Chico Fernandez, the Cuban infielder who began his major league career with the Brooklyn Dodgers and finished it with the New York Mets, passed away on Saturday (June 11, 2016) following a stroke suffered on May 19. He was 84. In between his tours in the boroughs of New York, he played for the Phillies and Tigers. He was the first Latino to play for both Detroit and Philadelphia. As he told the
Detroit Free Press, last year,
“I am proud that I helped lay the foundation for the Latin players today. I can tell you that I went through some hell, but I just loved playing baseball.”
The dr.jteee image of Chico with the Phils is a personal favorite of mine.The image of an older Chico in a Detroit cap accompanied his obituary in the Detroit Free Press (as well as the 2015 piece referenced above).