:Ozzie Virgil Sr.

{{Short description|Dominican baseball player and coach (1932–2024)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name = Ozzie Virgil Sr.

|image = Ozzie Virgil Sr Padres Coach.jpg

|caption = Virgil with the San Diego Padres in 1983

|position=Utility player

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|5|17}}

|birth_place = Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

|death_date = {{death date and age|2024|9|29|1932|5|17}}

|death_place = Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

|bats = Right

|throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate = September 23

|debutyear = 1956

|debutteam = New York Giants

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate = June 27

|finalyear = 1969

|finalteam = San Francisco Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label = Batting average

|stat1value = .231

|stat2label = Home runs

|stat2value = 14

|stat3label = Runs batted in

|stat3value = 73

|teams =

New York Giants ({{Mlby|1956}}–{{Mlby|1957}})
Detroit Tigers ({{Mlby|1958}}, {{Mlby|1960}}–{{Mlby|1961}})
Kansas City Athletics ({{Mlby|1961}})
Baltimore Orioles ({{Mlby|1962}})
Pittsburgh Pirates ({{Mlby|1965}})
San Francisco Giants ({{Mlby|1966}}, {{Mlby|1969}})

}}

Osvaldo José Virgil Pichardo (May 17, 1932 – September 29, 2024) was a Dominican professional baseball player and coach. He was the first person from the Dominican Republic to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) post-integration, appearing in 324 MLB games between 1956 and 1969 as a utility player for the New York / San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{efn|name=san|Virgil was not the first Dominican to play in a recognized major league. Pedro San debuted with the Cuban Stars (East) of the Eastern Colored League (ECL) in 1926; the ECL is now one of the six historical Negro leagues recognized as a major league by MLB.}}

Frequently a third baseman, Virgil played every position except pitcher and center field. He batted and threw right-handed, was {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|174|lb}}.

Early life

Virgil was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic on May 17, 1932.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/02/sports/baseball/ozzie-virgil-sr-dead.html|title = Ozzie Virgil Sr., First Dominican-Born Major Leaguer, Dies at 92|last = Goldstein|first = Richard|date = October 2, 2024|accessdate = October 2, 2024|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited}} His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13 and settled in the Bronx, where Virgil graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School.{{cite web |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/ozzie-virgil-paved-way-for-dominican-stars-of-today |title=VIRGIL PAVED THE WAY FOR DOMINICAN STARS OF TODAY |author=Craig Muder |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum}} He served in the United States Marines from 1950 to 1952.

Career

Virgil began his 17-season professional playing career in 1953. He made his MLB debut for the New York Giants on September 23, 1956; he became the first person born in the Dominican Republic to play in Major League Baseball (though Negro league pitcher Pedro San is now recognized as the first Dominican to play in any major league).. He batted 5-for-12 (.417) in three games for the Giants in 1956.{{cite news |title=Virgil Led Dominican Pathway to Majors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/sports/baseball/24virgil.html |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712054230/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/sports/baseball/24virgil.html |archive-date=July 12, 2022 |format=by web.archive.org, the Wayback Machine |date=September 24, 2006}} On January 28, 1958, the Giants traded Virgil and Gail Harris to the Detroit Tigers for Jim Finigan and $25,000.{{Cite news |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/01/28/detroit-tigers-history-ozzie-virgil/22463303/ |title=The day the Detroit Tigers gave up their color barrier |first1=Dan |last1=Austin |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=September 29, 2024}}

In 1960, Virgil played at third base, second base and the outfield under manager Charlie Metro with the Denver Bears in Triple-A. He was batting .381 with 55 runs batted in (RBIs) in 59 games when he was promoted to Detroit.{{cite web|title=Ozzie Virgil – Minor & Winter League Statistics|work=Baseball Reference|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=virgil001osv|access-date=October 1, 2024}} "I was crazy about him. He did everything well", said Metro. Virgil made his debut with Detroit on June 6, 1958. He was called the first black player for the Tigers, one of the last teams to break the color barrier,{{cite news|first=Enrique|last=Rojas|title=50 years ago, Ozzie Virgil made baseball history|date=September 22, 2006|work=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/hispanichistory/news/story?id=2598606|access-date=October 1, 2024}} though in reality he was their first Latino. Later, in his home debut, he batted second in the lineup and went 5-for-5. The Briggs Stadium crowd gave him a standing ovation that he said he never forgot.

After moving to the Kansas City Royals, Metro wanted to draft Virgil as a player-coach out of the Giants organization, where he was playing in Triple-A. According to Metro, after Giant scout Tom Sheehan overheard his interest, the team promoted Virgil to the major leagues to protect him.{{cite book |last1=Metro |first1=Charlie |title=Safe by a Mile |date=2002 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=0-8032-8281-8 |page=237|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sEf2ai4XJ0sC&q=virgil&pg=PA237|access-date=October 1, 2024|via=Google Books}} Virgil played in one game for the Giants in June 1969, ending his career. In a nine-season big-league career, he posted a .231 batting average with 174 hits, 14 home runs and 73 RBI.{{cite web|title=Ozzie Virgil|work=Baseball Reference|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/virgioz01.shtml|access-date=September 30, 2024}}

After his playing career, Virgil spent 19 seasons as a coach for the Giants (1969–1972; 1974–1975); Montreal Expos (1976–1981); San Diego Padres (1982–1985); and Seattle Mariners (1986–1988). From 1977 to 1988, he served as the third-base coach on the staff of Baseball Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams.{{cite web|first=Ryan|last=Brecker|title=Ozzie Virgil Sr.|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ozzie-virgil-sr|access-date=September 30, 2024}} They won the NL pennant with the Padres in 1984, and Virgil was the NL third-base coach at the 1985 All-Star Game.

Personal life

Virgil's son, Ozzie Jr., played as a catcher in all or parts of 11 MLB seasons and was a two-time NL All-Star. He played with his father in the 1985 All-Star Game, when he had a two-run single in the NL's win.

Osvaldo Virgil National Airport opened in 2006 in the Monte Cristi Province.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/ozzie-virgil-sr-was-first-dominican-republic-born-player-in-mlb |title=Virgil paved path as MLB's 1st Dominican-born player |first1=David |last1=Venn |website=mlb.com |publisher=MLB Advanced Media |date=September 23, 2023 |access-date=September 29, 2024}}

Virgil died from pancreatitis at his home in Monte Cristi on September 29, 2024. He was 92.{{cite news|first=Jared|last=Ramsey|title=Ozzie Virgil Sr., Detroit Tigers trailblazer who broke color barrier, dies at 92|date=September 29, 2024|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2024/09/29/detroit-tigers-trailblazer-ozzie-virgil-sr-dies-at-92/75443502007/|access-date=September 30, 2024}}{{cite news |title=Falleció Osvaldo Virgil, primer dominicano en llegar a Grandes Ligas |url=https://www.espn.com.ar/beisbol/nota/_/id/14239497/mlb-fallece-osvaldo-virgil-primer-dominicano-en-grandes-ligas |access-date=September 29, 2024 |publisher=ESPN |date=September 29, 2024 |language=es}}