and batting .318 with nine home runs in the first half of the season. He was selected for his fifth All-Star Game, a feat he had never been happier about. Renteria continued his strong performance in the second half of the season, but despite his contribution, the Braves did not win the NL East for the first time since 1991. Renteria had another strong season in 2007, but the Braves again failed to make the postseason, finishing in third place in the NL East. During his peak from 2002-2007, Renteria ranked fourth among major league shortstops in Wins Above Replacement as calculated by FanGraphs.

With top shortstop prospect Yunel Escobar ready to play every day in the major leagues, the Braves no longer had a spot for Renteria to play. They traded him to Detroit, reuniting him with Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, the general manager and manger of the 1997 Marlins. In addition to Renteria, the Tigers also acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins that offseason, bolstering the lineup and rotation with the expectation of a return to postseason play. But neither Renteria nor the Tigers had strong 2008 campaigns. Renteria regressed after two strong seasons and the Tigers finished the campaign in last place. After the season the Tigers declined Renteria’s option and chose to not offer arbitration, making him a free agent.

Renteria signed with San Francisco on December 4, 2008, for two years and $18.5 million, with an option for 2011. The Giants felt that his 2008 season was an aberration. In the face of questions about whether the 32-year-old could still succeed in the majors, Renteria said in spring training that he expected to hit better in 2009 because he endured a poor clubhouse environment with Detroit in 2008 and had a decade-plus of major-league experience.11 Though the Giants expected Renteria to be an upgrade at shortstop, he was one of the worst players in baseball in 2009. His batting line was a meager .250/.307/.328 and he played poor defense.

Renteria reported to spring training in 2010 excited to be healthy again and eager to make amends for his dreadful 2009 campaign. But he struggled again in an injury-marred 2010, leading Giants fans to call for him to be benched.12 The Giants qualified for the postseason and advanced to the World Series. Renteria did not start during the Division Series, but was inserted back into the starting lineup in the Championship Series. He went 6-for-14 during the first three games of the World Series, hitting a go-ahead home run in Game Two. In the top of the seventh of World Series Game Five with the Giants leading the Texas Rangers three games to one, Renteria stepped up to the plate with two outs and two men on base in a scoreless game. Before going up to bat, Renteria told a teammate that he would hit a home run.13 Then he did it, slamming a 2-and-0 offering from Cliff Lee over the left-center-field wall, giving the Giants a lead they would not relinquish. Renteria was named World Series MVP, and told reporters he was happy with his Series performance because of how tough the season had been for him.14 As in 1997, Colombia planned a celebration to honor Renteria. But after a devastating flood in Colombia, Renteria called off the celebration and asked for money to be donated to flood victims.

Despite his World Series heroics, the Giants did not exercise their club option on Renteria for 2011. Renteria was uncertain about retirement, but ended up signing a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds for 2011. He appeared in his final major-league game on September 28, getting his final major-league hit in that game off Miguel Bautista. Renteria did not play in 2012, and officially announced his retirement in March 2013. Speaking to a news organization in Colombia on the occasion of his retirement, Renteria said he was proud to have given everything on the field for Colombia.15 He finished his career with a .286 batting average and 2,327 hits. He appeared in five All-Star Games and won two Gold Glove and three Silver Slugger Awards. Renteria appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2017 and received just two votes, making him ineligible for further consideration by the baseball writers.

In retirement, Renteria has spent time in his native Colombia and given back to his community. He has also remained involved in baseball, serving as the bench coach for Colombia in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and the manager for Team World during the 2017 Futures Game at Marlins Park.

Renteria’s place in baseball history is secure. As of 2019 he was the best Colombian baseball player ever, as well as a player with unique World Series achievements. He joined Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig as the only players with two World Series-winning hits, and joined Pete Rose, Ron Cey, and Bobby Richardson as the only players to make the last out of one World Series and win the MVP of another. Renteria’s major-league achievements are more impressive than those of any other Colombian. Though a few Colombians appeared in the big leagues before Renteria, none was as successful. He accumulated 35.2 career Wins Above Replacement as calculated by FanGraphs, significantly higher than second-place Orlando Cabrera. Renteria’s 1997 heroics inspired Colombian youth to play baseball instead of soccer.16 He became adamant that Colombia is a strong baseball nation and vocal about increasing youth participation in baseball there. In March 2018 the Edgar Renteria National Baseball Stadium opened in Barranquilla, allowing young Colombians to continue to chase their dreams of becoming the next Edgar Renteria, the pride of Colombia.

Last revised: January 3, 2020

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Len Levin and fact-checked by Stephen Glotfelty.

Sources

In preparing this biography, the author relied primarily upon Renteria’s player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Baseball-Reference.com, and Fangraphs.com. In the Notes, sources other than Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs are from the player file; pages are not available.

Notes

1 Major League Baseball lists Renteria’s birthday as August 7, 1975. But Edgar’s brother Edinson said that the family forged Edgar’s birth certificate so that the Marlins could sign Edgar as a 15-year-old and that Edgar’s real birthday is August 7, 1976. See Gordon Edes, “Brother: Edgar Was 15,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 27, 1996, https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-05-27-9605270032-story.html.

2 Timothy Pratt, “From Kid Hero to Ambassador, Renteria’s Game Goes Home,” New York Times, November 27, 1997.

3 “Rookie Draws Raves,” USA Today, August 26, 1996.

4 Pratt.

5 Ibid.

6 “Edgar Renteria Had Epic Season at Shortstop in 2003,” retrosimba.com.
retrosimba.com/2013/03/15/10-years-ago-edgar-renteria-had-epic-season-at-short/.

7 Joe Strauss, “Cards shortstop earns comparisons to elite,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 25, 2004.

8 Karen Crouse, “Two Shortstops Unite Violence-Torn Nation,” Palm Beach Post, October 27, 2004.

9 George Arangure Jr., “Now It’s Personal,” ESPN.com, April 21, 2008.

10 Peter Gammons, “Boston Bothered Renteria,” ESPN.com.

11 Henry Schulman, “The Pride of Colombia,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2009.

12 Andy Bensch, “Why Edgar Renteria Is a Waste of a Roster Spot,” Bleacher Report, July 27, 2010. bleacherreport.com/articles/425838-san-francisco-giants-why-edgar-renteria-is-a-waste-of-a-roster-spot.

13 Associated Press, “Edgar Renteria Named Series MVP,” November 1, 2010.

14 Ibid.

15 Juan C. Rodriguez, “World Series Hero Edgar Renteria Retires,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, March 21, 2013.

16 Pratt.