Minnie Miñoso

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Miñoso was an American League All-Star for seven seasons and a Gold Glove winner for three seasons when he was in his 30s. He batted over .300 for eight seasons. He was the AL leader in triples and stolen bases three times each and in hits, doubles, and total bases once each. He led the AL in times hit by pitch a record ten times, and held the league mark for career times hit by pitch from 1959 to 1985. Miñoso led AL left fielders in assists six times and in putouts and double plays four times each. He helped the "Go-Go" White Sox become one of the premier teams of the 1950s and 1960s. Miñoso also held the White Sox record for career home runs from 1956 to 1974. He left the major leagues after the 1964 season, played and managed in Mexico through 1973, rejoined the White Sox as a coach, and made brief player appearances in 1976 and 1980. He became the third player to get a hit after age 50 and the second to appear in the major leagues in five different decades. His uniform number 9 was retired in 1983, and a statue was unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field in 2004. He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Exile in 1983 and the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. In August 2023, the former George B. McClellan Elementary School in Chicago was renamed Minnie Miñoso Academy. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.

In Their Own Story

On July 4, 1954, Minnie Miñoso broke up a combined no-hitter by three Cleveland pitchers with two outs in the ninth inning of a 2-1 loss. Later that season on April 23, 1955, he scored five runs in a record-setting 29-6 road victory over the Kansas City Athletics. His resilience was tested on May 18, 1955, when a pitch from Bob Grim caused a skull fracture; yet he returned to post his longest hitting streak of 23 games later that summer, batting .421. In 1976 and 1980, Miñoso made highly publicized returns to the majors, becoming the third player to get a hit after age 50 and the second to play in five different decades. His number 9 was retired in 1983, and a statue was unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field in 2004.

Reader's Guide

Miñoso was born in Perico, Cuba, the son of Carlos Armas and Cecilia Arrieta. His date of birth is often cited as November 29, 1923 or 1925, but his family's remembrance card states 1924–2015. He grew up playing baseball with his brothers and managed his own team while working on his father's sugarcane plantation. In 1941, he moved to Havana to play baseball. He played professionally in Cuba and the Negro leagues, signing with Marianao in 1945 and the New York Cubans in 1946. He hit .309 in 1946 and .294 in 1947, winning the Negro World Series with the Cubans in 1947. He was the starting third baseman for the East in the 1947 and 1948 All-Star Games. He signed with the Cleveland Indians organization in 1948 and debuted in MLB on April 19, 1949, becoming the first Black Cuban in the majors. He was sent to the minors in 1949 and 1950, then rejoined the Indians in 1951 but had only 14 at bats in eight April games. On April 30, 1951, he was traded to the White Sox. On May 1, 1951, he became the first black player on the White Sox, hitting a 415-foot home run on the first pitch of his first at bat against the Yankees. He finished the 1951 season batting .324, second in the AL, and led the league with 14 triples and 31 stolen bases. He was named to the AL All-Star roster, becoming one of the first Latin Americans in an All-Star Game. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and fourth in MVP voting. He led the AL in steals in 1952 and 1953, and in triples and total bases in 1954. He appeared in the All-Star Game in 1952, 1953, and 1954, starting in 1954.

Did You Know?

• Miñoso was the first Afro-Latino in the major leagues and the first black player in White Sox history.
• He led the American League in times hit by pitch a record ten times.
• He became the third player to get a hit after age 50 and the second to appear in the majors in five different decades.
• His White Sox uniform number 9 was retired in 1983.
• He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.