May 9, 1871: MLB's 1st Hispanic Player

May 9, 1871: Esteban Enrique Bellán becomes the first Hispanic player in Major League Baseball history. But, due to his use of a “stage name,” this is left unknown for over a century. The 21-year-old Cuban infielder played as "Steve Bellan" for the Troy Haymakers of the National Association. The Haymakers lost to the Boston Red Stockings, 9-5 at the Haymakers' Grounds in Troy. This was the only game played in the National Association, and thus the only professional sporting event in America, on that day, a Tuesday.

He was born on October 1, 1849, in Havana, the capital of Cuba. He came to America, to New York, and studied at what's now known as Fordham University, where he took on his anglicized name: Instead of "ESS-tay-bahn Bay-AHN," his name would now be pronounced "Steev Bell-ANN."

Before the Haymakers, Bellan played amateur baseball (or, perhaps, "amateur," getting paid under the table) for Union of Morrisania, in The Bronx. Afterward, he would play for the New York Mutuals. He returned to Cuba, and organized the 1st baseball game there, played on December 27, 1874. His team, Club Habana, defeated Club Matanzas, 51-9.

Thus, he is known there as the father of Cuban baseball. He lived until August 8, 1932. Club Habana would send several players to the American major leagues, until dictator Fidel Castro outlawed all professional sports teams in 1961.

The Haymakers played in Troy, across the Hudson River from the New York State capital of Albany, from 1860 to 1872. A 2nd team with that name would play in the National League from 1879 to 1882, at which point they moved down the Hudson, and became the New York Gothams. In 1886, the name was changed to the New York Giants. So the team that has been in San Francisco since 1958 can trace their lineage to Troy, New York.

In 1902, Charles "Chick" Pedroes played 1 game for the Chicago Cubs. In 1911, Armando Marsans and Rafael Almeida debuted with the Cincinnati Reds. Following them, a few Hispanic players -- mostly from Cuba and Puerto Rico -- were allowed in the American majors, but only if they were light-skinned enough to pass for "white." The line was that they were "as pure as Castilian soap."

On a few occasions, managers would try to sign light-skinned black players during Spring Training, and explain that they were Cuban or Native American, but black fans would give them away. Eventually, all-black teams would adopt "Cuban" as code, with the Cuban Giants (1885-1915) and the New York Cubans (1933-50) as the most notable examples.