Marcelino Lopez was born in Havana, Cuba on this day in 1943. He died in Miami in 2001. In 1965, 21-year old Marcelino was second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote. He won 14, lost 13 and finished the year with a 2.93 ERA. It was a great season for the young Cuban lefthander.
A few years later, Marcelino played with the Orioles and pitched in the post-season. In 1971-72 , he was a bullpen specialist with the Brewers and Indians. His career ended in 1972 and I’m not sure what he did in the Miami area after baseball.
We remember the Cuban lefty who shared the Los Angeles sports pages with Sandy Koufax in 1965. He was an exciting story in the early days of the LA Angels.
