We remember Pedro Ramos, who was born in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, on this day in 1935. Ramos was 19 when he made his debut in 1955 and beat New York 6-0. He went on to win 83 games over 7 seasons. Over a 4-year span, Ramos was an “innings eater,” starting 142 games, throwing 1,030 innings. and leading the American League in starts twice. He also gave up Mickey Mantle’s famous HR in 1956, the one that almost left Yankee Stadium.
My father was a huge fan of Pedro Ramos. He would laugh and say that Ramos was known for enjoying the Havana nightlife when he played for Cienfuegos in the pre-Castro winter league. Up here, he was known as “The Cuban Cowboy,” a reference to his wardrobe and lifestyle.
My late father would also say: “If Pedro Ramos had only pitched for the Yankees,.he’d won 200 games”. I don’t know about 200 games, but he’d won a lot more than the 117 he put up pitching for some very bad teams, such as the Washington Senators and a few others.