SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Orlando Cepeda, the powerful first baseman nicknamed “Baby Bull” who became one of the first Puerto Ricans to shine in the major leagues in the Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 86 .
The San Francisco Giants and his family announced his death Friday night, and a moment of silence was observed as his photo was displayed on the scoreboard at Oracle Park during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home this evening, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones,” his wife, Nydia, said in a statement released through the team. “We are reassured to know that he is at peace.”
It was a heartbreaking month for the Giants given Cepeda’s death followed by that of the Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who died 10 days earlier, on June 18 at 93 years old.
“My God, what a punch in the gut,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and cheered for the team. “Another incredible, beloved figure here. A statue in front of him. The numbers he put up, there’s a lot of legends here and he’s certainly in the middle of it. The fact that he’s that close to Willie, it’s pretty amazing.”
Cepeda was a regular at Giants home games throughout the 2017 season until he faced health issues. He was hospitalized in the Bay Area in February 2018 following a heart attack.
One of the first Puerto Rican stars in the majors, but limited by knee problems, he became Boston’s first designated hitter and credits his time as DH for his Hall of Fame induction in 1999, selected by the Veterans Affairs Committee.
“Orlando Cepeda’s unwavering love of baseball was evident during his extraordinary playing career and later as one of the game’s enduring ambassadors,” said Hall of Fame President Jane Forbes Clark. “His wonderful smile will be missed during Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, where his spirit will shine forever, and we extend our deepest condolences to the Cepeda family.”
When the Red Sox called Cepeda in December 1972 to ask if he would like to be their first designated hitter, the unemployed player agreed on the spot.
“Boston called me and asked if I was interested in being a DH, and I said yes,” Cepeda recalled in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press on the 40th anniversary of the DH. “The DH got me into the Hall of Fame. The rule got me into the Hall of Fame.”
He didn’t know what it would mean for his career, admitting, “I didn’t know anything about DH. » The experiment worked wonderfully for Cepeda, who played in 142 games that season – the penultimate of a decorated 17-year major league career. The A’s released Cepeda just months after acquiring him from Atlanta on June 29, 1972.
Cepeda was feted at Fenway Park on May 8, 2013, for a ceremony celebrating his role as designated hitter. The Red Sox had invited him for their first home series of the season, but his former Giants franchise at the same time paid tribute to the reigning World Series champions.
“It means a lot,” Cepeda said. ” It’s incredible. When you think it’s all over, it’s only the beginning. »
He said the owner at the time, Charlie Finley, sent him a telegram to call him within 24 hours or he would be released. Cepeda missed the deadline and was fired in December 1972. He played 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 10 knee surgeries in all, sidelining him for four different years.
Cepeda had been a first baseman and outfielder before joining baseball’s first class of designated hitters under the new American League rule.
“They were talking about only doing it for three years,” he said. “And people still don’t like the idea of the 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 produce at the plate late in their careers but no longer played the perfect defense of their best in the field.
Cepeda was excited to get another chance.
He hit .289 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs in 1973, starting strong with a .333 average and five home runs in April. He drove in 23 runs in August, earning him the designated hitter of the year award. On August 8 at Kansas City, Cepeda hit four doubles.
“It was one of my best years,” Cepeda recalled, “because I was playing on one leg and I was hitting .289. And I hit four doubles in one game. Both my knees were hurting and I was named hitter of the year.”
Cepeda edged out Baltimore’s Tommy Davis (.306, seven homers, 89 RBIs) and Minnesota’s Tony Oliva (.291, 16 homers, 92 RBIs) for designated hitter honors.
“It wasn’t easy for me to win this award,” Cepeda said. “They had great years.”
Cepeda knew little English when he arrived in the minor leagues in the mid-1950s, making him among the first wave of Spanish-speaking players thrown into a different culture to play professional baseball, build a new life and send money home.
It was an opportunity to succeed in a sport he loved, provided the daunting challenges off the field could be overcome.
Early on, a manager advised Cepeda to return home to Puerto Rico and learn English before resuming his career in the United States.
“When I first came here, everything was new to me, a surprise,” Cepeda recalled in a 2014 interview with the AP. “When I got to Virginia, I was here for a month and my dad passed away. My dad said, ‘I want to see my son play professional baseball,’ and he passed away the day before 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 had no money and my mother said, ‘You have to go back and send me money, we have no money to eat,'” he said.
Cepeda continued to be encouraged to see so many young players from Latin America arriving in the United States with better English skills, thanks in large part to the 30 major league organizations placing greater emphasis on such training in the academies of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
English classes are also offered to youth players during spring training and during the extended spring, as well as throughout the various levels of the 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 figure was one of many players of his era who helped make baseball a multicultural sport. »
He too had his troubles.
Cepeda was arrested in May 2007 after being pulled over for speeding when officers discovered drugs in the car.
The California Highway Patrol officer arrested Cepeda after finding a “usable” amount of a white powder substance that was likely methamphetamine or cocaine, while marijuana and a syringe were also discovered.
After his playing career ended, Cepeda was convicted in 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, of marijuana smuggling and sentenced to five years in prison.
This belief is probably one of the reasons he was not elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Cepeda was eventually elected by the Veterans Committee in 1999.
Cepeda played first base for all 17 of his major league seasons, 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 NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 with San Francisco and the NL MVP in 1967 with St. Louis, a city sad to see him take the trade that brought Torre to town. In 1961, Cepeda led the National League with 46 home runs and 142 RBIs. Cepeda was a career .297 hitter with 379 home runs.
It wasn’t until after that 1973 season as a DH that Cepeda was able to look back and appreciate everything he had accomplished that year, as well as the great role he played in history and change in sport.
“I just did it,” he said of learning the DH. “Every day I think how lucky I am to be born with the skills to play ball.”
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