SOURCE SPORTS: Latin Baseball Legend, San Francisco Giants Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda Dies at 86

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Orlando Cepeda, the San Francisco Giants first baseman nicknamed “The Baby Bull,” died Friday in his home. He was 86.

“MLB mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda at the age of 86,” Major League Baseball tweeted. “Known as ‘Cha-Cha’ and ‘The Baby Bull,’ Cepeda slugged 379 home runs, batted .297, and made 11 All-Star teams over 17 seasons. He was unanimously selected as the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 with the Giants. He was also a unanimous selection for the the NL MVP Award in 1967 when he helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series championship.”

Cepeda was the son of Puerto Rican baseball player Perucho Cepeda, who was not allowed to play in the major leagues because he was Black. Cepeda’s own career began after Pedro Zorilla convinced his family to send him to the United States to try out for the then-New York Giants. He passed the team’s tryout but was sent to the Salem Rebels.

The San Francisco Giants brought Cepeda onboard in 1958, and he closed out his first season as the National League Rookie of the Year. After spending a few more seasons with the Giants, Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. Though he was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year after his first season, his performance suffered throughout the following two seasons and he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1969.

Cepeda retired from baseball in 1974. He was arrested at San Juan International Airport for drug possession the following year after he attempted to pick up two boxes containing marijuana that had been flown in from Colombia. Cepeda served 9 months of a 5 year sentence, but was never able to fully shed his criminal conviction.

Cepeda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

The baseball great was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 17, 1937. Despite his father’s success in baseball, the family grew up “very poor,” he said in an interview. “My father [legendary player Pedro Cepeda]… was a great baseball player. In those days, a black player didn’t have a chance to play in the big leagues,” Cepeda explained. “So my dad used to go to Cuba, used to go to Dominican Republic, Venezuela… I think he went to Mexico one year.”

Cepeda’s survivors include his wife Nydia and 5 sons, Hector, Orlando Jr., Carl, Malcolm and Ali.

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Willie Mays Receives Numerous Touching Tributes Following His Passing

Willie Mays was one of the most legendary players in the history of Major League Baseball. Overall, he broke records and captured the attention of fans while in the Negro Leagues, and eventually went to Major League Baseball where he played for the San Francisco Giants. It was here where he broke even more records. Having won the Golden Glove award 12 times, there is no doubt that Mays was one of if not the best outfielder in the sport’s history. On Tuesday, it was revealed that he passed away at the age of 93.

Subsequently, numerous tributes came in for the baseball legend. Former President Barack Obama said “Willie Mays wasn’t just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power. He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person – and an inspiration to an entire generation.” Moreover, Major League Baseball commissioner Robert Manfred made sure to give some touching remarks on Mays’ legacy.

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Willie Mays Accomplished Everything

“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” Commissioner Rob Manfred explained “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise. From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime.”

Tributes Pour In

Mays’ passing is a huge loss for the baseball world. He was an athlete who transcended the sport, and he inspired many to pursue the game of baseball. Hopefully, Major League Baseball does everything in its power to keep Mays’ legacy alive. Every young player should be educated on Mays, his impact, and what he means to the sport. Let us know some of your favorite Willie Mays plays, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the sports world.

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SOURCE SPORTS: San Francisco Giants Showcase Black Music Month With “Wu Tang Night” At Oracle Park

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This past weekend, the first day of Black Music Month was celebrated by the San Francisco Giants by honoring the legendary Wu Tang Clan with “Wu Tang Night”. The Giants were joined by Bay Area artist Larry June and Wu Tang co-founder and producer the RZA, who participated in a ceremonial jersey swap before the game.

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The San Fran artist and the Abbott displayed a moment of unity and respect from the West Coast to the East Coast, with June putting on RZA’s yankees jersey while the founding member of the Clan donned June’s Giants jersey.

Below, you can check out the sit down the RZA had with YES Networks’ own Meredith Marakovits, where he discusses his history as a Yankees fan, his Mets vs. Yankees household growing up and his favorite Yankee, “Mr. October”, Reggie Jackson.

The Yanks beat the Giants Saturday night 7-3, maintaining their top spot in the AL East while San Fran is still fighting to keep their third slot in the NationaL League West standings

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[WATCH] SOURCE SPORTS: Bryce Harper Hits In-The-Park Home Run To Help Phillies Bump The Giants 10-4

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Tonight on the Phillies’ home turf, right fielder Bryce Harper belted a fastball into center field and somehow made it across home plate with a safe slide, scoring an “in-the-park” homer for the Phils in their 10-4 win against the San Francisco Giants.

Harper hit the first inside of the ballpark homer in Philly’s Citizens Bank for the Phils since J.T. Realmuto’s in Game 4 of the 2022 National League Division Series and was the third of four home runs hit by the Phillies in their win over the Giants.

The four homers — Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber also went yard — and Aaron Nola’s best start in more than a month helped the Phillies (68-57) take a three-game lead over the Giants (65-60) and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Cubs (65-59) for the top National League Wild Card spot with 38 games to play.

The post [WATCH] SOURCE SPORTS: Bryce Harper Hits In-The-Park Home Run To Help Phillies Bump The Giants 10-4 first appeared on The Source.

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