Oliva, "Tony" (Pedro)
Baseball
b. July 20, 1940, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba
Pedro Oliva entered the United States using a passport that belonged to his brother Antonio and became known as "Tony," the name that stuck with him throughout his career as a player and coach.
After brief stints with the Minnesota Twins in 1962 and 1963, he became a starting outfielder in 1964. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder won the first of three batting titles that year with a .323 average, also leading the league with 109 runs, 217 hits, and 43 doubles. He won the Rookie of the Year award from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
In 1965, Oliva became the only player to win batting titles in his first two full major league seasons, hitting .321 and again leading the league in hits with 185.
He narrowly missed winning a third straight batting title in 1966, when he hit .307 to finish second to Frank Robinson. Oliva did win a Gold Glove award that year.
A right-handed thrower but a left-handed hitter, Oliva led the American League with 34 doubles in 1967, with 197 hits and 39 doubles in 1969, and with 204 hits and 36 doubles in 1970. He won his third batting championship with a .338 average in 1971, when he was also the league's best slugger with a .546 percentage.
He suffered a knee injury diving for a fly ball in July of 1971 but continued playing despite pain. Because of extensive surgery after the season, he missed virtually all of 1972 and was never the same hitter. He played with the Twins through the 1976 season, primarily as a designated hitter, but never batted over .300 again.
Oliva was the first designated hitter to hit a home run, on April 6, 1973. He was named to the All-Star team each of his first eight seasons, an American League record.
After retiring as a player, Oliva became the Twins' batting coach. His major contribution to the team in that position was turning Kirby Puckett from a slap hitter into a good hitter with power.