Baseball without Borders: The International Pastime

9. Puerto Rico: A Major League Steppingstone

9 | Puerto Rico A Major League Steppingstone Our two families moved to Puerto Rico in the years after World War II, when our fathers accepted positions in international banking and government: Frank’s father the banker and Tom’s an economist for Operation Bootstrap—the ambitious government program that paved the way for Puerto Rico’s postwar industrialization . Frank was born in San Juan and Tom was two years old when his family embarked on a four-day voyage from Baltimore to San Juan. The ship carried lumber to help rebuild the island, which was devastated by a recent hurricane. Growing up we were both avid followers of the Puerto Rico Winter League ( ), a professional league with a three-month season that began after the U.S. World Series and ended before spring training. We both attended games at Sixto Escobar and Hiram Bithorn Stadiums, home fields for the capital area’s San Juan Senadorers (Senators) and Santurce Cangrejeros (Crabbers ), respectively. Radio broadcasts in Spanish and newspaper coverage provided our daily dose of box scores, league standings, and player statistics. We idolized the Crabbers and many of its native players, some of whom made names for themselves in the Major Leagues, including future Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda. Rubén Gómez, who pitched for the New York Giants, was the father of a grammar school classmate of Tom’s, whom he remembers joining them in pickup games after school, pitching for both sides. Our fathers took us to our first games. In Frank watched ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ A Major League Steppingstone Willie Mays get his first hit for Santurce. Throughout the game, fans taunted the opposition with whistles, cowbells, and conga drums. They waved white handkerchiefs, chanting “Ese es tu papá!” (He’s your father !) as Rubén Gómez shut down the opposing batters. Tom remembers the open betting and money changing hands through a chain of fans between the losing bettor and the winner. Fans used hand signals—e.g., five fingers up for five dollars that, say, Tony Pérez would get a hit. That was a lot of cash then, as the average worker on the island made about $ . an hour. The stakes were higher during a March spring training game at Bithorn Stadium between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators. Fans a few seats away from Tom bet $ on whether Roger Maris would swing at the next pitch; $ whether Mickey Mantle would walk, strike out, or hit a home run; and $ on how far Frank Howard would hit the ball in pregame batting practice. As adults our passion for the game transformed itself into research projects on Puerto Rican baseball, which resulted in articles and several books. Interviews were conducted with many of our childhood heroes, a few quotes from which appear in this essay. First, though, a brief history of how baseball came to Puerto Rico and evolved, then how the compares to professional baseball in the United States, and finally, the status of professional baseball on the island today. The Early Years It is generally acknowledged that the Cubans introduced baseball to Puerto Rico shortly before the end of the Spanish-American War in . A newspaper box score appearing in June , , documented the first reported game as Borínquen, the Carib Indian name for the island, played Almendares, a team of Cuban expatriates. The newspaper deemed the game “dangerous for human beings and a silly form of entertainment.” After the Spanish-American War, military and civilian personnel from the United States arrived on the island. Soon playing venues expanded , leagues formed around the island, and teams were established in the larger public high schools and universities. American military personnel were given time off from their duties to play pickup and club ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ games. Differences in playing styles between the local players and their American counterparts began to be noted. For example, the natives were more demonstrative and vocal, using infield chatter and offering encouragement to their pitchers and hitters. Initially the game was played mostly by the educated middle class, but it later trickled down such that dockworkers, sugarcane hands, and farmers—of all skin tones—were also playing. By barnstorming teams from the Major Leagues and the Negro Leagues visited the island, as did Cuban All-Star teams led by legendary players Cristobal Torriente , Adolfo Luque, and Martín Dihigo, the latter being the only player in...