On Sunday, I always say hello at church to a couple of old-time Brooklyn Dodgers fans. Like many others, they moved to Texas years ago but cannot stop talking about their old team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. They know that I was born in Cuba and can't help to remind me of that Cuban who made one of the greatest postseason catches in baseball history.
Edmundo (Isasi) Amoros was born in La Habana on this day in 1930. He died in Miami in 1992.
Sandy Amoros, as he was known in the majors, broke with the Dodgers in 1952. He was a part-time outfielder, a platoon hitter facing primarily right-handed pitchers. Amoros was also a late-inning defensive replacement.
Amoros also played in the Cuban winter league. I remember my father speaking about him.
His biggest moment was Game 7 in the 1955 World Series. Amoros made a running catch and then threw back to shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who then doubled off a Yankee runner at first base. It killed the rally and preserved the eventual 2-0 shutout and the only Brooklyn Dodgers World Series victory.
It turned the Cuban outfielder into one of the biggest heroes in Brooklyn baseball history.
This is how they recall the play at The Society of Baseball Research:
On October 4, 1955, outfielder Edmundo Amorós helped "Next Year" arrive at last for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His racing catch off Yogi Berra near the left-field line at Yankee Stadium saved the Bums' 2-0 lead in Game Seven of the World Series. Johnny Podres held on for the remaining three innings to bring Brooklyn its only title. The grab by Amorós still stands as one of the greatest in Series history, and it was the defining moment of the Cuban's career.
Amoros played seven years and retired with a .255 career batting and did hit 16 HR in 114 games in 1956. Nevertheless, he was King Kong one afternoon in Yankee Stadium, and the Dodgers finally won the World Series.
Hey, Sandy — they don't stop talking about you whenever old Dodgers fans recall their legendary history.
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