We say happy birthday to Brooks Robinson, who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on this day in 1937. Robinson broke with the Orioles in 1957 and played his entire career in Baltimore. I got to attend Brooks Robinson Day at Memorial Stadium in September 1977.
Along the way, he played in 4 World Series, 6 ALCS, earned the 1964 AL MVP and won an astonishing 16 consecutive Gold Gloves for his work as a third baseman. His play in the 1970 World Series earned him the series MVP.
In 1957-58, Robinson played second base with Cienfuegos, hitting .207 with 9 home runs. As my late father used to say, many young players went to Cuba as a stepping stone to making the major league roster.