July 8, 1960: The End of Professional Baseball In Cuba

Once he gained power, Castro began posing

batting and throwing righthanded, instead of his natural left.

July 8, 1960: Dictator Fidel Castro abolishes professional baseball in Cuba. Since then, it has been all-amateur there.

This forced the Havana Sugar Kings, a farm team of (with unintentional irony) the Cincinnati Reds, who had won the Class AAA International League Pennant in 1959, to move. They were the Jersey City Jerseys in 1961, the Jacksonville Suns from 1962 to 1968, and have been in Norfolk since 1969, as the Tidewater Tides until 1992, and then the Norfolk Tides since.

It may have upset Castro to know that what had been the biggest sports team in his homeland was now playing in the capital of the U.S. Navy, the very institution that ended the peak of his influence in October 1962.

The Cuban League usually had 4 teams. Habana, also known as Leones (Lions), which won 30 Pennants; their arch-rivals, Almendares, representing the Havana district of the same name, a.k.a. Alacranes (Scorpions), 24; Cienfuegos, of the city of the same name, a.k.a. Elefantes (Elephants), 6; and Marianao, outside Havana, a.k.a. Tigres (Tigers), 4.

The legend is not true: A lefthanded (or "left wing") pitcher, Castro was never even on a college team, let alone seriously considered by any American major league team. The idea that the Yankees (or, depending on who’s telling the story, the Washington Senators) had ever scouted him is ridiculous.

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July 8, 1960 was a Friday. These games were played in the major leagues:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 8-0 at Fenway Park. Bill Monbouquette pitched a 7-hit shutout, outpitching Art Ditmar. Ted Williams, in his final season as a player, went 1-for-3 with a walk. For the Yankees, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra each went 1-for-4, and Roger Maris went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* A doubleheader was split at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies won the opener, 6-5. Turk Farrell singled Rubén Amaro Sr. home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the nightcap, 8-3. Roberto Clemente only appeared in the opener as a pinch-hitter, and drew a walk; and went 0-for-3 with 2 walk in the nightcap.

* The Washington Senators beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 3-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Hank Aaron went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Frank Robinson went 0-for-4.

* The Kansas City Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Bill Tuttle singled Russ Snyder home with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Al Kaline went 3-for-6 with a home run and 2 RBIs.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Duke Snider went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Ernie Banks went 2-for-3 with a walk.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Stan Musial went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBIs. Willie Mays went 0-for-3 with a walk.