José Joaquín Azcue López was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on this day in 1939. Like so many others, from Minnie Miñoso to Mike Cuellar, Camilo Pascual to Pedro Ramos, he played in the pre-Castro Cuban league and then the majors.
“Joe”, as he was known, broke with the Reds in 1960 and developed a reputation as a good defensive catcher. In 1963, Joe was traded to Cleveland, where he enjoyed some good seasons, including a trip to the 1968 AL All Star team. By the way, Azcue joined fellow Cuban teammate Luis Tiant who started and won that game.
Azcue hit .252 over 909 games and retired with the Brewers in 1972.