11/29/07 This Day in Washington Baseball History...

The Continuing Attempt To Educate A Montreal Fan About DC Baseball History...

     On November 29, 1925, Saturnino Orestes Armas (Arrieta) "Minnie" Minoso was born in Havana, Cuba. After leading the Negro League's New York Cubans to a Negro League Pennant and World Series win in 1947, Minoso was signed as an Amateur Free Agent by the Cleveland Indians on January 1, 1948. Minoso debuted a little over one year later on April 19, 1949 and played just 17 games for the Indians before being traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a three-team deal with Cleveland and Philadelphia.

     Minoso hit over .300 four times in his six seasons with the White Sox, finishing as high a .320 in '54, after hitting .281 for his lowest average in his first full season in Chicago in 1952, and finished his first stint in Chicago with 168 doubles, 58 triples, 90 HR's and 542 RBI's as a White Sock.

     Traded back to the Indians on December 4, 1957, Minoso lasted two years before the Indians traded Minoso back to the White Sox again, who then traded him to St. Louis Cardinals, from whom the Washington Senators purchased the then-thirty-seven year-old IF/OF's contract on April 2, 1963.

     Minnie Minoso hit .229 in his one season in DC with 12 doubles, 4 HR's and 30 RBI's before being released by the Senators after the '63 season, and again by the White Sox after the '64 season, ending the fifteen year care-...

     Minoso's career didn't end there, twelve years later in 1976, at fifty-three years of age, Minoso returned to the White Sox, and hit in 1 at bat in 3 games, becoming the second-oldest player to ever record an MLB hit...(according to wikipedia.org's profile, I couldn't find anyone older...)

     ...and four years later...

     Minnie Minoso got two more at bats in two games with the White Sox in 1980 as a 54 year-old, but failed to record a hit in either appearance. Minoso's career ended after 17 seasons(according to most), with a .298 AVG, 336 doubles, 83 triples, 186 HR's, 1023 RBI's and 205 steals...

      According to Major League baseball, and baseball-reference.com Minoso's career ends there, but if you check thebaseballcube.com's Minnie Minoso stats:

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Minnie-Minoso.shtml

     ...You'll notice that Minnie Minoso made one appearance with the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League of Professional Baseball, where the eighty(yes 80!) year-old was issued a walk in one at bat to become the only player to appear in a game in seven decades of baseball.

*Minnie Minoso Links*

Negro League Baseball Player Association official website profile of Orestes "Minnie" Minoso:

http://www.nlbpa.com/minoso__orestes_-_minnie.html

Minnie Minoso stats at baseball-reference.com:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/minosmi01.shtml

Minnie Minoso stats at thebaseballcube.com:

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Minnie-Minoso.shtml

Minnie Minoso's profile at wikipedia.org:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Minoso