Journey To The United States
Oliva was born in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. He played baseball weekly with his father, brothers, and neighbors in a vacant lot near the Olivas' farm. Oliva's father, who worked in a tobacco factory and was famous for rolling the leaves to make the best cigars, was also a former semi-professional player who instructed Oliva and helped him become "the best hitter in Pinar del Río". A scout for the Minnesota Twins noticed him and brought him to the United States to play professionally. He was reluctant to leave his mother, father, and nine siblings, but his father encouraged him to become "rich and famous" in America.
During spring training 1961, Oliva appeared in the Twins' final three spring training games, collecting seven hits in ten at bats. The Twins, however, had already filled their minor league rosters and released Oliva, with some saying it was due to his poor outfield play. Having nowhere else to go, Oliva traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to train with a friend who played for a Minnesota Twins Class A farm team. His quick wrists, long frame, and "unharnessed power" impressed Charlotte general manager Phil Howser. Howser placed a call and convinced the Twins to re-sign Oliva.
Many newspapers reported that the 21 year old Tony Oliva was actually his 18 year old brother Pedro Oliva and much of the reason for this was due to his paperwork being changed when he got to the states to reflect the name and birthdate of his brother Pedro Jr., who was born in 1941, in order to appear younger to Major League scouts. However, the name stuck and Oliva even went so far as to officially change his name to Tony Pedro Oliva in the late 1990s.
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