Orlando Peña was born in Victoria de las Tunas on this day in 1933. He is part of a shrinking number of Cuban players who played in the pre-Castro pro league in island and the major leagues.
Orlando broke with the Reds in 1958 and was traded to the Kansas City A’s where he became a regular starting pitcher.
There were several other Cubans in the 1963 A’s: Hector Martinez, Aurelio Monteagudo, Jose Tartabull, Joe Azcue & Diego Segui.
Unfortunately, the A’s had very bad teams but Orlando did win 34 games over 3 and a half seasons. He had 184 strikeouts in 1964 to finish 6th in the AL.
He bounced around after that and I remember watching him with the Orioles in 1973.
Happy birthday Orlando Peña.
For more on Cuban baseball, check this wonderful book.
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