Ángel Castro (first baseman)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Castro and the second or maternal family name is Pacheco.
Ángel Castro
First baseman
Born: (1917-04-20)20 April 1917
Empalme, Sonora, Mexico
Died: 10 January 1983(1983-01-10) (aged 65)
Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Mexican Professional
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1964

Ángel Castro Pacheco (20 April 1917 – 10 January 1983) was a Mexican professional baseball first baseman. Castro spent twenty seasons playing in the Mexican League from 1938 to 1957. Castro was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame 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.[1][2]

Career

Castro was born on 20 April 1917 in Empalme, Sonora.[3] He made his professional debut in the Mexican League in 1938 with the Alijadores de Tampico and won the Rookie of the Year Award.[4][5] In 1939, Castro hit three home runs in a game, becoming the second player to do so in the Mexican League.[6]

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.[1]

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.[7][8]

Castro later played for the Tuneros de San Luis Potosí, Diablos Rojos del México, Sultanes de Monterrey, Tigres de México, Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo and Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. He retired after the 1957 season.[9]

In 1964, Castro was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame together with Martín Dihigo, Epitacio Torres, Lázaro Salazar, Ramón Bragaña and Genaro Casas.[9]

Death

Castro spent his last years working for the Mexican Social Security Institute in Tampico. He died on 10 January 1983 in Tampico, aged 65.[1][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c González Mejía, Juan José (30 May 2021). "El cumpleaños del perro | Un momento con Ángel Castro". El Sol de Tampico (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ Rivera, Héctor (16 July 2023). "¿Quién fue Ángel Castro? Un parque de Tampico lleva su nombre". El Sol de Tampico (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Un 20 de abril pero de 1917 nace Ángel Castro". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 20 April 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Quién es quién 2023" (PDF). Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. p. 536. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. ^ Rivera, Héctor (16 July 2023). "Ángel Castro el bateador elegante". El Sol de Tampico (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Ángel Castro un sonorense con poder". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Un 10 de enero pero de 1983 muere Ángel Castro". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 10 January 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Castro resultó campeón bateador en la Liga Mexicana (1951)". Historia de Hermosillo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Inmortales 39-71". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2023.