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New York Times Special World Series Section — October 25, 2024
Martin Dihigo: The Greatest Baseball Player You've Never Heard Of AVAILABLE NOW! at Barnes & Noble and Amazon!
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Learn the untold story of baseball legend Martin Dihigo who dazzled fans by playing all the positions, persevered through difficulties, and fought racism. He went on to win the hearts of fans in five different countries and impacted the game of baseball so greatly in those countries that he is in their baseball halls of fame. Join us and learn why he earned the nickname El Maestro (The Master) and El Inmortal!
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This story will help you learn about...
• Cuban history
• Negro Leagues Baseball
• Perseverance
• Empathy
• International baseball history
• Charity (The Martin Dihigo Foundation)
DARREN LOPEZ — AUTHOR
Darren Lopez is an elementary school teacher in the District of Columbia Public School system with a deep passion for storytelling, especially telling unknown stories to the youth. He is a two-time International Latino Book Award winner, University of Texas Outstanding Emerging BIPOC Creator Award 2023 winner, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for the District of Columbia and The American Folklore Society: Gerald Davis Award winner. Darren will be donating proceeds of the sales to the Martin Dihigo Foundation which is dedicated to developing educational, cultural, and athletic opportunities among youth in the United States of America and Latin America.
CONTACT INFORMATION >>> (917) 291-0671 DarrenLopez@gmail.com
ERIC KITTELBERGER — ILLUSTRATOR
Eric is an award-winning creative with nearly 35 years of advertising and design experience. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from Kent State University in 1989. After graduation, Eric worked for an advertising agency in Akron, Ohio for 5 years. In 1995, he started the Triple Play Design Company. Over the years, Eric has worked on jobs for companies such as Guiness & Bass Ale, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Candies, American Heart Association, the National Park Service, Evenflo, Avery Labels, Bubblicious, Banana Boat, Autism Speaks, Ocean Spray & TDK to name a few. You can see new work from Eric everyday with the feature “This Day In Baseball History” on his Instagram feed.
CONTACT INFORMATION >>> (330) 705-3037 eric@tripleplaydesign.com
HIGH PRAISE FOR MARTIN DIHIGO
“(His) gifts afield have never been approached by any man – black or white.”
— Cumberland Posey, Homestaed Grays & Baseball Hall of Famer
“Only a very small handful of guys are in the conversation for greatest all-around player of all time — Oscar Charleston, Willie Mays, Honus Wagner and Martin Dihigo,”
— Ryan Whirty, Baseball Writer
“He was the only guy I ever saw who could play all nine
positions, manage, run and switch-hit.”
— Johnny Mize, Baseball Hall of Famer
Dihigo had a better throwing arm than Roberto Clemente.
— Ted Page, Negro Leaguer
“Dihigo once let me carry his shoes and glove and that’s how I got into the ballpark down there when I was a kid. He was a big man, all muscle with not an ounce of fat on him. He helped me by teaching me how to play properly.”
— Minnie Minoso, Baseball Hall of Famer
“Dihigo was one of the greatest I ever saw. He was a
tremendous hitter, had great power, could hit for an
average, everything. I played against him in the Cuban winter league, in Mexico and in the Negro National League when he was with the New York Cubans."
— Roy Campanella, Baseball Hall of Famer
“He was the greatest all-around player I know. I’d say he was the best ballplayer of all time, black or white. He could do it all. He is my ideal ballplayer, makes no difference what race either. If he’s not the greatest I don’t know who is. You take your Ruths, Cobbs, and DiMaggios. Give me Dihigo and I bet I’d beat you almost every time.”
— Buck Leonard, Homestead Grays & Baseball Hall of Famer
FUN FACTS ABOUT MARTIN DIHIGO
• Born in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1905, Dihigo was 17 years old when he began playing professional baseball for Habana of the Cuban League in '22. In 1923, he debuted for the Cuban Stars of the Eastern Colored League.
• In his Negro Leagues career, Dihigo also played for the Homestead Grays, the Hilldale Athletic Club and the New York Cubans.
• In the Negro Leagues, Dihigo is credited with hitting over .310 and slugging north of .510 with 129 home runs in his career, including time spent in Latin America. With his pitching, Dihigo had 101 wins with a 3.28 ERA.
• Dihigo's performance in the Mexican League is the stuff of legend. Not only is the right-hander believed to have thrown the first no-hitter in league history, but he is also credited with recording a 0.92 ERA over 167 innings and winning the batting title with a .387 average in 1938.
• Dihigo was an icon in his native country, where he was known as "El Inmortal," or "The Immortal."
• Dihigo's induction into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame came in 1951, and he was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in '64. He completed the trifecta when he was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1977, six years after his death at the age of 64.
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