August 29, 1947: Manolete, the most popular bullfighter in Spanish history, dies after being gored in the ring in Linares, Andalucía. He was only 30 years old. It has been speculated that it wasn't his injury alone that killed him, but rather receiving a transfusion of the wrong blood type.
He was born Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez on July 4, 1917, in Córdoba, Andalusia, in southern Spain. Like his father, from whom he inherited the stage name Manolete, and died when the boy was only 5 years old, he took up this brutal sport, which is now limited to Spain and Mexico.
He made his professional debut in 1931, only 14 years old, and continued to compete through the years of the Spanish Civil War. His greatness in the ring was one of the few things that Republicans (left) and Nationalists (right) could agree on.
But on August 29, 1947, in Linares, Andalusia, he was fighting alongside the rising star Luis Miguel Dominguín. He was facing a Islero, a Miura bull, a breed known for its size and ferocity, Islero's horn gored Manolete in his right thigh.
Many bullfighters had died due to infection, since bulls tended to stick their horns in their own excrement. The use of antibiotics was relatively new, which is why the speculation about the blood type has persisted: Manolete could have been saved, but he wasn't.
He was played by Jack Palance in the 1957 Playhouse 90 episode "The Death of Manolete," directed by John Frankenheimer; and Adrien Brody (he certainly had the nose for it) in the 2008 film Manolete. He was mentioned in the 1961 Twilight Zone episode "A Game of Pool," among men who were the best ever at various crafts. He was mentioned in the songs "The Great Manolete" by Herb Alpert in 1962 and "The Death of Manolete" by 10,000 Maniacs in 1983.
There has been one bullfighter since Manolete who has caught the Spanish public's attention on the same level, and was able to do so through the medium of television, in the 1960s. He was born Manuel Benítez Pérez, and, because he also came from the province of Córdoba (Palma del Río, about 35 miles southwest of the city of Córdoba), he was known as El Cordobés. As of August 29, 2022, he is still alive.
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August 29, 1947 was a Friday. These baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. George McQuinn hit a sacrifice fly off Early Wynn, to score Tommy Henrich in the bottom of the 10th inning. Joe Page was the winning pitcher, in relief of Bob Newsom. Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 6-3 at Ebbets Field. Ralph Branca went the distance for the win, advancing to 19-9 on the season. He would end up winning 21 games at age 21. Sadly, he peaked then. Jackie Robinson went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a steal of home plate.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ted Williams went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.
* The Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on September 3. The White Sox won the opener, 8-3. The Indians won the nightcap, 6-5. The South Siders led 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th, but George "Catfish" Metkovich led off with a single, Dale Mitchell bunted him over, Hank Edwards tripled him home to tie it, and Hal Peck singled Edwards home to win it.
* And the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals were not scheduled.
