Ozzie Virgil Sr.
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Osvaldo José Virgil Pichardo, known as Ozzie Virgil Sr., was a Dominican professional baseball player and coach who became the first person from the Dominican Republic to play in Major League Baseball after the integration era. Over 324 MLB games between 1956 and 1969, he served as a utility player for the New York/San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Virgil played every position except pitcher and center field, frequently working at third base. He stood 6 feet tall, weighed 174 pounds, and batted and threw right-handed.
Career
Ozzie Virgil Sr. began his 17-season professional playing career in 1953. He made his MLB debut for the New York Giants on September 23, 1956, becoming the first person born in the Dominican Republic to play in Major League Baseball, though Negro league pitcher Pedro San is now recognized as the first Dominican to play in any major league. Virgil batted 5-for-12 (.417) in three games for the Giants in 1956. On January 28, 1958, the Giants traded Virgil and Gail Harris to the Detroit Tigers for Jim Finigan and $25,000.
In 1960, Virgil played third base, second base, and the outfield for the Triple-A Denver Bears under manager Charlie Metro. He was batting .381 with 55 RBIs in 59 games when Detroit promoted him. Metro later said, "I was crazy about him. He did everything well."
Virgil debuted for Detroit on June 6, 1958. He was called the first black player for the Tigers, one of the last teams to break the color barrier, though he was actually their first Latino. In his home debut, batting second, he went 5-for-5, and the Briggs Stadium crowd gave him a standing ovation he said he never forgot. Later, when Virgil was playing in the Giants' Triple-A system, Metro—now with the Kansas City Royals—wanted to draft him as a player-coach.
According to Metro, Giants scout Tom Sheehan overheard this interest, and the Giants promoted Virgil to the majors to protect him. Virgil played one game for the Giants in June 1969, ending his career. Over nine big-league seasons, he posted a .231 batting average with 174 hits, 14 home runs, and 73 RBIs. After his playing career, Virgil spent 19 seasons as a coach for the Giants (1969–1972; 1974–1975), Montreal Expos (1976–1981), San Diego Padres (1982–1985), and Seattle Mariners (1986–1988).
From 1977 to 1988, he served as third-base coach on the staff of Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams. They won the NL pennant with the Padres in 1984, and Virgil was the NL third-base coach at the 1985 All-Star Game.
Did You Know?
- Virgil's son Ozzie Jr. played with him in the 1985 All-Star Game, hitting a two-run single for the NL.
- Osvaldo Virgil National Airport opened in 2006 in the Monte Cristi Province of the Dominican Republic.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ozzie Virgil Sr. (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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