Martin Dihigo
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Martin Dihigo (May 25, 1905 - May 20, 1971) was born in Matanzas Province, Cuba. He began his career in U.S. baseball in 1923 as first baseman for the Cuban Stars. He played in the Negro Leagues from 1923 through 1936 and again briefly in 1945. Over the course of his career he made seamless transitions among all nine positions. As a hitter he led the Negro Leagues in home runs in 1926 and 1935. As a pitcher he once defeated Satchel Paige when Paige was touring Cuba.
Although a two-time all-star in the American Negro Leagues, Dihigo's greatest season came in the 1938 Mexican League, where he was 18-2 with a 0.90 ERA as a pitcher while winning the batting title with a .387 average. In his Mexican career he was 119-57 with a .317 batting average. In Cuba he was 93-48 with a .291 average. He is the only player to be elected to the American, Cuban and Mexican Baseball Halls of Fame, and is also in the Dominican Republic's Hall of Fame. He continued his playing career in Mexico into the early 1950s. He was Cuba's Minister of Sport from 1959 until his death, and was a greatly revered figure in his home country, where he was called El Maestro or "The Master". Known as a humorous, good-natured man as well as the most versatile player in baseball history, Martin Dihigo was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
Known Statistics: 218 Wins-106 Losses, .302 Career Batting Average