Martín Dihigo
Encyclopedia
Martín Magdaleno Dihigo Llanos (May 25, 1906 - May 20, 1971) was a Cuba
n player in baseball's Negro leagues
and Latin America
n leagues who excelled at several positions, primarily as a pitcher
and second baseman
. He was born in the sugarmill Jesús María (town of Cidra) in Matanzas Province
, Cuba.
in the Cuban League
. His first summer in U.S.
baseball came in as a first baseman
for the Negro leagues' Cuban Stars (East)
. He played in the Negro leagues from 1923 through and again briefly in . Over the course of his career, he played all nine positions. As a hitter, he led the Negro leagues in home run
s in and . As a pitcher, he once defeated Satchel Paige
when the latter was touring Cuba.
as a pitcher, while winning the batting title
with a .387 average. In another season in the Mexican League, he had a 0.15 ERA. In his Mexican career, he was 119-57 with a .317 batting average. In the Cuban League, he was 107-56 with a .298 average. Dihigo continued his playing career in Mexico into the early 1950s. He was Cuba's Minister of Sport from 1959 until his death, where he was called "The Immortal". In other Latin American countries, he was called "El Maestro", translated as "The Master".
, Cuba. Known as a humorous, good-natured man as well as a versatile player, Dihigo was elected to the American Baseball Hall of Fame in . Dihigo was also inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
Hall of Fame.
He is the only player to be inducted to the American
, Cuban
and Mexican Baseball
Halls of Fame
, and is also in the Dominican Republic
and Venezuela
Halls of Fame.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n player in baseball's Negro leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n leagues who excelled at several positions, primarily as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
. He was born in the sugarmill Jesús María (town of Cidra) in Matanzas Province
Matanzas Province
Matanzas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas...
, Cuba.
Early career
Dihigo began his professional career in the winter of 1922/23 at the age of 16 as a substitute infielder for HabanaHabana (baseball club)
The Habana club was one of the oldest and most distinguished baseball teams in the old Cuban League, which existed from 1878 to 1961. Habana, representing the city of Havana, was the only team to play in the league every season of its existence and was one of its most successful franchises...
in the Cuban League
Cuban League
The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside of the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961...
. His first summer in U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baseball came in as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for the Negro leagues' Cuban Stars (East)
Cuban Stars (East)
The Cuban Stars were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933...
. He played in the Negro leagues from 1923 through and again briefly in . Over the course of his career, he played all nine positions. As a hitter, he led the Negro leagues in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in and . As a pitcher, he once defeated Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
when the latter was touring Cuba.
Negro leagues
Dihigo's career record in twelve seasons in the Negro leagues was a .307 average and .511 slugging percentage, with 431 hits, 64 home runs, 61 doubles, 17 triples, 227 RBIs, and 292 runs scored in 1404 at bats. He drew 143 walks and stole 41 bases. As a pitcher, he went 26–19 with a 2.92 ERA, with 176 strikeouts and 80 walks in 354 innings.Mexican and Cuban leagues
Although a two-time All-Star in the American Negro leagues, Dihigo's greatest season came in the Mexican League in , where he went 18-2 with a 0.90 ERAEarned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
as a pitcher, while winning the batting title
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with a .387 average. In another season in the Mexican League, he had a 0.15 ERA. In his Mexican career, he was 119-57 with a .317 batting average. In the Cuban League, he was 107-56 with a .298 average. Dihigo continued his playing career in Mexico into the early 1950s. He was Cuba's Minister of Sport from 1959 until his death, where he was called "The Immortal". In other Latin American countries, he was called "El Maestro", translated as "The Master".
Career stats
Combining his Dominican, American, Cuban and Mexican statistics results in a lifetime .302 career batting average with 130 home runs (eleven seasons worth of home run totals are missing) and a 252-132 pitching record.Death and Halls of Fame inductions
He died five days before his 65th birthday in CienfuegosCienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
, Cuba. Known as a humorous, good-natured man as well as a versatile player, Dihigo was elected to the American Baseball Hall of Fame in . Dihigo was also inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, Inc., was founded in San Francisco, California, in June 1999 by its founder Mr.Gabriel "Tito" Avila, Jr., as a way to honor the greatest Hispanic baseball players of all time. The organization is a not-for-profit institution...
Hall of Fame.
He is the only player to be inducted to the American
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
, Cuban
Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame
The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that honors eminent baseball players from the pre-revolution Cuban League. Established in 1939, by 1961 it had honored 68 players whose names are shown on a marble plaque at Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano...
and Mexican Baseball
Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México
The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México , commonly called the Salón de la Fama is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León. It is dedicated to recognizing people who have either contributed greatly to baseball in México...
Halls of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
, and is also in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
Halls of Fame.