Luis Márquez

Luis Ángel "Canena" Márquez Sánchez (October 28, 1925 – March 1, 1988) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was the third Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball (after Hiram Bithorn and Luis Olmo). Márquez played in a total of 68 games in the major leagues, split in two seasons between the Boston Braves, the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. His final game was on July 11, 1954.

Background Márquez played in the Negro leagues with the New York Black Yankees, Baltimore Elite Giants and Homestead Grays. In 1949 he became the first black player to sign with the New York Yankees. He played for 20 seasons in Puerto Rico's winter league. Márquez won the league's rookie of the year in 1944-45. In 1948-49, Márquez recorded a local record of 108 hits. In 1979, Márquez was inducted into the Puerto Rico Sports Hall of Fame, also entering the Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame. He is the all-time leader in hits at the PRWL, with 1,206, runs (768) and doubles (235).

Márquez played 14 seasons in the minor leagues. He played for the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League and for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Toledo Sox, and the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers in the American Association.

Márquez was involved in baseball throughout his life as a player, coach, trainer, and Little League coach. The municipal baseball stadium in Aguadilla, Estadio Luis A. Canena Márquez, is named for him.

Márquez was murdered in Puerto Rico, as he was shot during a domestic dispute.