Ángel Castro Pacheco (20 April 1917 – 10 January 1983) was a Mexican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. Castro spent twenty seasons playing in the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

from 1938 to 1957. Castro was inducted into the

Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in English, Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame), commonly called the Salón de la Fama (Hall of Fame) is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, inaugurated on 10 ...

as part of the class of 1964. Nicknamed, "el bateador elegante" (the elegant hitter), Castro is considered as one of the first Mexican baseball stars alongside Héctor Espino.

Career

Castro was born on 20 April 1917 in Empalme,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

. He made his professional debut in the

in 1938 with the Alijadores de Tampico and won the

Rookie of the Year Award A Rookie of the Year award or ROY is given by a number of sports leagues to the top-performing athlete in his or her first season within the league. Athletes competing for the first time in any given league are also known as "rookies". Principal ...

. In 1939, Castro hit three home runs in a game, becoming the second player to do so in the Mexican League. In 1940, Castro was traded to the Azules de Veracruz and in 1941, he returned to Tampico. Castro was part of the Tampico team that won the 1945 and 1946 Mexican League championship, under manager Armando Marsans. In 1948, Castro was signed again by the Veracruz. 1951 was Castro's best season, he won the triple crown, compiling a batting average of .357, 22 home runs and 79 RBIs. Castro later played for the

Tuneros de San Luis Potosí The Tuneros de San Luis Potosí (English: San Luis Potosí Prickly Pear Pickers) were a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The club played during 16 seasons spanning 1946–2006. The first Tuneros t ...

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their ho ...

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

, Tigres de México,

Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (English: Two Laredos Owls), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (English: Nuevo Laredo Owls), are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The Tecolotes are a binational baseball team, spli ...

and Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. He retired after the 1957 season. In 1964, Castro was elected to the

together with Martín Dihigo, Epitacio Torres, Lázaro Salazar,

Ramón Bragaña Ramón "El Profesor" Bragaña Palacios (May 11, 1909 – May 11, 1985) was a Cuban professional baseball catcher, outfielder, third baseman, pitcher, and first baseman in the Negro leagues and the Mexican League. A native of Havana, Cuba, Braga� ...

and Genaro Casas.

Death

Castro spent his last years working for the

Mexican Social Security Institute The Mexican Institute of Social Security (, IMSS) is a Federal government of the United Mexican States, governmental organization that assists public health, pensions and social security in Mexico operating under the Secretariat of Health (Mexic ...

in Tampico. He died on 10 January 1983 in Tampico, aged 65.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Ángel 1917 births 1983 deaths Alijadores de Tampico players Azules de Veracruz players Baseball players from Empalme, Sonora Diablos Rojos del México managers Diablos Rojos del México players El Águila de Veracruz players Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Mexican League Rookie of the Year Award winners Sultanes de Monterrey players Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Tuneros de San Luis Potosí players