(Story & Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Baseball-legend Minnie Miņoso passed away
Nederlands
IN MEMORIAM 
...Minnie Miņoso...
(1922 - 2015)
(photo courtesy of Chicago White Sox)
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 CHICAGO, Illinois (USA) -
Minnie Miņoso, the legendary outfielder of the Chicago White Sox, who played in five (!) different decades in the Major League, passed away today (Sunday, March 1) at the age of 92.
Miņoso had a remarkable career, playing seventeen years in the Major League, ten of which with the ChiSox, where he became and was very popular.
Miņoso's age was a big uncertainty.
It is listed that Saturnino Orestes Armas Miņoso Arrieta was born on November 29, 1922 (or maybe even earlier) in El Perico, near Cuban capital Havana.
As a free agent, he signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and he then made his Major League-debut the following season.
He appeared in nine games for the Indians in 1949, which was to be the first decade in which he played in the Major League.
In 1950, Miņoso played for the San Diego Padres, which back then was a minor league-team in the Pacific Coast League (AAA).
Miņoso, who simply enjoyed playing baseball, returned to the big league in 1951 when he played in his first full season at the highest level.
After having played in eight games for the Indians in the beginning of that season, Miņoso was part of a 3-team trade and he ended up with the Chicago White Sox.
There, he became the first colored player to play in the Major League for the White Sox, four years after Jackie Robinson had broken the color-barrier in 1947.
He is also regarded as the first Cuban-born black player to reach the Major League.
With the White Sox, the 'Cuban Comet' played through 1957, primarily as an outfielder, but also sometimes playing at third base.
In December 1957, Miņoso was traded back to the Indians, where he then played in 1958 and 1959.
Another trade followed in December 1959 when the Indians traded him again to the White Sox.
After having playing for Chicago in 1960 and 1961, Miņoso was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played in the 1962 season.
He played in only 39 games for the Cardinals, then was purchased by the Washington Senators in April 1963.
Miņoso was released after the 1963 season, but was signed again as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox.
In 1964, he played in only 30 games for the White Sox, then was released in July 1964, which was his third decade in the Major League.
...Webmaster Marco Stoovelaar meets Minnie Miņoso...
...in 1994 in Phoenix, Arizona (USA)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar; taken by Hans van Driel Krol) |
That release appeared to be the end of Minõso's big league-career, but he would return twelve years later!
In September 1976, he was signed by the White Sox, played in three games, then was released again in October.
To accomplish the feat of having played in the Major League in five different decades, Miņoso was enabled to do so in 1980 and became the second player in history to do so.
On October 3 of that year, towards the end of the season, at age 57, he signed a contract with the White Sox, appeared in two games as a pinch-hitter, then was released again on October 6.
There even were rumors that he was coming back ten years later for another appearance during the 1990 season, but that never happened.
His two comebacks in 1976 and 1980 were publicity stunts, created by Bill Veeck, then then-owner of the White Sox, who alwasy came up with new initiatives and ideas to attract and entertain the spectators.
In 1976, Miņoso went 1-for-8.
In 17 seasons, Miņoso played in 1835 games and collected 1963 basehits (including 186 homeruns) in 6579 at bats.
He scored 1136 runs and batted in 1023.
Seven times, he was elected to participate in the All Star Game and he won a Gold Glove three times.
On four occasions, Miņoso, who was known as 'Mr. White Sox', ended up in fourth place in the voting for Most Valuable Player in the American League.
As he was standing close to the plate in the batter's box, Miņoso led the American League in hit by pitches ten times.
He is in ninth place on the all-time list with 192.
The White Sox retired his uniform number 9 in 1983.
In 2004, a statue of him was unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the White Sox.
In April last year, Miņoso threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game of the White Sox.
The last years, Minnie Miņoso was on the ballot-list of the Veterans Committee for the Hall of Fame.
In its latest election, last December, he ended up just four votes short of being elected.
However, through the years, Miņoso was elected in the five other Halls of Fame, including the Cuban Hall of Fame.
On a personal note, your webmaster was thrilled and honored to meet Minnie Miņoso in Phoenix, Arizona in 1994.
Miņoso was a warm personality, very approachable and sympathetic.
In that year, I was in Arizona as the scorekeeper of a team of Kinheim, which participated in the Senior Baseball World Series.
With the passing of Minnie Miņoso, the baseball-world has lost another icon, so shortly after the passing of Ernie Banks on January 23.
(March 1)
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