Conrado marrero ramos biography of donald

Marrero would eventually earn a substantial reputation on the mound during these local contests by repeatedly besting amateur nines from neighboring villages. Marrero credited those early successes in local sandlot contests to his mastery of a tight-breaking curve that was in reality a nasty slider. Pitching never dulled his interest in swinging the bat though.

The story has it that with a runner on third, Marrero swaggered to the plate and shockingly decided on the spur of the moment to try his skill and luck from the left side of the dish. It was a moment that reportedly left manager Mike Guerra nearly catatonic in the Almendares dugout. Before his manager could react, however, Marrero somehow dumped a lucky run-producing blooper over the stunned opposition infield, saving the day and perhaps even his own skin.

Two walks by the usually control-happy Marrero fueled the rally. This time around the masterful Marrero spun a memorable three-hitter of his own in the victory which touched off wild island-wide celebrations. The aging right-hander posted a 7—3 record for the International League outfit in and was also 3—1 in spot duty for the Havana-based AAA club.

A career that began almost accidentally with Cienfuegos in the Cuban Amateur Athletic Union league at the ripe age of twenty-seven was nonetheless still durable enough—despite such a delayed start—to stretch for a full two decades. He would be the only pitcher to toss a pair of no-hitters in Cuban AAU Amateur League history, and in his first three pro seasons in the Florida International circuit his control was so outstanding that he struck out while walking only He was also a big leaguer who in his twilight years still contends that his fondest moments and greatest achievements came with his first team in Cienfuegos as a rank amateur.

Events surrounding the historic first visit in four decades of a Major League Baseball team to the island of Cuba left a number of indelible images. One was the teeming Havana ballpark crammed with wildly enthusiastic flag-waving Cuban fans. A still-spry Marrero was determined to toss a pitch or two to big leaguer Brady Anderson, who apparently never quite grasped the tenor of the moment.

The scene offered every bit the drama of the landmark game that was about to follow. Marrero lobbed three eephus balls plateward, each one a bit straighter and truer than the last. It was pure theater—the stuff baseball used to be made of. The author is indebted to Rod Nelson, who offered several valuable suggestions during his peer review of this essay.

Bealle, Morris A. Bjarkman, Peter C. Peary, Gerald. Rucker, Mark and Peter C. During that period, Washington's roster also included a number of other Cuban players, such as pitchers Sandy Consuegra and Camilo Pascual and catcher Mike Guerra. The Senators were a second division team, never finishing higher than fifth place in the eight-team league while Marrero pitched for them.

His first major league appearance came on April 21, In he pitched innings in 27 games 19 of them startsand finished with a 6—10 record and a 4.

Conrado marrero ramos biography of donald

InMarrero led his team in wins and innings pitched, going 11—9 in innings with a 3. On April 26,he pitched a one-hitter against the Philadelphia Athleticsbeating them 2—1. The only hit given up by Marrero was a home run by Barney McCosky. Inhe went 11—8 with a 2. The following year he went 8—7 with a 3. In he was the oldest player in the major leagues, as he slipped to 3—6 with a 4.

On January 24,the year-old Marrero was released by the Senators. Marrero finished his major league career with a 39—40 record and a 3. He pitched 51 complete games, including seven shutouts, in his 94 starts. He was selected to the American League All-Star team, though he didn't play; at age 40, he was the oldest first-time All-Star to that point.

After retiring as a player, Marrero became a coach for the Havana Sugar Kings. After the Cuban RevolutionMarrero was one of the most prominent players to remain in Cuba under Fidel Castrothereby providing a link between the old professional Cuban League and the new amateur Cuban national baseball league and its Cuban National Series. He was a pitching coach for several years for the Havana Industriales and was also a roving pitching instructor.

Marrero is a respected figure in Cuba; his portrait is shown on a mural at Estadio Latinoamericanoand he threw out the first pitch at the baseball World Championship. On April 25,Marrero celebrated his nd birthday with family and friends, "an unlit Cuban cigar in his mouth and a conrado marrero ramos biography of donald cap on his head. Marrero was a fan of the current Cienfuegos team.

Source: Figueredo, pp. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Cuban baseball player — In this Spanish namethe first or paternal surname is Marrero and the second or maternal family name is Ramos. Baseball player.

Cuban career [ edit ]. Amateur play [ edit ]. Cuban League [ edit ]. Minor league baseball [ edit ]. Major League career [ edit ]. Post-playing career [ edit ]. Career statistics [ edit ]. Caribbean Series [ edit ]. Minor leagues [ edit ]. Despite not pitching in the Cuban League until he was 35 years old, his 69 victories ranks 10th on the Cuban League all-time list.

The team was a minor league affiliate of the Washington Senators. In Marrero went 25—6 and led the league in wins 25complete games 28strikeoutsshutouts seven and ERA 1. On July 12,Marrero pitched a no hitter against the Tampa Smokers, allowing only one base runner on a hit by pitch. The Cubans finished in first place with a —45 record.

In Marrero went 20—11 with a 1. The Cubans again finished in first place with a 97—57 record, their third consecutive title. In the playoffs they beat both the Lakeland Pilots and the Tampa Smokers. In Marrero won the league MVP award after going 25—8 with 11 shutouts and a 1. He set a league record by pitching 44 consecutive scoreless innings.

Havana again finished in first place with a 95—57 record the fourth of their five consecutive first place finishes and beat Miami Beach in the first round of the playoffs. After five years with the major league Washington Senators, Marrero returned to Havana to play with the minor league team from to In he went 7—3, pitched five shutouts one of them a one-hitterand had a 2.

Inthe year-old pitcher pitched only 45 innings and went 3—1. In Marrero pitched only fiveinnings in three games, as his pitching career came to an end. The Senators were a second division team, never finishing higher than fifth place in the eight-team league while Marrero pitched for them. His first major league appearance came on April 21, In he pitched innings in 27 games 19 of them startsand finished with a 6—10 record and a 4.

In Marrero led his team in wins and innings pitched, going 11—9 in innings with a 3. On April 26,he pitched a one-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating them 2—1. But certain illustrative facts nonetheless can be stressed here. Those who remember him as a Washington Senator most often remark on the apparent miracle of pitching so well as a year-old big-leaguer.

But that was not at all how he was celebrated at the time in mid-century Washington. Instead Marrero was painted time and again with the same generic stereotypes that plagued fellow countryman Luque before him. To see him only as the oldest surviving big leaguer is more to diminish than adequately celebrate his extensive career.

But I am not among the group that mourns. Instead, I find this failure to celebrate Marrero primarily for his brief and only mildly successful sojourn among the top pros to be something of a relief. But to celebrate Marrero mainly as a colorful if short-tenured big leaguer seems almost parallel to recalling Bobby Thomson as the longest-tenured big leaguer accidentally born in Scotland.

It makes about as much sense as immortalizing Fred Merkle for a single base-running gaff rather than as one of the most brilliant fielders and batsmen of his era. It all widely misses the point. His greatest baseball moments were not those enacted on the American League diamonds of the early fifties; instead those most cherished moments were all played out on the amateur diamonds of WWII-era Cuba.

Like Luque and so many other Latino ballplayers of the early and mid-century years he was relentlessly dismissed as a convenient stereotype. He was most celebrated for his oddness and not his diamond mastery. Such after all were the times. Let me repeat here what I once wrote elsewhere, because it now has such resounding relevance on this very day April 25, when Conrado Marrero crosses the threshold into his second century.

The stogie, the thick Spanish accent, and the elaborate windmill windup were trademark realities that quickly merged rapidly into all-too-familiar stereotypes. But from yet another perspective, the American League Washington Senators and the whole enterprise of big league baseball were themselves, in turn, but a mere blip in the baseball-playing career of the seemingly ageless and remarkably durable Conrado Marrero.

He has reported on Cuban League action and the Cuban national team for www. The event has Marrero asking Williams for a signature on a ball with which he earlier struck out the Boston slugger. The problem of course is that it almost certainly never happened. Marrero first repeated and then denied the account in one of my earliest discussions with him in Havana.

The irresistible nature of the quaint legend is suggested by the fact that it has often been attached to other Latino hurlers with the design of emphasizing an all-too-familiar stereotype.