Wednesday, February 3, 2016
no. 497 - horacio pina
Who is the man: Horacio Pina pitched in a career-high 61 games for the Senators in 1970, logging just 71 innings, with a productive 2.79 ERA.
Can ya dig it: Another shot in Yankee Stadium but kind of a different look than a lot of the other "frieze" photos in the set.
Right on: This is Pina's rookie card even though he had been in the majors since 1968.
You see that cat Pina is a bad mother: Pina is the first Mexican native to win a World Series ring. He was a relief pitcher for the Oakland A's when they beat the Mets in the 1973 World Series.
Shut your mouth: Pina formed a strong bond with his manager, Ted Williams, in part because Williams spoke some Spanish. Williams had a Mexican background on his mother's side. Pina learned how to fish from Williams and they would go to the movies together.
No one understands him but his woman: Pina's last name has a tilde over the "n," but it never appeared on his cards or on his uniform. Pina didn't pay any mind, saying in an interview a few years ago, "I didn't know what that little thing over the 'n' was even called! It was only later I found out it was called a tilde."
(A word about the back): Pina would later pitcher another Mexican League no-hitter -- this one a perfect game -- during a 21-4 season in 1978.
Those Old Senator Uniforms were the Coolest. Baseball was so Awesome in the 1970's
ReplyDelete