Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles (29 January 1909 – 4 November 1989), more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a
Puerto Rican professional
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 ...
player. He was born in the municipality of
Coamo
Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...
and moved to
Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in
sprinting and baseball. Coimbre played thirteen seasons in the
Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
* El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
* Puerto Colombia, Colombia
* Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
* Puerto Galera, O ...
(LBPPR), with the ''
Leones de Ponce''. During this period the team won five league championships. He finished his career with an average of .337, and had an average of 2.2
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s per season, this included four consecutive seasons from 1939 to 1942, without any strikeouts. Coimbre also won two LBPPR batting titles and the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943.
Coimbre traveled to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, after completing his first professional season in Puerto Rico, where he joined the Porto Rico Stars baseball team of the
Negro leagues
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
. He was contracted by the
New York Cubans
The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...
while playing with the Porto Rico Stars. He joined the NY Cubans and played several seasons for them. Coimbre's batting average remained over the .300 mark, including two seasons in which he batted over .400. While playing in the Negro leagues he was selected to play in the league's East–West All-Star games twice, where he played with several players who in the future would be elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...
. He also played with teams established in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Following his retirement, Coimbre worked as a coach and manager of teams in both the professional and amateur leagues of Puerto Rico. Coimbre, who was eighty years old, died due to a fire at his home.
Early years
Francisco Coimbre was born in
Coamo
Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...
,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, to Guillermo Coimbre and Zoila Atiles. Upon his birth, he was inscribed as a resident of
Arroyo
Arroyo often refers to:
* Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek
Arroyo may also refer to:
People
* Arroyo (surname)
Places United States
;California
* Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California
* Arroyo ...
in his birth certificate, following a common practice at the time.
In 1922, he moved to
Ponce along his mother, in order to live closer to his sister, Angela Coimbre. There he began playing baseball under the training and supervision of Miguel Caratini and Antonio Gordan, two hall of famers in the local league.
His first accomplishments in sports were in
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, where he competed in the 50-yard dash, eventually developing his skills in other aspects of the sport. He continued practicing this sport while attending high school. Later he was transferred to another educational institution in
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded ...
, but when he tried to participate in an athletic competition he was denied permission because he was classified in a different division on the records of Puerto Rico's Instruction Department.
This event led to a court case which marked the first time in Puerto Rico that a court hearing was scheduled for a case involving sports.
He subsequently transferred to
Ponce High School
The Ponce High School is public educational institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico, offering grades nine through twelve. The school's main building is a historic structure located on Cristina Street, in the Ponce Historic Zone. From its beginning t ...
, where the Instruction Department tried to have him removed of the athleticism team based on allegations that he had received payment as a student-athlete. Judge Roberto Tood Jr. determined that the evidence against Coimbre was insufficient during the hearing and the case was dropped.
Baseball career
![Busto de Francisco Pancho Coimbre, Barrio Canas Urbano, Ponce, PR (DSC05522)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Busto_de_Francisco_Pancho_Coimbre%2C_Barrio_Canas_Urbano%2C_Ponce%2C_PR_%28DSC05522%29.jpg)
In high school, Coimbre played at the positions of
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
and
second baseman, and he was recommended by a member of the ''Leones de Ponce'' to team officials. Leones de Ponce, the local team of the Puerto Rican amateur league, was about to play a series against the San Juan Athletics. Leones de Ponce needed additional players, and Coimbre was selected by team owner Pipo Maldonado. He debuted in a game at Ponce, starting as the
right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
, and recorded four
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
in five
at bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
s.
Coimbre remained with the team and in 1928 participated in a championship series against Guayama, which Ponce won in six games. In the last game of the series, Coimbre pitched and won with a final score of 5–3, in a game which the team almost lost following an
error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
.
Coimbre's first performance outside Puerto Rico was in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, where he played for Sandino in
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros (; '' en, James, son of Zebedee, Saint James of the Knights''), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the cap ...
in 1927. He was accompanied by several Puerto Rican players during this stay. In 1929, he played in Venezuela for the "Magallanes", with appearances as a pitcher and
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. Four of his teammates, who now had homes in
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, had played with him in the Puerto Rican league. After a solid performance in the 1930 season of the amateur league, Coimbre was recruited by the
Tigres del Licey
Tigres del Licey (English: Licey Tigers) is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). The team was founded in 1907 and based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of two LIDOM franchises based in ...
team to play in the Dominican Republic; the Tigres were coached by Charles Dore. Following that season, he continued alternating between both leagues, playing with Santo Domingo in 1931.
After the Puerto Rican league season came to an end in 1932, Coimbre went to work as a security guard in a penal institution and only played with a semi-professional team.
Shortly after, he was offered a contract to play in
La Guaira
La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...
, with the Santa Marta club. The season concluded with Buchipluma, a second team owned by Santa Marta's proprietor, winning the league's championship. Following his time with Santa Marta, he continued playing, both in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. While playing with Licey, the team developed a rivalry with El Escogido, which gave Coimbre an opportunity to establish relationships with several players, from both countries. During this period Licey continued to be coached by Dore, and included several well known Dominican players.
The team won the league's championship, but Coimbre decided not to attend the award ceremony, choosing to stay in his hotel room instead. Dore took the trophy to Coimbre so that he could enjoy it for a while, but he rejected this and suggested that it be filled with money for a donation.
In 1935, Coimbre moved to
Maracaibo
)
, motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal")
, anthem =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_alt = ...
where he played for Pastora, in Zulia's Stadium. The team reached the league's final series but lost to Magallanes. Prior to this series, the team had to travel to Caimbas, an industrial city where the games were scheduled. The usual mode of travel was by boat, but following Coimbre's advice, the team took an airplane. At season's end he moved to
La Victoria, Aragua
La Victoria () is a city in the state of Aragua in Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consist ...
, where one of his friends resided in a
hacienda
An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
. There he played in a series to determine the final roster of Concordia, a team that was going to travel to Puerto Rico. Coimbre participated in the series, but choose to play with Ponce instead of Concordia. In 1937, he returned to the Dominican Republic and his team won the league's championship; he described it as the "most powerful team in his memory".
Formation of the LBPPR and participation in Negro league baseball
Later in 1937, when he returned to Puerto Rico, Coimbre learned that the ''
Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico'' (LBPPR) was being organized. The LBPPR elected Teófilo Maldonado, a press writer, as their president. Coimbre joined the Ponce-Kofresí team, which represented Ponce. The team was coached by Isidro Fabré and owned by Juan Luis Boscio, and the team's roster included several players known by the local fanbase, After the season's conclusion, Coimbre traveled to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
for the first time in his life, after being invited by a close friend. Coimbre's original intention was to visit his sister, with whom he lived while in the city. In New York, he met Santiago Bartolomei who owned the Puerto Rico Stars (also known as "Puerto Rican Stars"). Bartolomei met with Coimbre and fellow players, and he offered Coimbre a contract to play with the team. He accepted and joined the team, which included players from Puerto Rico and Cuba.
![Old Pr baseball game poster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Old_Pr_baseball_game_poster.gif)
While he played for the Porto Rico Stars,
Alejandro Pompéz made Coimbre an offer to play with the
New York Cubans
The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...
. Pompéz became interested in Coimbre after hearing several reviews of his work, but he was initially skeptical of these claims and was hesitant to offer a contract until a group of players recommended Coimbre.
He debuted in a game against Buschwick in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. In his first two games, Coimbre connected for four hits, three singles and a double. Following this performance Pompéz informed him that he had made the team.
After the season concluded he was instantly offered a second contract with the Cubans, now playing in the
Negro National League.
He also played with Ponce during the 1940–1941 season of the winter league, recording 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 .401 with no
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s.
During his second season with the Cubans Coimbre had an average of .409, and was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Following this success, he returned to Puerto Rico and had a batting average of .372 for Ponce as they won their first LBPPR championship. The next season Coimbre won his first batting championship in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, finishing at .342 after connecting for base hits in 22 consecutive games. In 1943, he had his best season in the U.S. Negro leagues and was selected to the East's All-Star team for a second time. He finished with a .428 average, the highest with the Cubans. Coimbre received a tribute at
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...
, where hundreds of Puerto Ricans reunited and awarded him a scroll and a ring recognizing his performance. Coimbre also led the LBPPR in
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
, with 27 RBIs. He was subsequently invited to play in the
Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
(Mexican Baseball League) for the first time in his career, and joined the Puebla club. Coimbre had problems adapting to Mexico's climate at first; however, his average improved over the course of the season and Coimbre finished among the league's leaders. Coimbre experienced a similar pattern in the 1944–1945 LBPPR season, where he was unable to record a hit in the first games, but finished with his second batting championship.
Later that year, Coimbre joined the ''El Torices'' team, located in
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. His participation with the team mostly consisted of managing work since he was unable to play, due to a previous injury. During his time of inactivity, he worked in the Administration of Parks and Recreation, supervising
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
games organized by local businessmen.
A knee injury from an accidental pitch ended Coimbre's 1946 LBPPR season; the injury required hospitalization and recovery treatment.
After recovering, Coimbre traveled to New York in 1948, seeking a contract from the
Baltimore Elite Giants
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Tom Wilson (Negro baseball), Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nash ...
or the
New York Black Yankees
The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team based in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; and Rochester, New York. Beginning as the independent Harlem Stars, the team was renamed the New York Black Yankees in 1932 and ...
. During this visit he was contacted by Chebrook in the Canadian league, to play in right field.
Coimbre was not able to play in his full capacity, due on ongoing problems from his knee injury. He ended the season with a .316 average, as Chebrook won the league's championship. Coimbre spent the 1948–1951 seasons as a designated hitter in the LBPPR. His final season in the league was in 1952, playing right field and batting fourth in the lineup. Coimbre's last game was against the
''Cangrejeros de Santurce'', where a wild pitch re-injured his knee, prompting his decision to retire as a player.
Retirement, death and legacy
Following his retirement Coimbre began working as the coach of the Leones de Ponce, leading the team to two championships as well as extending his work to the
Caribbean Series
The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...
, a tournament where the champions of each Caribbean league participate. He received an invitation from the team owner of the Caguas-Guayama team, which was established in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, to work as the team manager. Coimbre also worked in the administration of the ''
Indios de Mayagüez
The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...
'', when the team traveled to play in
Havana
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. ,
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 ...
. He subsequently decided to work as a coach in the amateur league, while continuing his participation with the professional Ponce team and began coaching a team that represented
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Juana Díaz (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juan ...
.
Coimbre began promoting an idea that focused in the performance of the team, instead of the success of individual players. In his first day as an amateur coach, Coimbre summoned the players to a conference, where he noted that if all of them felt like "stars" and played for statistics their collective performance would suffer.
He won a national championship with the team, but decided to leave it and work with the ''Cachorros de Ponce'', where he won another championship.
During this time he also worked as a talent scout with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
.
As a scout he was directly responsible for the hiring of
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
, when he urged the Pirates to draft him in the first draw of the
Major League Baseball Draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
, even though Clemente was under a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
contract with the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
.
Coimbre died on 4 November 1989, when he was trapped in a house fire. The fire originated in the house's kitchen while he was cooking, consuming the structure's wooden frame. When Coimbre tried to escape he was unable to open the front door, because he had locked it with a padlock.
The City of Ponce honored the memory of Coímbre by naming its sports museum the "
Museo Pancho Coímbre". The museum, which contains a large collection of sports memorabilia, is located on the Calle (Street) Lolita Tizol. Also, in Ponce, he is honored at the
Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. Also the building housing the
Secretaría de Recreación y Deportes on
Avenida Las Américas
Avenida Las Américas, is a major thoroughfare in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Most of its length is signed as Puerto Rico Highway 163 (PR-163). The highway has both of its termini as well as all of its length entirely within the Ponce city limits. It ...
in Ponce is named "Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre". The town of Coamo also honored Coimbre by naming a sports complex "Complejo Deportivo Francisco Pancho Coimbre Park" after him.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
List of Negro league baseball players
This list comprises players who have appeared in Negro league baseball.
Complete list of players
The complete list is divided into four pages to reduce the size:
* List of Negro league baseball players (A–D)
* List of Negro league baseball ...
*
Black history in Puerto Rico
References
Notes
:A: In those days the American government had changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico, pursuant to the Act of 17 May 1932.
["Using American Law Books"; By Alfred J. Lewis; p. 89; Published 1990 Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co.; ]
Footnotes
External links
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coimbre, Francisco
1909 births
1989 deaths
Deaths from fire
People from Coamo, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican baseball players
New York Cubans players
Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico