General
Ozzie Virgil Sr., First Dominican-Born Major Leaguer, Dies at 92
An outstanding fielder though never an All-Star, he broke that barrier with the Giants in 1956 and later became the Tigers’ first Black player.
Ozzie Virgil Sr., who became the first Dominican native in major league baseball when he played third base for the New York Giants in 1956, and who took the field two years later as the Detroit Tigers’ first Black player, has died. He was 92.
His death was announced by Major League Baseball. The announcement did not say where or when he died or cite a cause.
Playing in the major leagues for all or part of nine seasons, mostly at third base, Virgil was an outstanding fielder, but he was a weak hitter and struggled to get into his teams’ starting lineups. He was later a coach and a scout.
His son Ozzie Jr. was a two-time All-Star catcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays over 11 major league seasons.
Ozzie Sr. received little notice for his skin color or his ethnicity when he made his major league debut, against the Philadelphia Phillies, on Sept. 23, 1956. The Giants already had the brilliant Willie Mays in center field, and Ruben Gomez, who was from Puerto Rico, was a mainstay of their pitching staff. Players from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and other places in Latin America had made other teams’ rosters; some had played in All-Star Games.
