On May 1,
1951, Orestes “Minnie” Minoso made his debut with the White Sox, thus becoming
the first black player to appear in a major-league game for a Chicago team (almost three full seasons before Ernie Banks and Gene Baker joined the Cubs).
 |
| MINNIE MINOSO |
“I’m the
first guy to bat,” Minoso recalled years later. “First pitch comes right
over the plate and I hit a home run to center field. The people who wanted to
boo me didn’t get a chance. But later they got a chance. The bases were loaded
and I was playing third base. A hit bounced off the bag and hit my ankle, then
went through my legs. I was charged with an error, and two runs scored. My
first game on the White Sox I was at the top and then sunk to the bottom. Same
day, good and bad.”
As time went
on, there was a lot more good than bad. In his first seven years, Minoso hit
over .300 five times, knocked in 100 or more runs three times, and led the
league in stolen bases three times. His aggressive style ignited the Go-Go
White Sox, and he became the most popular player on the South Side. But then he
was traded to Cleveland, and he missed the pennant year of 1959.
Minoso
returned to the White Sox in 1960. A record opening-day crowd
of 41,661 at Comiskey Park gave him a hero’s welcome, and he gave them their money’s
worth. A more eventful day would have been difficult to imagine.
In the first
inning, Minoso beat out a bunt for an apparent base hit but was called out for
running outside the baseline. A lengthy rhubarb ensued.
In the
second, he hit a screaming liner and was robbed on a circus catch by Kansas
City center fielder Bill Tuttle; he was credited with a sacrifice fly when Luis Aparicio scored on the play.
In the
fourth, Minoso hit a grand slam. In the fifth, playing left field, he narrowly missed colliding with
Aparicio as both men chased a pop fly; he dropped the ball for an error.
In the
seventh, he raced into the left-center field gap to spear a line drive that would have scored two
runs.
In the top
of the ninth, with the score tied 9-9, he threw out the go-ahead runner at the plate. In the
bottom of the ninth, he belted another home run to win the game.
Minnie was
back, as his two home runs, six runs batted in, two sensational defensive
plays, and countless ovations from the crowd amply demonstrated. “I’m comfortable
here,” he said after the game. “I was here before and I feel like this is my
home.”
Born in Havana, Cuba, Minoso was the first significant Latin American star in major league history. He finished second in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year in 1951. He finished fourth in voting for Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1960. He won three Gold Gloves and was a nine-time All-Star.
Minoso played for the White Sox from 1951 through 1958 and 1960 through 1961 before seemingly ending his career back with the South Siders in 1964. But Bill Veeck, ever on the lookout for marketing stunts, put Minoso on the active roster in his second go-round as Sox owner from 1976 to 1980. Minoso got one hit in eight at-bats in 1976 at the admitted age of 50 (many people suspected that he was older), and he went o-for-2 in 1980.
Minnie remained a constant presence at White Sox home games through the 2014 season. He passed away during spring training in 2015.
Check out our book Heydays: Great Stories in Chicago Sports on Amazon.
