Rubén Gómez

Rubén Gómez (July 13, 1927 – July 26, 2004) was a Puerto Rican professional right-handed starting pitcher who became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series game. He was also the winning pitcher in the first Major League Baseball game played west of Kansas City. In 1954, Gómez became the first black Latino to win a World Series game.

Major league career Gómez (birth name: Rubén Gómez Colón ) was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico. He debuted with the New York Giants on April 17, 1953. He finished his rookie season with a 13–11 record. Gómez created some controversy when, on the order of Giants' manager Leo Durocher, he hit Brooklyn Dodgers player Carl Furillo with a pitch. Gómez would hit other notables with pitches in his career, including Joe Adcock and Frank Robinson.

After going 17–9 in his second season, Gómez pitched and won Game 3 of the 1954 World Series in the Giants sweep of the Cleveland Indians. He thus became the first Puerto Rican player to be a member of a World Series championship team, becoming a hero in his native country (schools closed the day he pitched in the World Series so students could watch the game). When Gómez returned to Puerto Rico, he was greeted by thousands of fans at the San Juan airport and a holiday was declared.

In 1958, Gómez was traded to the Phillies. In the 1959 season he was only 3–8 in 72 innings, and went 0–3 in 1960. He was out of the major leagues in 1961 and returned in 1962 to pitch for both the Indians and the Twins, compiling a combined 2–3 record. He led the league in wins in 1949–50 (14), 1951–52 (14) and 1958–59 (12). As part of a series between Santurce and San Juan, he threw 17 no score games against the Senadores.

Gómez also pitched in the Venezuelan league for the Navegantes del Magallanes during the 1965–1966 season, and from 1968 to 1970 in the Saguenay senior league for the Chicoutimi Bombardiers. He was the star of the league. His first year with Chicoutimi he got a perfect record of 12–0 and an earned run average of 1.20. Next year, 1969, he went 9–1 with a 0.82 ERA. Two other former MLB players also played in that league: Art Ditmar and Wayne Granger.

Baseball historians Bill James and Rob Neyer have ranked Gómez's screwball the tenth-best of all time.

Later years Gómez retired at the age of 50 and was inducted into the Puerto Rico Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also inducted in the regional hall of Santurce. In 1999, Gómez was included in the LBPPR's 20th century team.

In 2001, Gómez was hospitalized after a lengthy fight against cancer, and was about to receive surgery. A doctor from Mexico requested permission to attend the operation. When Gómez asked the doctor why he had come, he replied, "I was that little boy, the money that you left in trust was enough to pay for my medical school."

Rubén Gómez Colón died in Carolina, Puerto Rico, at the age of 77. Among those who attended his funeral services was his best friend and countryman, former big leaguer Luis Rodríguez Olmo. Gómez was buried in the Guayama Municipal Cemetery in Guayama, Puerto Rico.