If you have downtime this holiday season, pick up a baseball book or two and see what historic nuggets interest you. Here are some worth thinking about from the international and Negro League perspective …
First Latin American in MLB: Former Manhattan College player Lou Castro from Medellin, Colombia, is considered to be the first MLB player from Latin America to play in the modern era when he made his debut with the Philadelphia Athletics on April 23, 1902, for the Philadelphia Athletics in his only season.
First Latin American in Negro Leagues: Pedro San was the first recognized Latin American Player from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, to play in the Negro Leagues with the Cuban Stars (East) from 1926–1928 and now registered with cumulative stats and is recognized by Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
First Latin American in Modern World Series Era: Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Mel Almada – see photo above – from Huatabampo, Mexico, was the first Latin American player to play in MLB in the Modern World Series Era and debuted on September 8, 1933.
Negro League Stat Inclusion: Negro League stats registration refers to the recent action by Major League Baseball (MLB) to officially incorporate statistics from the Negro Leagues into their historical record. The accomplishments of players from the Negro Leagues between 1920 and 1948 are now considered part of the official MLB record books, allowing for direct comparison with other Major League players throughout history.
Baseball References stats for the Negro Leagues were added in combination with Major League Baseball on June 15, 2021. MLB added Negro League stats to their database on May 29, 2024.
The First Game: The first officially recorded baseball game in the United States was played on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, N.J., at Elysian Fields, when the New York Nine defeated the Knickerbockers 23–1 in four innings.
Photo of Mel Almada via Wiki Commons
