Minnie Minoso was born on Thursday, November 29, 1923, in Perico, Cuba. Minoso was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 19, 1949, with the Cleveland Indians. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Minnie Minoso baseball stats page.
"It's been many years (twelve) since I face pitching like this (Frank Tanana on September 11, 1976). I hope they (the fans) forgive me." - Minnie Minoso (After being un-retired and going in as a DH)
Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Autograph on a 1960 Topps Baseball Card (#365 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1949 | 26 | Indians | 9 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 2 | 2 | .188 | .350 | .375 |
1951 | 28 | Indians | 8 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | .429 | .529 | .571 |
1951 | 28 | White Sox | 138 | 516 | 109 | 167 | 32 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 74 | 71 | 0 | 41 | 4 | - | 14 | 12 | .324 | .419 | .498 |
1952 | 29 | White Sox | 147 | 569 | 96 | 160 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 61 | 71 | 5 | 46 | 14 | - | 14 | 15 | .281 | .375 | .424 |
1953 | 30 | White Sox | 151 | 556 | 104 | 174 | 24 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 104 | 74 | 7 | 43 | 8 | - | 17 | 23 | .313 | .410 | .466 |
1954 | 31 | White Sox | 153 | 568 | 119 | 182 | 29 | 18 | 19 | 1 | 116 | 77 | 7 | 46 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 20 | .320 | .411 | .535 |
1955 | 32 | White Sox | 139 | 517 | 79 | 149 | 26 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 70 | 76 | 3 | 43 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 18 | .288 | .387 | .424 |
1956 | 33 | White Sox | 151 | 545 | 106 | 172 | 29 | 11 | 21 | 0 | 88 | 86 | 4 | 40 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 10 | .316 | .425 | .525 |
1957 | 34 | White Sox | 153 | 568 | 96 | 176 | 36 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 103 | 79 | 5 | 54 | 1 | 9 | 21 | 19 | .310 | .408 | .454 |
1958 | 35 | Indians | 149 | 556 | 94 | 168 | 25 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 80 | 59 | 3 | 53 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 13 | .302 | .383 | .484 |
1959 | 36 | Indians | 148 | 570 | 92 | 172 | 32 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 92 | 54 | 2 | 46 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 11 | .302 | .377 | .468 |
1960 | 37 | White Sox | 154 | 591 | 89 | 184 | 32 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 105 | 52 | 2 | 63 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | .311 | .374 | .481 |
1961 | 38 | White Sox | 152 | 540 | 91 | 151 | 28 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 82 | 67 | 2 | 46 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 11 | .280 | .369 | .420 |
1962 | 39 | Cardinals | 39 | 97 | 14 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .196 | .271 | .278 |
1963 | 40 | Senators | 109 | 315 | 38 | 72 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 33 | 1 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 14 | .229 | .315 | .317 |
1964 | 41 | White Sox | 30 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .226 | .351 | .323 |
1976 | 53 | White Sox | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .125 | .125 |
1980 | 57 | White Sox | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
17 Years | 1,835 | 6,579 | 1,136 | 1,963 | 336 | 83 | 186 | 6 | 1,023 | 814 | 43 | 584 | 68 | 57 | 192 | 185 | .298 | .389 | .459 |
Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1949 Indians | RF | 7 | 6 | 144 | 11 | 1.6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.06 |
1951 Indians | 1B | 7 | 2 | 102 | 42 | 6.0 | 40 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 10.59 |
1951 White Sox | CF | 2 | 2 | 48 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.38 |
1951 White Sox | LF | 42 | 33 | 897 | 92 | 2.2 | 87 | 86 | 1 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .946 | 2.62 |
1951 White Sox | RF | 43 | 38 | 1,001 | 61 | 1.4 | 60 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 1.62 |
1951 White Sox | 3B | 68 | 64 | 1,662 | 218 | 3.2 | 204 | 82 | 122 | 14 | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .936 | 3.31 |
1951 White Sox | SS | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1952 White Sox | 3B | 9 | 6 | 144 | 12 | 1.3 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1952 White Sox | CF | 70 | 67 | 1,746 | 163 | 2.3 | 160 | 156 | 4 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 2.47 |
1952 White Sox | LF | 71 | 61 | 1,716 | 162 | 2.3 | 158 | 151 | 7 | 4 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.49 |
1952 White Sox | RF | 15 | 13 | 355 | 18 | 1.2 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.37 |
1952 White Sox | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1953 White Sox | 3B | 10 | 3 | 135 | 19 | 1.9 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .895 | 3.40 |
1953 White Sox | CF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1953 White Sox | LF | 143 | 135 | 3,618 | 295 | 2.1 | 285 | 270 | 15 | 10 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.13 |
1953 White Sox | RF | 11 | 10 | 198 | 13 | 1.2 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.77 |
1954 White Sox | 3B | 9 | 6 | 162 | 19 | 2.1 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .947 | 3.00 |
1954 White Sox | CF | 13 | 11 | 312 | 30 | 2.3 | 29 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 2.51 |
1954 White Sox | LF | 123 | 120 | 3,212 | 305 | 2.5 | 298 | 285 | 13 | 7 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 2.50 |
1954 White Sox | RF | 14 | 14 | 336 | 28 | 2.0 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1955 White Sox | 3B | 2 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 5.14 |
1955 White Sox | CF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
1955 White Sox | LF | 134 | 128 | 3,366 | 294 | 2.2 | 285 | 267 | 18 | 9 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.29 |
1955 White Sox | RF | 9 | 8 | 177 | 14 | 1.6 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.14 |
1956 White Sox | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1956 White Sox | 3B | 8 | 1 | 54 | 10 | 1.3 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 4.00 |
1956 White Sox | LF | 148 | 147 | 3,789 | 300 | 2.0 | 292 | 282 | 10 | 8 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 2.08 |
1956 White Sox | RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
1957 White Sox | 3B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1957 White Sox | LF | 152 | 152 | 4,043 | 309 | 2.0 | 304 | 295 | 9 | 5 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.03 |
1958 Indians | 3B | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1958 Indians | LF | 147 | 145 | 3,885 | 315 | 2.1 | 307 | 294 | 13 | 8 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.13 |
1959 Indians | LF | 148 | 148 | 3,966 | 336 | 2.3 | 331 | 317 | 14 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 2.25 |
1960 White Sox | LF | 152 | 150 | 3,893 | 297 | 2.0 | 291 | 277 | 14 | 6 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.02 |
1960 White Sox | RF | 5 | 4 | 99 | 5 | 1.0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.36 |
1961 White Sox | LF | 147 | 147 | 3,865 | 290 | 2.0 | 277 | 267 | 10 | 13 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .955 | 1.94 |
1962 Cardinals | LF | 27 | 26 | 609 | 37 | 1.4 | 36 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 1.60 |
1963 Senators | 3B | 8 | 7 | 174 | 27 | 3.4 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.19 |
1963 Senators | LF | 74 | 70 | 1,813 | 112 | 1.5 | 107 | 104 | 3 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .955 | 1.59 |
1963 Senators | RF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1964 White Sox | LF | 4 | 2 | 66 | 8 | 2.0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.27 |
1964 White Sox | RF | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
LF Totals | 1,512 | 1,464 | 38,738 | 3,152 | 2.1 | 3,066 | 2,937 | 129 | 86 | 21 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 2.14 | |
3B Totals | 116 | 88 | 2,367 | 309 | 2.7 | 290 | 102 | 188 | 19 | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .939 | 3.31 | |
RF Totals | 107 | 93 | 2,325 | 153 | 1.4 | 152 | 149 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 1.77 | |
CF Totals | 88 | 80 | 2,118 | 200 | 2.3 | 196 | 191 | 5 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.50 | |
1B Totals | 8 | 2 | 105 | 43 | 5.4 | 41 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .953 | 10.54 | |
SS Totals | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
15 Years | 1,833 | 1,727 | 45,656 | 3,858 | 2.1 | 3,746 | 3,417 | 329 | 112 | 36 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 2.22 |
Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1949 Indians | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 16.0 | 8.0 | 16.0 | - | - | - |
1951 Indians | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 3 | n/a | 0.0 | 14.0 | 7.0 | - | - | - |
1951 White Sox | 31 | 10 | .756 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 51.6 | 12.6 | 7.0 | - | - | - |
1952 White Sox | 22 | 16 | .579 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 43.8 | 12.4 | 9.3 | - | - | - |
1953 White Sox | 25 | 16 | .610 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 37.1 | 12.9 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
1954 White Sox | 18 | 11 | .621 | 0 | 2 | n/a | 29.9 | 12.3 | 4.9 | - | - | - |
1955 White Sox | 19 | 8 | .704 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 51.7 | 12.0 | 7.4 | - | - | - |
1956 White Sox | 12 | 6 | .667 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 26.0 | 13.6 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
1957 White Sox | 18 | 15 | .545 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 47.3 | 10.5 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
1958 Indians | 14 | 14 | .500 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 23.2 | 10.5 | 7.0 | - | - | - |
1959 Indians | 8 | 10 | .444 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 27.1 | 12.4 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
1960 White Sox | 17 | 13 | .567 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 29.6 | 9.4 | 5.6 | - | - | - |
1961 White Sox | 9 | 4 | .692 | 1 | 4 | n/a | 38.6 | 11.7 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
1962 Cardinals | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 5 | n/a | 97.0 | 5.7 | 9.7 | - | - | - |
1963 Senators | 8 | 6 | .571 | 29 | 1 | n/a | 78.8 | 8.3 | 10.5 | - | - | - |
1964 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 27 | 0 | n/a | 31.0 | 10.3 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
1976 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
1980 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
17 Years | 205 | 130 | .612 | 79 | 17 | 3 | 35.4 | 11.3 | 6.4 | - | - | - |
Minnie MinosoMinnie Minoso Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1949 Cleveland Indians | 18 | Undetermined | - | - |
1951 Cleveland Indians | 6 | Undetermined | - | - |
1951 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1952 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1953 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1954 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1955 Chicago White Sox | 9 | $32,500.00 | - | - |
1956 Chicago White Sox | 9 | $32,500.00 | - | - |
1957 Chicago White Sox | 9 | $36,000.00 | Stats | - |
1958 Cleveland Indians | 9 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1959 Cleveland Indians | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1960 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1961 Chicago White Sox | 9 | $50,000.00 | - | - |
1962 St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | Undetermined | - | - |
1963 Washington Senators | 9 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1964 Chicago White Sox | 9 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1976 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | - | - |
1980 Chicago White Sox | 9 | Undetermined | - | - |
Minnie Minoso Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso was a Major League Baseball player with the Cleveland Indians (1949, 1951), Chicago White Sox (1951-1957), Cleveland Indians (1958-1959), Chicago White Sox (1960-1961), St. Louis Cardinals (1962), Washington Senators (1963), amd Chicago White Sox (1964, 1976, 1980). Minnie, his nickname, was named one of the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Players ever! As part of the club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2001, a panel of veteran baseball writers, historians and executives selected a roster of the Top 100 Greatest Indians and Minoso was named one of the twenty-three outfielders.
Minnie Minoso Rookie Card | 1952 Topps Baseball Card (#195 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection
Minnie Minoso was found dead in the driver’s seat of his car early Sunday morning, March 1, 2015. Mr. White Sox was driving home from a birthday party when he pulled over in the Lakeview neighborhood, near a gas station in the 2800 block of North Ashland Avenue around 1 a.m. According to police reports, there were no signs of trauma and Minoso was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:09 a.m. Later that same day, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, released the following statement:
Statement by the President on the Passing of Minnie Minoso
For South Siders and Sox fans all across the country, including me, Minnie Minoso is and will always be “Mr. White Sox.”
The first black Major Leaguer in Chicago, Minnie came to the United States from Cuba even though he could have made more money elsewhere. He came up through the Negro Leagues, and didn’t speak much English at first. And as he helped to integrate baseball in the 1950s, he was a target of racial slurs from fans and opponents, sometimes forced to stay in different motels from his teammates. But his speed, his power – and his resilient optimism – earned him multiple All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves in left field, and he became one of the most dominant and dynamic players of the 1950s.
Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie’s quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could.
Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and fans in Chicago, Cleveland, and around the world.
Source: White House Press Release. Office of the Press Secretary. 1 March 2015.
Minnie Minoso — Mr. #WhiteSox — has died. Tears of sadness are falling for a great man. pic.twitter.com/zpi6WFuxH0
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 1, 2015
Did you know that Minnie Minoso is one of only fourteen former Major League Baseball player who had absence from the major leagues of eleven-or-more years with hits on each side of that absence?
Longest Hiatus Between Major League Hits |
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Absence | Name | Years |
21 Years | Charley O'Leary | 1913 / 1934 |
15 Years | Joe Cicero | 1930 / 1945 |
13 Years | Jack McFetridge | 1890 / 1903 |
13 Years | Rudy Sommers | 1914 / 1927 |
13 Years | Ralph Winegarner | 1936 / 1949 |
12 Years | Harry Smith | 1877 / 1889 |
12 Years | Roy Schalk | 1932 / 1944 |
12 Years | Bobby Schang | 1915 / 1927 |
12 Years | Jim Baumer | 1949 / 1961 |
12 Years | Minnie Minoso | 1964 / 1976 |
11 Years | John O'Connell | 1891 / 1902 |
11 Years | Jim O'Rourke | 1893 / 1904 |
11 Years | Clyde Sukeforth | 1934 / 1945 |
Did you know that when Minnie Minoso won his first Gold Glove Award in 1957, it was given by Rawlings to just the three best outfielders in Major League Baseball, regardless of league played? When The Cuban Comet won his second Gold Glove Award in 1959, he became the first American League outfielder to receive the honor with two different teams, having won it first in Chicago, then in Cleveland. The very next year (1960), Minoso won his last-of-three Gold Gloves, but remains the first Indians outfielder to win the award, the first White Sox outfielder to win the award, their first with two, and their first with three!
Did you know that when the Chicago White Sox retired #9 for Minnie Minoso, on May 8, 1983, it was only the third number they had ever retired in franchise history? Those who preceded Mr. White Sox were Luke Appling (1975) and Nellie Fox (1976)!
Minnie Minoso, who is often remembered for playing in five different decades (along with Nick Altrock), actually played professionally in seven different decades! Here is an article from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Inside Pitch. 12 September 2006.:
What does matter is that the ageless superstar from Havana, Cuba had the intestinal fortitude to pioneer the major leagues as its first Black Latino player, and was young enough in body and soul to don a major league uniform—and get a hit—at age 53. Minoso emerged from the Cuban and Negro leagues to make the major leagues in 1949 at a reported age 27, when he played for the Cleveland Indians, beginning a stellar 17-year career, which ended in 1964.
A speedster on the base paths and a fan-favorite with his electrifying style of play, Minoso hit .298 lifetime, earned the (Sporting News) 1951 Rookie of the Year, was a seven-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner in left field. Minoso even had his jersey number nine retired by Bill Veeck and the White Sox in 1983.
Despite his storied career and pioneering ways, Minoso is best remembered as the man who played in seven—count 'em—even decades. Thirty years ago this week, after 12 years of retirement, Minoso was activated by Veeck and started as designated hitter, batting ninth, in the first game of a twin bill with the California Angels. In the second inning, with two outs and Chet Lemon on first base, he singled to left off Angels' starter Sid Monge. At age 53, Minoso had become the oldest player to notch a hit in a major league game [Note: Recent research revealed an older player with a hit, Jim O'Rourke, who had a hit at 54y 21d], and the second oldest to suit up, after Satchel Paige had played at age 59 for Veeck's Indians in 1965.
Minoso would play three games in 1976, getting one hit in eight at bats. He played again in 1980 for the White Sox. In 1993 (at age 71) and 2003 (at age 81), he put on a uniform for the independent Northern League's St. Paul Saints, becoming baseball's first octogenarian and only seven-decade player.
Minnie Minoso Plays in Five Decades | Souther Illinoisan | October 2, 1980 | Page 15