José Méndez

José de la Caridad Méndez (March 19, 1887 - October 31, 1928) was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro Leagues. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, he died at age 41 in Havana. Known in Cuba as "El Diamante Negro" (the "Black Diamond"), he became a legend in his homeland. He was one of the first group of players elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He was elected to the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Dominating pitcher: 1908–14

In 1907 Méndez was discovered by Bebé Royer of the Almendares team in the Cuban League. A relatively small man (5 feet, 9 inches), he threw a hard fast ball with a deceptively easy motion and a snapping curve. His first Cuban League season (from January through March 1908), he went 9-0, and, along with veteran Joseíto Muñoz, led the Almendares Blues to the Cuban League pennant. That summer he made his United States debut with the Cuban Stars and also went 3–0 for the Brooklyn Royal Giants. [Figueredo, pp. 71–73. González Echevarría, pp. 129–131. Holway, p. 57. Peterson, pp. 211–213. Riley, p. 545.]

In the fall of 1908, Méndez pitched the games that established him as a legend. The Cincinnati Reds were visiting Havana playing the Cuban League teams, and Méndez completely dominated, pitching 25 consecutive scoreless innings in 3 appearances. In his first start, he allowed just one single, by Miller Huggins in the 9th inning, while striking out nine. His next appearance came in relief, where he held the Reds scoreless for 7 innings on just 2 hits. He concluded with another shutout. His record from the Cincinnati Reds series was W-2, L-0, ERA-0.00, G-3, IP-25, H-8, R-0, BB-3, SO-24. Several days later Almendares played a minor league all-star team from Key West, and Méndez pitched two more shutouts, the second a no-hitter, giving him 43 consecutive scoreless innings against major and minor league competition. [Ashwill. Figueredo, pp. 76–77. González Echevarría, pp. 131–133. Holway, p. 59.]

Over the next 6 Cuban League seasons Méndez continued to dominate, with records of 15-6, 7-0, 11-2, 9-5, 1-4, and 10-0, leading the league in wins 3 times. His Almendares team won pennants in 3 of 6 campaigns. In the United States during the summers he pitched just as well. Some sources say that he achieved a 44-2 record with the Cuban Stars in 1909, though a recent partial compilation of box scores by Scott Simkus shows a more modest, but still impressive, 14–2 record (with 2 saves). He pitched a 10-inning no-hitter on July 24, 1909. [Figueredo, pp. 77–79, 85–87, 91–92, 97–99, 102–104, 107–109. Riley, p. 545. cite web | title=1909 Cuban Stars | url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2007/07/1909-cuban-star.html | date=2007-07-08 | accessdate=2007-07-09] One of his losses came on July 1 in Chicago when Rube Foster and the Leland Giants defeated him 1-0, when a dropped fly ball led to an unearned run against him.

Other major league teams visited Cuba over these years and Méndez continued to pitch against them. According to a compilation of box scores by Gary Ashwill, during 1908-13 against major league competition Méndez compiled a record of 9-11 in 24 games, pitching 18 complete games and 204 innings, with a total run average of 3.26. He allowed 150 hits and 51 walks, while notching 123 strikeouts. His opponents were top major league teams, including the 1909 and 1910 Detroit Tigers, the 1910 and 1912 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1911 Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants and the 1913 Brooklyn Dodgers. The average major league winning percentage of the opposing pitchers he faced was .595; he faced star pitchers including Eddie Plank, whom he beat twice, and Chief Bender, whom he beat once. [Ashwill.]

In an article in "Baseball Magazine" in March 1913, Ira Thomas (a catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics who had visited Havana twice) wrote the following about Méndez: [González Echevarría, p. 133–134.]

Méndez is a remarkable man. More than one big leaguer from the states has faced him and left the plate with a wholesome respect for the great Cuban star. It is not alone my opinion but the opinion of many others who have seen Méndez pitch that he ranks with the best in the game. I do not think he is Walter Johnson's equal, but he is not far behind. He has terrific speed, great control and uses excellent judgment. He is a natural ballplayer if there ever was one and with his pitching it is no wonder that the Cubans win games...At that, he is a remarkable pitcher, and if he were a white man would command a good position on any Major League club in the circuits.

Injury and recovery: 1914–28

In late 1914 Méndez developed arm trouble and cut back on his pitching, eventually stopping altogether. A slick fielder, Méndez moved to shortstop and joined J.L. Wilkinson's All Nations. He played with several other teams, including the Chicago American Giants and the Detroit Stars, before finally signing on in 1920 as playing manager with J.L. Wilkinson's Kansas City Monarchs in the new Negro National League. He continued to split his time between shortstop and pitching, and under his leadership the Monarchs won pennants in 1923, 1924, and 1925. He gradually adjusted and became a very effective pitcher again, albeit with lighter pitching loads than he had carried during his 1908-14 pitching prime. In 1923 Méndez had a 12-4 record, followed by 4-0, 2-0, and 3-1 in the next three seasons.

Méndez became the star of the first Negro League World Series in 1924 against the Hilldale Club of the Eastern Colored League. He appeared in 4 games, with a 2-0 record including a shutout victory in the deciding final game.

During the winters, Méndez returned to pitching in the Cuban League in 1920-21. He managed and was a pitcher for the 1923-24 Santa Clara Leopards team that is considered the most dominant in the history of Cuban baseball; other members of that team included Oscar Charleston, Alejandro Oms, Dobie Moore, Bill Holland, and Eustaquio Pedroso. [Méndez's role as manager is documented in cite news | title=Charleston Canned by Manager: Mendez of Santa Clara Rages as Charleston Lets Two Hits Get By | work=Baltimore Afro-American | pages=14 | date=1924-02-08]

Méndez won his last game in Cuba on January 21, 1927. Less than 2 years later he was dead at the age of 41. His career Cuban League record was 76-28, and he ranks first all-time in career winning percentage (minimum of 40 wins) with .731.

Career pitching statistics

Negro National League

Statistics for the Negro leagues were compiled decades later by historians working from newspaper box scores. These sources are sometimes inaccurate or incomplete; some games may be missing; and there may be uncertainty about which games counted as part of the official playing season. Consequently, there are disagreements among the statistics. The following represent recent attempts to compile nearly "complete" statistics for certain leagues or seasons. The first set of statistics was published by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in association with the nomination of Méndez and other Negro league players to the Hall of Fame.

Source: Holway, pp. 63, 74, 76, 84, 88, 128–129.

The next table is from a compilation by Scott Simkus of the 1909 Cuban Stars games against "all" competition. The compilation is missing games during the first month of their tour and for some games is compiled from line scores rather than box scores.

Sources:
*1908w statistics compiled by Gary Ashwill. cite web
title=1908 Cuban League, v. 1.0
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2007/07/1908-cuban-leag.html
date=2007-07-17
accessdate=2008-06-17
*1908–09 statistics compiled by Gary Ashwill. cite web
title=1908/09 Cuban League
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2007/11/190809-cuban-le.html
date=2007-11-02
accessdate=2008-06-17
*1914–15 and 1925–26 statistics from Figueredo, pp. 114, 165.

eries against major league teams visiting Cuba

* The "All Stars" were a team of major league players comprising Jimmy Archer, Fred Merkle, Germany Schaefer, Danny Hoffman, Tommy McMillan, Sherry Magee, Jack Lelivelt, Mike Simon, Addie Joss, Nap Rucker, Mordecai Brown, and Howie Camnitz.Source: cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=José Méndez vs. Major League Teams, 1908-1913
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/05/jos_mndez_vs_ma.html
date=2006-05-02
accessdate=2008-06-17

eries against Negro league teams visiting Cuba

Sources:
*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=Brooklyn Royal Giants in Cuba, 1908
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/05/brooklyn_royal_.html
date=2006-05-30
accessdate=2008-06-17
*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=Leland Giants in Cuba, 1910
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/06/leland_giants_i.html
date=2006-06-11
accessdate=2008-06-17
*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=Lincoln Giants in Cuba, 1912
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/06/lincoln_giants_.html
date=2006-06-14
accessdate=2008-06-17
*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=Lincoln Stars in Cuba, 1914
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/10/lincoln_stars_i.html
date=2006-10-01
accessdate=2008-06-17
*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=1915 Indianapolis ABCs in Cuba, Updated
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2007/05/1915_indianapol.html
date=2007-05-12
accessdate=2008-06-17

Notes

References

*cite web
last=Ashwill
first=Gary
title=José Méndez vs. versus major league teams, 1908–13
date=2006-05-02
url=http://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2006/05/jos_mndez_vs_ma.html
accessdate=2007-07-07
*cite book
last=Figueredo
first=Jorge S.
title=Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961
publisher=McFarland & Company
year=2003
id=ISBN 078641250X
*cite book
last=González Echevarría
first=Roberto
title=The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball
publisher=Oxford University Press
year=1999
id=ISBN 0195146050
*cite book
last=Holway
first=John B.
year=2001
title=The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History
place=Fern Park, FL
publisher=Hastings House Publishers
isbn=0803820070
*cite book
last=Peterson
first=Robert
title=Only the Ball Was White
publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company
year=1984
id=ISBN 0070495998
*cite book
last=Riley
first=James A.
title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues
publisher=Carroll & Graf
year=1994
id=ISBN 0786709596

External links

* [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=506634 Baseball Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Mendez_Jose.stm Baseball Library biography]