Long Branch Cubans

[Jason19th]

For the past about year I have been very slowing assembling a collection of cards and photos of players that played for the Long Branch/Newark Cubans. The Long Branch Cuban have to be one of the strangest teams in baseball history. Organized by a Colombian doctor in 1913 they played with a team of all Cuban players in the New York- New Jersey League (Class D Minor League) and pretty much ran away with the league winning the pennant by 18.5 games with a 65 and 29 record. After two years in the league, the league disbanded and the Cubans decided to basically become a negro league team with many of the same players that it has while in Organized Ball. It has to be the only team that made the switch this switch. In addition to crossing the color line the team has more then its share of great players. Adolfo Luque would win nearly 200 games in the majors, Mike Gonzales would play almost twenty years in the majors and become the first Latin to Manage in the big leagues. At least three other players would gets cups of coffee in the majors (Angel Aragon Yankees, Jose Acosta Washington, and Ramon Herrea Boston) Possible there best player Luis Padron would never get a shot because he was just a bit to dark. Below in order are Luque , Mike Gonzales,Ramon Herrera, Jose Acosta, Angel Aragon, Jack Calvo, and Juan Viola.
Google the team - would love to see anything from any other players with team conections

Great info and research Jason! I don't have any cards of these players (maybe a w514 Ad Luque), but I will share a short story about Jose Acosta.

Acosta pitched briefly for the 1917 Vancouver Beavers in the Northwestern League. I say briefly since the Northwestern League's 1917 season was shortened by United Stated entry into World War I. Acosta was not the only player on the team to "break the color barrier" that season. A "dark-skinned" Chinese Hawaiian shortstop Vernon Ayau was traded amongst Seattle Giants, Tacoma Tigers, and finally landed on the Vancouver Beavers roster. I believe Ayau moved to New Jersey in 1918. A Cuban pitcher and Hawaiian shortstop integrating a Pacific Northwest baseball league, the game was far more global that many know prior to WW1....

[Jason19th]

Ty

I love the story. It never ceases to amaze me how the color line really was only concerned with one color -black. Mexicans, Cubans, Asians and Native Americans were all allowed in while blacks were not. It seems like these groups all faced the same type of racism in almost ever part of life except in Major League Baseball

[RUKen]

Here's a photo (that I do not own) of the 1914 Cubans team:

Top Row (L-R): Francisco Munoz (P), Santiago Dominguez (OF), Tomas Romanoch (SS), Juan Viola (OF), Henriquez (1B), Ricardo Torres (C), Fidelio Hungo (2B), Rochlin (OF).
Bottom Row (L-R): Luis Padron (P), Manuel Jimenez (C), Tomas Calvo (OF), Angel Aragon (3B), Jose Acosta (P), Manuel Baranda (1B).
The team's leading hitters were Angel Aragon and Juan Viola, who hit .443 and .420, respectively.

[Jaybird]

I own this postcard which is the same as the photo above. Long Branch is embossed in the lower right. Same image is in a Reach or Spalding Guide of the same era.

[Jason19th]

Just wanted to give an update on my attempts to collect the Long Branch Cubans
Since I last posted I have cards of Tomas Calvo, Ricardo Torres and photos of Fidelo Hungo (top photo)and Luis Padron (bottom) The Padron photo is an item that I never thought I would be able to get. Padron is an unknown star who probably integrated a number of minor leagues, hit over .300 in the minors, got signed by at least two major league clubs and got elected to the Hall of Fame in Cuba