Antonio María García Callaghan (1868 – July 24, 1923),

nicknamed A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"''El Inglés''" ("The Englishman"), was a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in the

Cuban League The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known a ...

. He played from 1882 to 1905 with several Cuban ballclubs, including Almendares, the Fe club,

Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, and the

All Cubans The All Cubans were a team of Cuban professional baseball players that toured the United States during 1899 and 1902–05, playing against white semiprofessional and Negro league teams. The team was the first Latin American professional baseball ...

. He was elected to the

Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (''Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Cubano'') is a hall of fame that honors eminent baseball players from Cuban baseball. Established in 1939 to honor players, managers, and umpires in the pre-revolution Cuban League ...

in 1939. According to Cuban baseball historian Jorge Figueredo, García was "considered by many as the best all-around player of the early years" of the Cuban League. When

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

visited Cuba in 1889, he reportedly wanted to sign García to a contract with Baltimore. García refused because he was being paid more in Cuba than what Baltimore offered.

Playing career

García debuted with Almendares in the Cuban League in the winter season of 1882/83. The league was suspended the following winter, and when it resumed play in the spring of 1885, García was playing for Habana, which won the league championship. The following winter, he played for Fe, which finished third in the five-team league. In 1886/87, García returned to Habana, which again won the championship. The next season, he won the batting championship with a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .448; he also led the league in

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s (26) and

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

s (6). Nevertheless, his Habana team lost the pennant race to Fe, ending the season one game behind. In 1888/89, García's batting average dropped to .238, but his Habana team regained the pennant. The next season, he moved to Fe and won his second batting crown, hitting .369, and also led the league in hits (24) and

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s (4), while tying for the league lead in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s with one. His team finished in second place, two games behind Habana. In 1890/91, García hit .338 and his Fe team won the title, while Habana faded to fourth place. Figueredo 2003, pp. 18–25.

Notes

References

External links

1868 births 1923 deaths Cuban baseball players Cuban League players All Cubans players Almendares (baseball) players Club Fé players Habana players Baseball catchers {{Cuba-baseball-catcher-stub