(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Orlando Cepeda...
(1937 - 2024) |
  San Francisco Giants-legend and Hall off Famer Orlando Cepeda passed away
Nederlands
 CONCORD, California (USA) -
Orlando Cepeda, who developed into a legendary first baseman and slugger, passed away on Friday (June 28) at age 86.
Cepeda, who was nicknamed 'The Baby Bull' and 'Peruchin', played in 17 Major League-seasons for six different clubs.
In nine of these seasons, Cepeda played for San Francisco Giants.
He played in three seasons for St. Louis Cardinals and in four with Atlanta Braves.
The Puerto Rican powerhitter also briefly played for Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.
With the passing of Orlando Cepeda, the San Francisco Giants-organization again has to say goodbye to one of its beloved and iconic players.
Only ten days earlier, on June 18, Willie Mays passed away at age 93.
Cepeda and Mays were part of a group of iconic Giants-players, which also includes Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal.
All of them were frequently at the stadium, attending home-games of the Giants-team after they had retired.
McCovey passed away in 2018.
Marichal, who is from the Dominican Republic, will turn 87 in October.
All of them are Hall of Famers.
Orlando Cepeda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, twenty years after Mays.
Like Mays, Cepeda is a member of the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame, as are McCovey and Marichal.
In all his nine seasons with San Francisco, Cepeda was a teammate of Mays.
In his long career, Cepeda played in eleven All Star Games.
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes was born on September 17, 1937 in Ponce, the second most populated city of Puerto Rico behind capital San Juan.
Ponce is the home of Leones de Ponce, one of the leading professional baseball-clubs in Puerto Rico.
Cepeda's father Pedro also was a professional baseball-player and is generally seen as one of the best Puerto Rican players in his days.
His nickname was 'Perucho' and 'The Bull'.
That's why Orlando's nickname became 'The Baby Bull'.
Pedro Cepeda also was known as 'Babe Cobb of Puerto Rico', as his hitting and way of playing (in baserunning) was often compared to legendary American Major League-players Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
As a colored player, Pedro never got a chance to play in the Major League himself, as his career spanned from a period from the late twenties through the forties.
Cepeda, who was an infielder and outfielder, played the majority of his career in Puerto Rico, but he also played in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
In 1937, he played for Los Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo in the Dominican Republic together with Negro League-stars and future Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell.
The color barrier was broken on April 15, 1947 when Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major League when he was the first baseman for Brookyn Dodgers.
Since 2004, April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day in the Major League.
On that day, all players and coaches wear Jackie's uniform number 42, which was retired throughout the Major League in 1997.
Pedro Cepeda passed away in April 1955 at age 50 from complications of malaria.
Orlando Cepeda grew up in baseball, was mentored by his father and went on to play in amateur-teams.
Thanks to Pedro Zorilla, the owner of professional Puerto Rican club Cangrejeros de Santurce, Cepeda got a try-out with the New York Giants in 1955.
He initially was a third baseman, but moved to first base.
In his first season in 1955, at age 17, Cepeda wins the Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (.364), homeruns (22) and runs batted in (107).
Cepeda is promoted to higher leagues in following seasons.
In 1958, Orlando Cepeda makes his Major League-debut for San Francisco Giants, the first season of the club in California after having moved from New York after the previous season.
Amongst his teammates is club-icon Willie Mays, who moved with the club to San Francisco.
By hitting 13 homeruns before May 31, Cepeda sets a rookie-record, which was broken in 2001 by Albert Pujols, who then hit 16.
Cepeda finishes the season with a .312 batting average, has 96 runs batted in and hits 25 homeruns.
He is the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year Award.
In 1959, Cepeda is selected as a starting player in both All Star Games that are played that year.
With that, he became the first Puerto Rican-player to start in an All Star Game.
In this season, Cepeda also moves to the outfield, as Willie McCovey is the prime first baseman.
Cepeda again is the leading hitter of the Giants-team.
Cepeda returns to first base in 1960.
In 1961, Orlando Cepeda has one of his best seasons with career-highs in homeruns (46) and RBI's (142), which are also the league's best.
His 142 RBI's are still a club-record for righthanded batters.
He finishes in second place in the voting for Most Valuable Player behind Frank Robinson.
From 1959 on, Cepeda is ranked high in offensive categories annually through 1964.
He hits .300 or more in six of his seven seasons since his debut-season in 1958.
In 1962, Cepeda played in his first World Series with San Francisco, which lost in seven games to New York Yankees.
However, in these years, Cepeda also had some problems with then-Manager Alvin Dark, who wanted Latin American players to stop speaking Spanish in the clubhouse.
From 1963 on, Cepeda was bothered by a knee-injury, which he sustained in the previous winter while playing in Puerto Rico.
Despite his injury, he was one of the leading hitters and finished fifth in the league with a .316 batting average.
Due to his knee-problem, Cepeda played in only 33 games in 1965.
In May 1966, San Francisco Giants traded Orlando Cepeda to St. Louis Cardinals after having played in 19 games.
In return, pitcher Ray Sadecki moved to San Francisco.
Some said at the time that San Francisco had made an unfavorable move to trade Cepeda.
In the remainder of the 1966 season, Cepeda played in 123 games and batted .303.
He was named Comeback Player of the Year in the National League.
Throughout his 8-plus seasons with San Francisco Giants, Cepeda was a teammate of Jim Davenport and Willie Mays.
Except for 1958, Willie McCovey also was a teammate in that span and since 1960, Juan Marichal played for the team.
Other longtime teammates were José Pagan (seven seasons), Felipe Alou (six seasons), Chuck Hiller, Harvey Kuenn, Mike McCormick<, Stu Miller and Gaylord Perry (all five seasons).
Other wellknown teammates included Jesus Alou, Matty Alou, Joey Amalfitano, Johnny Antonello, Del Crandall, Tito Fuentes, Hal Lanier, Don Larsen, Manny Mota, Andre Rodgers, Hank Sauer, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn and Leon Wagner.
In 1967, Cepeda is a leading player for St. Louis, which not only captures the National League-title, but also wins the World Series, defeating Boston Red Sox in seven games.
Cepeda ends the season with a .325 average and leads the league with 111 RBI's.
After the season, Cepeda is unanimously named Most Valuable Player of the National League.
He becomes only the second National League-player to win the Award unanimously, the first was pitcher Carl Hubbell in 1936.
Cepeda is one of only four players who were named unanimously as both Rookie of the Year and MVP.
The other three are Frank Robinson, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.
In 1968, St. Louis Cardinals again plays in the World Series, but loses to Detroit Tigers.
Cepeda has a less productive season.
He hits .248, which is the lowest average in his career, and finishes with only 16 homeruns and 73 RBI's.
Just before the 1969 season, St. Louis trades Cepeda to Atlanta Braves for catcher/infielder Joe Torre, who currently is a Special Assistant to Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Amongst his teammates in his three seasons with St. Louis Cardinals were Nelson Briles, Lou Brock, Steve Carlton, Pat Corrales, Curt Flood, Tito Francona, Bob Gibson, Julian Javier, Roger Maris, Dal Maxvill, Tim McCarver, Mike Shannon and Bobby Tolan.
At Atlanta, Cepeda becomes a teammate of club-legend Hank Aaron.
Playing for his new team, Cepeda reaches two milestones.
In 1969, he hits his 300th homerun and in 1970, he collects his 2,000th basehit.
In 1970, Cepeda also hits three homeruns in one game, one of them a grand slam.
After having hit .248 in 1968 and .257 in 1969, Cepeda hits .305 in 1970 with 34 homeruns and 111 RBI's.
During the 1971 season, Cepeda again injures his knee and misses several games.
In July 1972, Atlanta trades Cepeda to Oakland Athletics for pitcher Denny McLain.
In his 3-plus seasons at Atlanta Braves, Cepeda played together with Hank Aaron, Tommie Aaron, Felipe Alou, Bob Aspromonte, Dusty Baker, Clete Boyer, Rico Carty, Bob Didier, Darrell Evans, Tito Francona, Ralph Garr, Gil Garrido, Tony Gonzalez, Sonny Jackson, Mike Lum, Felix Millán, Phil Niekro, Milt Pappas, Ron Reed, Cecil Upshaw and Hoyt Wilhelm.
...Hall of Fame-plaquette...
...of Orlando Cepeda... |
When Cepeda joined Oakland, the team was playing in what became the golden years for the Athletics, as the team went on two win its first of three consecutive World Series-titles.
However, Cepeda was no part of that succes.
He played in only three games in his first week for Oakland in July, as he had to undergo new surgery on his knee and missed the remainder of the season.
Cepeda was released in December.
Amongst his teammates during his brief stay with Oakland Athletics were Sal Bando, Vida Blue, Bert Campaneris, Dave Duncan, George Hendrick, Ken Holtzman, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Angel Mangual, Blue Moon Odom, Joe Rudi and Gene Tenace.
Cepeda initially planned to retire, but in January 1973, he signed with Boston Red Sox to fill in a new position.
In 1973, the American League introduces the designated hitter.
Cepeda plays in 142 games, hits .289 with 20 homeruns and 86 RBI's and wins the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
By hitting 20 homeruns, he becomes the first player to hit 20 or more homeruns with four different teams.
Amongst his teammates in his lone season with Boston Red Sox were Luis Aparicio, Cecil Cooper, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, Doug Griffin, Tommy Harper, Bill Lee, Rick Miller, Roger Moret, Ben Oglivie, Rico Petrocelli, Reggie Smith, Luis Tiant and Carl Yastrzemski.
In March 1974, Cepeda was released by Boston and he went on to play in Mexico.
More than four months later, in early August, he signs with Kansas City Royals.
Cepeda plays in 33 games for Kansas City, hitting one homerun and batting in 18 runs.
A week before the end of season, Cepeda is released and he then retires.
Amongst his teammates at Kansas City Royals were Kurt Bevacqua, George Brett, Al Cowens, Bruce Dal Canton, Fran Healy, Buck Martinez, John Mayberry, Hal McRae, Steve Mingori, Amos Otis, Freddie Patek, Vada Pinson, Cookie Rojas, Tony Solaita, Paul Splittorff, Frank White and Jim Wohlford.
In his 17 Major League-seasons, Orlando Cepeda played in 2,124 games.
He collected 2,351 basehits, including 379 homeruns.
Cepeda scored 1,131 runs and batted in 1,365 runs.
Several years after his retirement, Cepeda coached a team in the professional Puerto Rican League and also served as scout for Chicago White Sox.
From 1987 on, Cepeda worked as goodwill ambassador for San Francisco Giants and since then, he remained active for the club in community work.
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...Orlando Cepeda's Hall of Fame-speech in 1999... |
In 1999, Orlando Cepeda was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
He became the second Puerto Rican player to be elected, the first being Roberto Clemente.
Cepeda is officially inducted on July 25, 1999 alongside George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount, who were elected in the regular January-election.
Besides Cepeda, the Veterans Committee also elected postumously former umpire Nestor Chylak, former Manager Frank Selee and former Negro League-star Smokey Joe Williams.
Since 1990, Cepeda was elected into fourteen different Halls of Fame, which also includes the Puerto Rico Baseball Hall of Fame (1991) and San Francico Giants Hall of Fame (2008).
In 1999, San Francisco retired his uniform number 30.
In 2008, a statue of Orlando Cepeda was unveiled at Oracle Park, San Francisco's new home-stadium since 2000.
He became the fourth former player to be honored with a statue, the others being Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal.
Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
,,Orlando Cepeda was one of the best hitters of his generation.
He starred for three historic National League franchises, and the 11-time All-Star played alongside Hall of Fame players throughout his career.
Orlando was the 1958 National League Rookie of the Year when Major League Baseball debuted in San Francisco, where later ‘The Baby Bull’s’ number 30 was retired.
In 1967 he earned NL MVP honors during the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Championship season.
Orlando overcame challenges throughout his life to build a Hall of Fame career.
This beloved figure from Puerto Rico was one of the many players of his era who helped turn baseball into a multicultural game.
On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, his friends across our game, and his many fans in Puerto Rico, San Francisco, St. Louis, Atlanta and beyond.''
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...San Francisco Giants-tribute, narrated by Mike Krukow... |
Greg Johnson, Chairman of San Francisco Giants, said:
,,We lost a true gentleman and legend.
Orlando was a great ambassador for the game throughout his playing career and beyond.
He was one of the all-time great Giants and he will truly be missed.
Our condolences go out to the Cepeda family for their tremendous loss and we extend our thoughts to Orlando’s teammates, his friends, and to all those touched by his passing.''
Larry Baer, President and Chief Executive Officer of San Francisco Giants, added:
,,This is truly a sad day for the San Francisco Giants.
For all of Orlando’s extraordinary baseball accomplishments, it was his generosity, kindness and joy that defined him.
No one loved the game more.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Nydia, his five children, Orlando, Jr., Malcolm, Ali, Carl and Hector, his nine grandchildren, his one great granddaughter as well as his extended family and friends.''
The St. Louis Cardinals-organization issued the following statement on X:
,,The St. Louis Cardinals offer our condolences to the family and friends of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda who sadly passed away earlier this evening at the age 86.
Orlando brought his love for life and the game of baseball to St. Louis in 1966, and enjoyed an MVP season the following year while helping the "El Birdos" Cardinals to a World Series title in 1967.
''Cha-Cha'', who remained a fan-favorite among Cardinals fans well beyond his three seasons playing for St. Louis, will long be remembered for his distinguished playing career, but more importantly for the cheerful joy he shared with others.''
Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said:
,,Orlando Cepeda’s unabashed love for the game of baseball sparkled during his extraordinary playing career, and later as one of the game’s enduring ambassadors.
We will miss his wonderful smile at Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, where his spirit will shine forever, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the Cepeda family.''
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family and friends of Orlando Cepeda, as well as the San Francisco Giants-organization, and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(June 30)
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