Avelino Cañizares

Before Minnie Miñoso’s cup of coffee with the Indians in 1949, another Black Cuban was the toast of Cleveland. Although Avelino Cañizares’s story is not as well-known as the Cuban Comet’s, Cañizares led the city to a coveted championship.

But then, in a flash, the “Cuban Wonder” was gone.

Avelino Cañizares Martínez was born on November 10, 1919, in Havana. Most of his biographical records are either lost or have not yet been found. His slight build (5-feet-7, 145 pounds), agility, sure hands, and speed made him the prototype shortstop in 1940s Cuba. He began his career with the Almendares Alacranes (Scorpions) in 1942-1943, though he was hitless in nine at-bats. He turned 24 years old during the 1943-1944 season and hit a robust .284.1

Since the Cuban season ran during the winter, Cañizares sought baseball opportunities outside the island during the summer months. He first played in Mexico in 1944 with the Tampico Alijadores (.305 average, 13 doubles and 4 triples in 73 games).2

Back in Cuba with, he tied for the league lead in runs scored in 1944-1945 (29) with Santos Amaro, Héctor Rodríguez, and Conrado Pérez, and was selected to the circuit’s all-star game.3 He hit .233 but  provided stellar defense.4

Cañizares was coveted by Buckeyes manager Quincy Trouppe, who had scouted the infielder in the Mexican League when they played on opposing teams. According to James Riley, Trouppe’s high opinion was warranted. Cañizares “studied hitters, positioned himself accordingly, and served as the ‘glue’ for the infield. That season he was compared to the Monarchs’ Jackie Robinson and Birmingham’s Artie Wilson.”5 The veteran Trouppe, himself an all-star catcher in the Negro Leagues, understood the value of defense. Contemporary records note that Cañizares was “known for his sensational fielding and solid hitting” and his “spark-plug play.”6 Cañizares duly signed with Cleveland and played in the Buckeyes’ spring-training contests against the New York Cubans on April 8.7

Cañizares entrusted his bat and glove to do the talking from the club’s home opener doubleheader: “The park resounded still louder when [Avelino Canizares, (sic)] a classy Cuban who can’t even speak English, ripped around the bases for a home run within the park.”8 The press called him “the first player to capture the fans’ attention without the aid of ballyhoo.”9 The 10,000 fans in attendance cheered their Buckeyes as they swept the Memphis Red Sox, 3-1 and 6-2, on May 27.

By the end of May, the Buckeyes’ .818 winning percentage led the league and Cañizares was hitting .400, third-best in the league.10 His inside-the-park home run was still a newspaper topic a week later, with an article saying he had “sped around the bases at an unbelievable clip – so fast that fans didn’t know he was making a home run of what looked like a double until he coasted over the plate.”11

Local scribe Bob Williams noted that Cañizares had “crashed into the hearts of Cleveland fans for good with his stellar playing at shortstop, his pinch hitting, and that agile clip around the bases,” as Cañizares tied the game with a two-out, two-run hit against the Memphis Red Sox.12

On the eve of a homestand, Williams noted, “Buckeye fans will come to League Park Sunday with special eyes for little Avelino Canizares, [the] flashy Cuban shortstop who has starred in all Cleveland appearances. While Cleveland leads the league in team standing the little Cuban-speaking [sic] shortstop leads the league in home runs, having clouted out four circuit breakers this season while batting an average of .362.”13

The hyperbole proved to be insufficient for the theatrics of June 17. Cañizares scored the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago American Giants. As the runner on third with the bases loaded and nobody out, he dashed for home on an infield groundball to shortstop. Although Cañizares appeared to be out, umpire Harry Walker “called him safe. … After the call, three Chicago players grabbed and were about to strike the umpire when Cleveland’s finest were able to intervene. It took a while but eventually peace was restored, and the second game was played.”14 Walker argued that “the catcher Dukes had his foot off the plate as Canizares arrived, otherwise he would have been out.”15

Cañizares hit .344 in the first half (52-for-151), fourth best among the powerful Buckeyes batters.16 Wendell Smith, Pittsburgh Courier reporter and doyen of Negro League baseball, considered Cañizares, Robinson, and Wilson to be “three young shortstops in Negro baseball who certainly should be given a chance to play in the major leagues.”17

The July 16 contest against the Black Barons featured its own fireworks. Cañizares was again in the middle though he played no part in the hostilities. He beat out a throw to first base, but the Barons felt differently. After an argument with the umpire James “Jimmy” Thompson, “suddenly, without warning, (Piper) Davis uncorked a lightning-like swing from the waist, shoving his full weight directly into the little umpire’s unguarded face.”18 The Buckeyes won the game, 6-1.

The Buckeyes swept a doubleheader against the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns on July 22, though Cañizares is mentioned only as having advanced a runner with a sacrifice.19

Smith went further in his praise: “Probably at no time in the history of organized Negro baseball has there been three shortstops who were so near equal.”20 Newspapers debated the merits of worthy candidates and published the suggested batting orders for the East-West Game. The Kansas City Call advocated for its hometown hero: “Although three fine shortstops are running neck and neck for that position in the All-Star game Jackie Robinson of the Monarchs will probably win out since he is one of the most colorful players. … The two other shortstops standing a good chance in the league are Canizares of Cleveland and Wilson of Birmingham.”21

The July 26 Chicago Defender reported that Cañizares would start the game and Robinson would be on the bench. The weekly noted the embarrassment of riches for the Western’s team middle infield in an article on the game’s eve: “Avelino Canizares, Cuban shortstop with the Cleveland Buckeyes, wearing number 22 on his uniform, will start the game at shortstop. Considered one of the best in either league, Canizares gets the nod of Manager Welsh over Jackie Robinson, the UCLA all-around athlete who may see services before the game is over.”22

The Pittsburgh Courier, in its July 28 edition, projected Cañizares to start at shortstop and Wilson at second base, but its non-alphabetic roster listed Wilson, Cañizares, and Robinson (as infielders) atop the potent West squad.23

The Baltimore Afro-American’s July 28 edition, however, named Robinson in the starting lineup but failed to mention Cañizares on the roster, even though other substitutes were listed.24

Cañizares did not play in the July 29 East-West Game; Robinson manned the position instead.25 Other prospective starters, such as Josh Gibson and Art Wilson, did not see action either. 26 Though Robinson went 0-for-5 at the plate, he made a dazzling play in the field in the ninth inning to extinguish a West rally.

Cañizares made a costly error against the Newark Eagles in the first game of an August 18 doubleheader, a 4-0 Buckeyes loss, but atoned in the second game by scoring the tying run and driving in the winning tally in a hard-fought 4-3 contest.27 The Buckeyes swept another doubleheader against Chicago on September 2, 1945. Cañizares belted an inside-the-park home run in the first game, a 6-2 victory.28 His efforts were lauded by reporter Jimmy Jones, who noted, “Canizares was the shining light on the Buckeyes squad, displaying his stellar talents at bat and in the field, continuously, to earn the plaudits of the crowd.”29

The 1945 Buckeyes are credited with 62 wins, 17 losses, and 1 tie in league competition (and 76-31-3 against Major League Black Teams).30 Substantiated records credit Cañizares with 16 runs scored, 30 hits, 7 doubles, and a .375 average (30-for-80). On the field, he committed five errors in 164 innings for a .955 fielding average, 30 points above the league average. Modern metrics credit him with a 1.4 WAR, second-best in the team behind staff ace Eugene Bremer’s 2.3.31

The Buckeyes and the Homestead Grays, winners of both season halves for their respective leagues, met in the Negro World Series. Cleveland was sanguine about its team prospects, though it warned caution against “the formidable array of batting and pitching talent [that] represents part of the championship Buckeye squad which has attained unprecedented honor within the brief span of four years.”32 The Cleveland Call and Post noted that the “Buckeyes have more than an even chance to win the series from the Grays who have been steadily declining in the power and flash which highlighted some of their earlier title triumphs.” It described Cañizares as “the flashy … Cuban sensation who played shortstop and is a good clutch hitter.”33

Cañizares went 3-for-15 in the championship series against the favored Grays. In the September 13 opener, Cleveland nipped the Grays 2-1, and Cañizares (0-for-3) was one of four Buckeyes held hitless by hard-luck loser Roy Welmaker.34 However, Cañizares’ defense was instrumental in preserving the victory in the ninth inning. After the Grays scored a run, they still threatened with runners on the corners, but Cañizares started a textbook 6-4-3 double play to quell the rally.35

Three days later, his two safeties helped Cleveland win another narrow game, 3-2.36 He went 0-for-4 on September 18 in Giffith Stadium, Cleveland’s third victory,37 and collected one hit and one run in four plate appearances on September 20 as the Buckeyes won the title at Shibe Park, a neutral site.38

Despite his modest .200 average in the four-game sweep, he “gained uncontested right to the title ‘Player of the year.’ Canizares more than once caught the fancy and admiration of fans who marveled at his speed and perfection, and clutch hitting.”39

Back in Cuba, Cañizares improved to .273 in 1945-1946 with a league-leading six stolen bases..The Buckeyes front office expected the shortstop to return in 1946, but he opted to play in the Mexican League. The contract was rumored to be less lucrative than Cleveland’s offer, but a $3,000 bonus persuaded Cañizares to remain south of the border.40 The Buckeyes turned to Billy Horne as their new shortstop while Cañizares was superb in 1946 with the Torreón Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (Cottonpickers). Under the tutelage of “el inmortal” Martín Dihigo, Cañizares produced a .298 batting average, stole 18 bases, and scored 72 runs in 90 games.41 He was selected to the July 9 All-Star Game as the starting shortstop for the North team, led by another Cuban legend, Armando Marsans.42

Commissioner Happy Chandler and the major-league owners sought to persuade the Cuban League officials to bar players who had jumped to the Mexican League. While some light-skinned players were indeed under professional contracts with “Organized Baseball,” the move smacked of hypocrisy as many dark-skinned Cubans were barred from the major and minor leagues. As the 1946 season neared, Cañizares and scores of others who had proven their mettle in the Negro Leagues returned to the Cuban clubs .43

Cañizares scored 46 runs in  1946-1947, and he was routinely among the top basestealers although his average dipped to .260.44 On October 26, 1946, he was the first batter in the inaugural game of the Gran Estadio del Cerro (now known as “El Estadio Latinoamericano”) in Havana, attended by 31,000 fans.45 He led off for Almendares and was retired in the first inning, thus marking the first out of the stadium’s history.46 He nevertheless had a fine game (3-for-5) as his club defeated Cienfuegos, 9-1.47 During offdays, he was among the many professional stars to make cameo paid appearances for the sugar-mill amateur teams, typically in the rural central provinces.48

The Buckeyes held hope that Cañizares would return in 1947, despite the Negro League’s decree banning so-called deserters for five years.49 However, Cañizares signed a reported $12,000 contract (a base figure of $8,400 and a hefty bonus) to play in Mexico in 1947, a figure thought to be twice his 1945 Buckeyes pay. The local press was sympathetic to his choice, noting that the “contract calls for three days regular play per week, and $12,000 salary for the season. That is a first class pay in any man’s baseball league.”50

Cañizares played for the Tuneros (Tuna Fishermen) of San Luis Potosí in 1947 and appeared in a career-high 113 games as an offensive force: .281 average, 93 runs, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 24 stolen bases, and 72 walks. Among the contests was the first night game in Mexican League history; San Luis bested the Diablos Rojos (Red Devils), 10-7.51

Cañizares’ best Cuban season was 1947-1948: a .310 batting average with a league-leading 114 hits and 53 runs.52 He was again selected to the All-Star Game. However, he was not officially a member of Almendares but rather a doppelganger, the Alacranes. Cuban players formed the “independent league” to protest their working conditions. The circuit only lasted a year before the parties resolved their differences.

He split 1948 between San Luis and the Monterrey Sultanes (Sultans). His 14 stolen bases and .272 average helped the Sultanes to their second consecutive title.53

He was a key cog in the 1948-1949 Almendares team that won the first Caribbean Series, held in Havana. After hitting .251 in the regular season, he contributed four hits in 24 plate appearances as the hosts dominated the competition, winning all six of their games. However, the emergence of future big-leaguer Willy Miranda cut into his playing time. In a Lou Gehrig/Wally Pipp twist, Miranda cracked the lineup after “the Cuban star, Avelino Canizarez [sic] was sidelined with a Charley horse.”54 Despite playing with the club until 1952, he was no longer a regular and saw sporadic action, though he returned to the second Caribbean Series (this time held in San Juan, Puerto Rico).55

Cañizares finished his Cuban playing career with Cienfuegos  in 1953-1954 and hit a mediocre .255. He batted .251 for his Cuban career (344-for-1371), scored 203 runs, and drove in 111.5657 Although he was featured in many baseball cards during his time, the backs were mostly used for advertising and thus lack any statistics or biographical tidbits.58

The fall of the color barrier opened doors in North America. In 1950 Cañizares played with the Sherbrooke Athletics of the Class-C Provincial League (98 games, .294 average, with 18 doubles). The team finished in second place (57-51) and lost the league title to the St. Jean Braves. Sherbrooke featured four other Cubans in its multi-ethnic roster: Silvio García, Armando Roche, (Andrés) Lauro Pascual, and Félix Zulueta.59 In 1952 Cañizares played with the Keokuk Kernels of the Class-B Illinois/Indiana/Iowa League (.222 average in 65 games).

Cañizares split 1954 between the Diablos Rojos and Veracruz (.244 average, 10 stolen bases in 74 games).60 He played two years in the Central Mexican League with Saltillo (1955) and Durango (98 games, .302 average in 1956).61 He moved to the Méxicali Águilas (Eagles) of the Arizona-Mexico League in 1957 (.302/.384/.430 with 120 runs scored, 26 doubles, 8 triples, and 8 home runs in 123 games at 37 years of age) and 1958 (.359/.428/.454 27 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs). Both these circuits were Class C.62

In 1957, a dozen years after the Buckeyes’ title, Cleveland media still regarded Cañizares highly enough to include him a list of great Negro players, alongside legends Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Oscar Charleston.63 While still active, he managed the Saltillo club of the Class-A Mexico Central League in 1964 but hit a meek .198 in 41 games.64 He remained in the sport as both coach and pilot of other teams.

Cañizares married a Mexican woman and remained in Mexico after his playing career.65 He died on December 13, 1993, in Mexico City at the age of 74. The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame elected Cañizares to its ranks in 1997.66 His Negro League Baseball Players Association profile is sadly barren: “Avelino played for the Cleveland Buckeyes in 1945. He spent most of his career playing in the Mexican Leagues and Cuba.”67

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com and seamheads.com.

Notes

1 Jorge S. Figueredo, Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961, McFarland and Company, 2003), 131-132.

2 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos (Baseball-holics), April 5, 2009, https://www.beisbolicos.com/beisbolicos.nsf/489cfd4139951594862570b20015c24f/12097eec908e62698625758f0081e8b9?opendocument (archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20200202071654/https://www.beisbolicos.com/beisbolicos.nsf/489cfd4139951594862570b20015c24f/12097eec908e62698625758f0081e8b9?opendocument. Unless otherwise specified, All Mexican, US, and Canadian minor-league statistics mentioned in this biography stem from Rubio’s insightful work. 

3 “Carreras Anotadas,” (Runs Scored Leaders), Desde Mi Palco de Fanático: Memorias y Reflexiones del Baseball Cubano, https://desdemipalcodefanatico.wordpress.com/archivo/carreras-anotadas/.

4 Jorge S. Figueredo, Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961.

5 James Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1994), 150.

6 Dave O’Karma, “The Forgotten Championship,” Cleveland Magazine, https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/sports/articles/the-forgotten-championship.

7 Cleveland Buckeyes Website, sponsored by Wayne Pearsall. https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/1945SPRINGTRAINING.htm

8 Dave O’Karma, “The Forgotten Championship.” Most newspaper articles dropped the tilde (~) in Cañizares; occasionally spelled his last name as Canizarez; and sometimes misspelled his first name as “Avalino.”

9 Stephanie M. Liscio, Integrating Cleveland Baseball: Media Activism, the Integration of the Indians and the Demise of the Cleveland Buckeyes (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2014), 92.

10 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/1945openingDAY.html.

11 “Aces in Hole Are Bucks’ Cuban Stars,” Cleveland Call and Post, June 2, 1945: 6B.

12 Bob Williams, “Sports Rumbler,” Cleveland Call and Post, June 9, 1945: 6B.

13 Bob Williams, “Buckeyes Leading League; Play Chicago American Giants Here Sunday,” Cleveland Call and Post, June 16, 1945: 6B.

14 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/summer_in_the_city.htm.

15 “Disputed Umpire’s Decision Almost Disrupts Buckeyes-Giant Series,” Cleveland Call and Post, June 23, 1945: 18.

16 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/halfwaymark.html.

17 Wendell Smith, “The Sports Beat,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 14, 1945: 12.

18 Cleveland Buckeyes Website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/SUMMER_IN_THE_CITY2.html.

19 “Buckeyes Take 2 Games From Clowns, Gird for Pennant,” Cleveland Call and Post, July 28, 1945: 6B.

20 Gaylon H. White, Singles and Smiles: How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), 30.

21 Willie Bea Harmon, “Sportorial,” Kansas City Call, July 20, 1945: 6.

22 Fay Young, “Mathis to Start for West Against East on Sunday: Lefthander Will Make Bid to Halt East’s Bats,” Chicago Defender, July 20, 1945: 7.

23 “Expect 40,000 to Witness ‘Dream Game’ in Chicago,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 28, 1945: 12.

24 “Afro Favors West Team in Annual All-Star Tilt,” Baltimore Afro-American, July 28, 1945: 18.

25 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/AllStar.html.

26 “Mathis to Start for West Against East on Sunday,” Chicago Defender, July 28, 1945: 7. The game’s box score is available on Retrosheet: https://retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1945/B07290ASW1945.htm.

27 Jimmy Jones, “Buckeyes, Eagles Split Double-Header at Newark, 4-0, 4-3 in Thrillers; W. Jefferson Is Loser,” Cleveland Call and Post, August 18, 1945: 6B.

28 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/September1945.html.

29 Jimmy Jones, “Buckeyes Gain Undisputed Title as League Champions,” Cleveland Call and Post, September 8, 1945: 6B.

30 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes, Seamheads, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1945&teamID=CBE&LGOrd=2&tab=metrics.

31 WAR as measured by Seamheads, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1945&teamID=CBE&LGOrd=2&tab=bypos. Baseball Reference credits Cañizares with a 1.3 WAR and Bremer with a 2.6 WAR, https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NAL/1945-other-leaders.shtml.

32 “Meet the Champs – Can They Dethrone Grays?” Cleveland Call and Post, September 15, 1945: 7B.

33 Jimmy Jones, “Buckeyes Aim, to Dethrone Homestead Grays, Czars of All Baseball for Six Years, “ Cleveland Call and Post, September 15, 1945: 7B.

34 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/Game1.htm.

35 “Buckeyes Capture Three Straight From Wobbly Grays,” Michigan Chronicle (Detroit), September 22, 1945: 15. A reconstructed play-by-play account of the game is available on Retrosheet: https://retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1945/B09130CVB1945.htm.

36 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/Game2.html.

37 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/Game3.html.

38 Cleveland Buckeyes website, https://www.clevelandbuckeyesbaseball.com/Game4WS.html.

39 “Key Personalities Who Sparked Amazing Championship of ‘Cinderella’ Team,” Cleveland Call and Post, September 29, 1945: 6B.

40 Cleveland Jackson, “Mexican Baseball League Raids American Negro Teams,” Cleveland Call and Post, February 23, 1946: 9B.

41 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

42 “Gardella Emulates Ted, Hits Pair in Mex Classic,” The Sporting News, July 17, 1946: 30.

43 “Cubans Name Ineligibles on Winter League Roster,” The Sporting News, September 25, 1946: 24.

44 Jorge S. Figueredo, Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961.

45 Julio Pérez, “El estadio del Cerro, hoy Latinoamericano, cumple 70 años de existencia,” Radio Habana Cuba, October 26, 2016, https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/deportes/109959-el-estadio-del-cerro-hoy-latinoamericano-cumple-70-anos-de-existencia.

46 Roberto González Echevarría, The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 31.

47 Almendares-Cienfuegos box score, October 26, 1946, as reproduced in Angel Torres, La Historia del Béisbol Cubano, 1878-1976, self-published book.

48 Arquímedes Romo Pérez, “El béisbol en Morón III,” March 23, 2023, https://www.radiomoron.icrt.cu/2023/03/23/el-beisbol-en-moron-iii/.

49 Stephanie M. Liscio, Integrating Cleveland Baseball: Media Activism, the Integration of the Indians and the Demise of the Cleveland Buckeyes, 105.

50 Cleveland Jackson, “Avelino Canizares Signs $8,400 Mexican Contract. Night Games Planned for League Park,” Cleveland Call and Post, March 1, 1947: 8B.

51 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

52 Jorge S. Figueredo, Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961.

53 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

54 Pedro Galiana, “Miranda Sparks Almendares to 6 Wins,” The Sporting News, January 26, 1949: 24.

55 William Pérez Villalba, “Gloria del Beisbol Cubano,” July 29, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/groups/222151257802610/permalink/3226464174037955/?paipv=0&eav=AfaLgISvyKH54FFO62guwMkjBRsTWOGSAqF3X0RLW-7ovD7HtueybQ1umOfFQMsNWco&_rdr.

56 Jorge S. Figueredo, Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961,

57 Other sources credit him with an additional run scored and run batted in, most notably Peter Bjarkman, Baseball with a Latin Beat: A History of the Latin American Game (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2010), 189. Bjarkman credits Béisbol Cubano, Récords y Estadísticas, 1878-1955, as the original source.

58 Cañizares was featured in the 1945-1946 Caramelo Deportivo (considered the most important Cuban baseball card set) and the 1949-1950 Alerta Premium, a set of 8×11 black-and-white pictures of Cuban baseball players promoting “Antonio” (Antonio Prío Socarrás) for mayor of La Habana. Prío Socarrás was the brother of Cuban President Carlos Prío Socarrás, ousted by Fulgencio Batista in 1952.

59 Sherbrooke Athlétiques Team Photo, Histoire de la ligue provinciale de baseball (History of the Provincial Baseball League), https://www.lesfantomesdustade.ca/1950-1952/1950-sherbrooke-athl%C3%A9tiques.

60 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

61 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

62 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

63 “Negro Baseball Contributed Plenty Players of Yesteryears Had Big Time Potential,” Cleveland Call and Post, March 9, 1957: 4C.

64 Jesús Alberto Rubio, “Avelino Cañizares,” Beisbólicos.

65 Roberto González Echevarría, 22.

66 The original Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame suspended inductions in 1961 after Castro’s Revolution and restarted in 2015. The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Miami elected players from 1962 to 1986 and sporadically since then. For more information, consult Rogerio Manzano, “Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Cubano,” Desde mi palco de fanático, https://desdemipalcodefanatico.wordpress.com/archivo/salon-de-la-fama-del-beisbol-cubano/.

67 “Canizares, Avelino,” Negro League Baseball Players Association (NLBPA) website, http://www.nlbpa.com/the-athletes/canizares-avelino.