Baseball in Puerto Rico - Chronology of Major Events

Chronology of Major Events

• On January 11, 1898, the first organized baseball game was played in Puerto Rico between the Borinquen team and the Almendares team. The Borinquen won 3 to 0.
• On November 4, 1900, the Almendares Baseball Club defeated the U.S. Second Infantry Regiment, by a score of 32 to 18.
• In 1928, Emilio "Millito" Navarro of the Cuban Stars became the first Puerto Rican to play in the Negro Leagues.
• In 1940, while pitching for the Brujos de Guayama, Satchel Paige walked off the field and left the stadium, because he saw a ghost standing next to him on the pitcher's mound.
• In 1942, Hiram Bithorn of the Chicago Cubs became the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues.
• In 1947, the Leones de Ponce and a selection of native All-Stars defeated the New York Yankees on consecutive games.
• In 1949, Luis Olmo (El "Jíbaro" Olmos) of the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first Puerto Rican to play in a World Series game and the first one to hit a home run and to get three hits, in the same game.
• In 1951, Puerto Rico won its first and only Baseball World Cup.
• In 1954, Rubén Gómez of the New York Giants became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series game and the first one to receive a World Series championship ring.
• In 1971, Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first Hispanic to reach 3,000 hits and the first Puerto Rican to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• In 1984, Willie Hernandez of the Detroit Tigers became the first Puerto Rican to win both the AL Cy Young Award and the AL MVP Award.
• In 1992, Jose "Cheo" Cruz was honored by the Houston Astros when his #25 was retired by the team.
• In 1995, Leon Day, a Pitcher in the Negro Leagues who played for "Los Tiburones de Aguadilla" the "Aguadilla Sharks" was inducted into the Hall of Fame. His love for the island is reflected in the fact that he is the only Hall of Famer to be enshrined with a cap of a team outside the mainland United States; his plaque depicts him as a "Aguadilla Shark".
• In 1999, Orlando "Peruchin" Cepeda became the second Puerto Rican enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• In 2001, Major League Baseball history was made when Opening Day was in San Juan at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium with a game between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
• In 2003 as well as 2004, the former Montreal Expos played 22 home games each year at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, before moving to Washington, D.C. and becoming the Washington Nationals.
• In 2011, Roberto Alomar became the third Puerto Rican enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.