Forgotten baseball history: New York Cubans
By Ismael Nunez
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news
From 1947 to 1957 a New York City baseball team would win a championship in each respective season. The three major league teams present in New York City were the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers. Those 10 years produced some of the greatest players and names that the game has ever seen. The Yankees would win the World Series in 1947. Then would go one to win five World Series Titles from 1949 to 1953, would again win World Series titles in 1956, 1958. The Dodgers would win their only title in 1955, while the Giants would win their last title in the year 1954 before both teams were to move to California in 1957. Yet does anybody remember the other Gotham baseball club that also won a championship that year? Does anyone remember the New York Cubans?
Even the great Satchel bowed to Dihigo’s greatness
Yes the New York Cubans, who won the Negro World Series Championship 1947, the same year the Yankees won the World Series. It was also the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Yet no one talks about the NY Cubans. It’s a shame, because this Negro League team had players who were just as good as the Major Leagues Players back then. Here are some of the players who played on this team: The average baseball fan today most likely has never heard of them, but in the heart and minds of the Latin Community, they still exist.
Among them Martin Dihigo considered by many to be the greatest ball player who ever played in the Negro Leagues. The only ballplayer elected to four baseball Hall of Fames. In U.S.A, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela. Long before Pete Rose became a All-Star in five different positions Dihigo did the same. He was called “El Maestro (The Teacher, or The Master). As a pitcher he won 256 games, ended up with a winning percentage of 653. With a bat he had a life-time batting average .303. Satchel Paige the greatest pitcher in the Negro Leagues said this when he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 “I’m not the best — Martin Dihigo was!”
Tetelo Vargas (Dominican Republic) considered by many to be the “Father of Dominican Republic.” Long before fellow countryman Juan Marichal (elected to Hall of Fame 1987), Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero there was Vargas. He was known as the “Dominican Deer”. He excelled in defense, was a consistent hitter, good speed, base stealer. When you see Ramirez’s power, Guerrero’s arm, you see Vargas in spirit. Another outstanding player was Pedro Anibal “Perucho” Cepeda (Puerto Rico) who played the position of shortstop. He was the father of Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. He was on their roster in 1941. An outstanding fielder and hitter finished with a .325 batting average, playing the position of shortstop. When you see Derek Jeter (NY Yankees), Miguel Tejada (Houston Astros) hitting those long balls that was Cepeda. Talk about the great hitting shortstops Honus Wagner and Ernie Banks, who knows how many records Cepada would’ve made
Could this team compete with the MLB Golden Teams 1947 to 1957? I say YES! Maybe the New York Yankees would’ve met their match! Martin Dihigo (a Hall of Famer elected in 1977) surely would have been ready for such a challenge.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We would like to welcome Ismael to our BaseballBigMouth.com family. His work will appear periodically on these pages. Well done, Ismael!
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Satchel Paige photo used with permission of EarlyEraBaseballPhotos.com
