Brooklyn Dodger left fielder Sandy Amoros makes a game saving catch near the left field fence in foul ground to prevent extra runs by the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series (photo from cubanbeisol.com)

Babe Ruth Outdone in Cuba

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

One year before he hit 59 home runs, Babe “El Bambino”Ruth was in Cuba,the one country outside the US,that payed the highest for Major League Players.This was decades before Cuban dictator Fidel Castro declared his government – a Communist government and banned all professional sports from the island. A Cuban developer and promoter by the name of Abel Linares payed Babe Ruth $20,000($2,000 per game) to join John McGraw’s New York Giants during a postseason series in Havana against Los Alacranes del Almendares(Scorpions of Almendares). It was a series in November of 1920.The $20,000 that Ruth received in 1920 is today the equivalent of $250,000.

On November 4,1920 Cristóbal Torriente started in center-field and hit fifth in the lineup. At that time he was considered one of the three best black players of all time.In five at bats Torriente got on base four times,with one double and three home runs and drove six of the 11 runs guiding the Almendares to an easy 11-4 victory of the New York Giants,with Babe Ruth as clean-up hitter, who started at first-base but later went to pitch in the fifth inning,and thereafter McGraw moved him back to first base.

Other great Cuban players during 1920 on that day against the New York Giants and Babe Ruth,that played with Almendares,were:Armando Marsans, Eusebio González and Mike Herrera (all three played in the major leagues) they were Cuban Caucasians.On that same team was Cristóbal Torriente,who was of light-skin never played in the major leagues because the scouts who looked at him conspired his hair too kinky.However it was Torriente,not Babe Ruth who really shined and outplayed The Bambino during that one historic series in Havana one November day.

The team that Ruth played against.The Almendares was one of the most heralded professional teams in pre-Castro’s Cuba,and one of the Cuban-born players from Almendares that made it to the major leagues (among others) was Edmundo (Sandy) Amorós, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1955 World Series, who made a series winning double-play playing left-field during the seventh game, that gave the Dodgers the title over the New York Yankees. Their first title in franchise history.I saw Amorós towards the end of his career in that old Cuban professional winter league at the Estadio de El Cerro in Marianao, he was still with Almendares, and was truly a fan favorite for Cubans. He was a hero after that series saving catch.

Cristóbal Torriente was an outfielder of great power in Negro league baseball with the Cuban Stars,All Nations,Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars.He played from 1912 to 1932. Of all the Cubans in the lineup that November 4,1920 Torriente was the only elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown,New York.

This quote from his countryman says it all.
“We have never given Torriente the credit he deserved. He did everything well,he fielded like a natural,threw in perfect form he covered as much field as could be covered; as for hitting,he left being good to being something extraordinary” -Martin Dihigo (National Baseball Hall of Fame)

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice