Orlando Cepeda poses for a photo in 1970. Cepeda, the first baseman nicknamed “Baby Bull” to become a Hall of Famer, has died. He was 86.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Orlando Cepeda, the first baseman nicknamed “Baby Bull,” who became a Hall of Famer and one of the first Puerto Rican players to shine in the major leagues, has died. He was 86.
The San Francisco Giants and his family announced his death Friday night, and held a moment of silence as his photo appeared on the scoreboard at Oracle Park during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home tonight, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones,” his wife, Nydia, said in a statement released by the team. “We are comforted that he is at peace.”
It’s been a heartbreaking month for the Giants following Cepeda’s death following the death of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, person who died 10 days ago on June 18 at the age of 93.
“Man, another punch in the stomach,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin, who grew up in the Bay Area cheering for the team. “Another incredible and loved personality here. Statue in front. The numbers he put up, there’s a lot of legends here and he’s definitely right in the middle of that. To have it so close to Willie, it’s amazing.”
Cepeda was a regular at Giants home games throughout the 2017 season until he suffered some health issues. He was hospitalized in the Bay Area in February 2018 after suffering a heart attack.
One of the first Puerto Rican stars to break into the majors but limited by knee problems, he became Boston’s first designated hitter and noted his time as a shortstop. time as DH for his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1999 as selected by the Veterans Committee.
“Orlando Cepeda’s undisguised love for baseball burned throughout his extraordinary playing career, and later as one of the sport’s most enduring ambassadors,” President Hall of Famer Jane Forbes Clark said. “We will miss his wonderful smile at Hall of Fame Week in Cooperstown, where his spirit will shine forever, and we send our deepest condolences to the Cepeda family.”
When the Red Sox called Cepeda in December 1972 to ask if he wanted to be their first designated hitter, the unemployed player agreed on the spot.
“Boston called and asked if I was interested in being the DH, and I said yes,” Cepeda recalled in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press in his 40th year as a DH. “The DH got me into the Hall of Fame. The rule got me into the Hall of Fame.”
He had no idea what it would mean for his career and admitted, “I don’t know anything about DH.” The experiment went very well for Cepeda, who played in 142 games that season – the second most in a 17-year major league career. The A’s released Cepeda just a few months after acquiring him from Atlanta on June 29, 1972.
Cepeda was honored at Fenway Park on May 8, 2013, in a ceremony celebrating his role as designated hitter. The Red Sox invited him to pitch his first home series of the season, but his former Giants franchise was also honoring the reigning World Series champions.
“It means a lot,” Cepeda said at the time. “How wonderful. When you think it’s over, it’s just the beginning.”
He said A’s owner Charlie Finley sent him a telegram telling him to call him within 24 hours or he would be fired. Cepeda failed to meet the deadline and was fired in December 1972. He played in only three games for Oakland after the A’s acquired him for pitcher Denny McLain. Cepeda was placed on the disabled list with a left knee injury. He underwent a total of 10 knee surgeries, sidelining him for four different years.
Cepeda served as a first baseman and outfielder before joining the first group of designated hitters under Major League Baseball’s new rules.
“They talked about only doing it for three years,” he said. “And people still didn’t like the idea of DH. They said it wouldn’t last.”
The addition of the DH opened up new opportunities for players like Cepeda and others of his era who could still play well late in their careers but no longer played with the same great defense they did in their prime.
Cepeda is excited to have another chance.
He hit .289 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs in 1973, getting off to a strong start with a .333 average and five home runs in April. He drove in 23 runs in August en route to winning DH of the year honors. On August 8 at Kansas City, Cepeda hit a quadruple double.
“It was one of the best years,” Cepeda recalls, “because I played with one leg and I hit .289. And I hit four doubles in one game. Both my knees hurt, and I was named hitter of the year.”
Cepeda edged out Baltimore’s Tommy Davis (.306, seven home runs, 89 RBIs) and Minnesota’s Tony Oliva (.291, 16 HRs, 92 RBIs) for top DH honors.
“It wasn’t easy for me to win the award,” Cepeda said. “They had great years.”
Cepeda knew very little English when he arrived in the minor leagues in the mid-1950s, making him one of the first Spanish-speaking players brought to another culture to play professional baseball, build a new life and send money back home.
It’s a chance to succeed in the sport he loves, as long as he can overcome the tough challenges off the field.
Early on, Cepeda was told by a manager to go home to Puerto Rico and learn English before returning to his career in the United States.
“Coming here my first year, everything was new to me, a surprise,” Cepeda recalled in a 2014 interview with the AP. “When I went to Virginia, I was there for a month and my father died. My father said, ‘I want to see my son play professional football,’ and he died the day before I played my first game in Virginia.
“From there, I went to Puerto Rico and when I came back here, I had to come back because we didn’t have any money and my mom said, ‘You have to go back and send money to me, we don’t have money to eat,’” he said .
Cepeda continues to be encouraged to see so many young players from Latin America coming to the United States with better English skills, largely thanks to all 30 major league organizations placing more emphasis on training programs. create such through academies in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
There are also English classes for young players during spring training and extended spring training, along with various levels of minor leagues.
“Orlando overcame challenges throughout his life to build a Hall of Fame career,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “This beloved Puerto Rican was one of many players of his generation who helped make baseball a multicultural game.”
He also had his troubles.
Cepeda was arrested in May 2007 after being stopped by police for speeding after drugs were found in his car.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested Cepeda after finding a “usable” amount of a white powder likely to be methamphetamine or cocaine, while marijuana and a syringe were also discovered.
After his football career ended, Cepeda was convicted in 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for marijuana smuggling and sentenced to five years in prison.
That belief is perhaps one reason he was not elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Cepeda was finally elected by the Veterans Affairs Committee in 1999.
Cepeda played the first of his 17 seasons in the majors, starting with the Giants. He also spent time with St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, Boston and Kansas City. In the spring of 1969, Cepeda was traded by the Cardinals to the Braves for Joe Torre.
A seven-time All-Star who played in three World Series, Cepeda was the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year with San Francisco and the 1967 NL MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals. Louis, a city sad to see him go in the deal that brought Torre to town. In 1961, Cepeda led the NL with 46 home runs and 142 home runs. Cepeda is a career .297 hitter with 379 home runs.
It wasn’t until after his 1973 season as DH that Cepeda was able to look back and appreciate all he accomplished that year — along with the pivotal role he played in the history and change of the sport.
“I just did it,” he said of learning DH. “Every day, I tell myself how lucky I am to be born with soccer skills.”
