Minoso, "Minnie" (Saturnino O. A.)
Baseball
b. Nov. 29, 1922, Havana, Cuba
Largely as a publicity stunt, Minoso in 1980 became the second person in major league history to play in five different decades. An attempt by the Chicago White Sox to activate him again in 1990 in order to make it a record six decades was not allowed by Commissioner Fay Vincent.
Minoso was much more than a publicity stunt as a player. He appeared in just 9 games with the Cleveland Indians in 1949 and in 8 games in 1951 before being traded to the White Sox. Minoso led the league with 31 stolen bases and 14 triples, finishing second in batting with a .326 average and in runs scored with 112.
A right-handed outfielder who occasionally played third base, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Minoso was one of the leaders of the "Go Go Sox" who relied on speed rather than power and perennially finished second to the New York Yankees through most of the 1950s. He led the AL in steals with 22 in 1952 and 25 in 1953, in triples with 18 in 1954 and 11 in 1956, in doubles with 36 in 1957, and in hits with 184 in 1960.
Minoso was traded back to Cleveland in 1958, but returned to the White Sox in 1960. He played for the NL's St. Louis Cardinals in 1962 and with the AL's Washington Senators in 1963.
The White Sox re-hired him as a player-coach in 1964. He retired as a player after that season but remained with the team as a coach. Minoso was reactivated as a player for 3 games in 1976 and for 2 games in 1980.
In 1,835 games, Minoso batted .298 with 1,963 hits, including 336 doubles, 83 triples, and 186 home runs. He stole 205 bases, scored 1,136 runs, and had 1,023 RBI.