Luque, "Dolf" (Adolfo D.)
Baseball
b. Aug. 4, 1890, Havana, Cuba
d. July 3, 1957
The first Cuban-born player to reach the major leagues, Luque was a right-handed pitcher who had brief tryouts with the NL's Boston Braves in 1914 and 1915 before joining the Cincinnati Reds in 1918.
He led the league in victories with a 27-8 record, winning percentage with .771, shutouts with 6, and ERA in 1923. Luque was also the league leader with 4 shutouts and a 2.63 ERA in 1925, though his record was only 16-18 that season.
In 1930, the Reds traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers. After two years with Brooklyn, he went to the New York Giants in 1932. He worked mostly as a relief pitcher with the Giants and retired after the 1935 season.
In his 20 seasons, Luque played for just one pennant-winning team, the 1933 Giants. He relieved Hal Schumacher in the fifth and deciding game of the World Series and picked up the victory in a 4-3 New York win.