Cristóbal Torriente
| Cristobal Torriente | |
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| Outfielder | |
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Born: November 16, 1893 Cienfuegos, Cuba |
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Died: April 11, 1938 (aged 44) New York City, New York, United States |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| Professional debut | |
| Negro leagues: 1912 for the Habana Baseball Club | |
| Last professional appearance | |
| 1932 for the Cleveland Cubs | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
Cuban Winter League Baseball
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Inducted | 2006 |
Cristóbal Torriente (November 16, 1893 - April 11, 1938) was a Cuban outfielder in Negro league baseball with the Cuban Stars, All Nations, Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars over a career that lasted from 1912 to 1928, plus a single game in 1932.
Negro league career
Torriente played much of the summer of 1916 for the "Western" Cuban Stars team, but apparently got into an argument with the manager in St. Louis and found himself without a team. He quickly tracked down former teammate and friend José Méndez and was quickly hired by J.L. Wilkinson to play for his All Nations just before a big series with C.I. Taylor's Indianapolis ABCs and Rube Foster's Chicago American Giants. [1] Torriente would go on to play several years for both teams.
Torriente was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He was a talented slugger on Rube Foster's great Chicago American Giants teams of 1918-1925. He was a terrific pull hitter, though he could hit with power to all fields. He was stocky and slightly bowlegged, but had deceptive power, along with a strong, accurate arm from center field. He was considered to be a complete player: Indianapolis ABC's manager C.I. Taylor stated, "If I see Torriente walking up the other side of the street, I would say, 'There walks a ballclub.'"
Torriente led the American Giants to Negro National League pennants from 1920 to 1922 while batting .411, .338, and .342 for these seasons. He won the batting title in 1920 and in 1923 with a .412 average. Torriente was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs in 1926 and led the team with a .381 batting average. He retired from the Negro leagues with a career .333 average. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Cuban League Career
Torriente played in his homeland from 1913–1927 and holds the record for the highest career batting average in Cuban winter league history with a .352 mark. He earned two batting titles and hit as high as .402. In 1920, his team, Almendares, played a nine-game series against the New York Giants, who added Babe Ruth, in a tour of Cuba. Torriente outhit Ruth in most categories and Almendares beat the Giants, five games to four. Along with Martin Dihigo and José Méndez, Torriente is considered one of the greatest baseball players from Cuba. He was one of the first class of inductees of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Personal information
Torriente was notorious for his love of the nightlife and this caused him disputes with team management throughout his career. His temper caused him to walk off the Monarchs in 1926 after a dispute involving a stolen diamond ring. After baseball, he lived for a short time in Ybor City, Florida and faded into obscurity. He died in New York City at age 44, after a long battle with alcoholism and tuberculosis.
References
External links
- Cristóbal Torriente at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Negro league and Cuban League statistics and player information from Seamheads.com, or Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues)
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