Minnie Minoso (#262)

Signed in person at the Toronto All-Star Fanfest in 1991. I remember that Mr. Minoso took a sheet of paper and placed it on the card, and then signed his name. I guess he wanted to line-up his signature. Does he still sign that way? Mr. Minoso is a Cuban born baseball player, known as "Mr. White Sox", even though he also starred with Cleveland, St. Louis and Washington. Miñoso is the only player to have played professionally in 7 different decades. He was also the last Major Leaguer to have played in the 1940s to play a Major League game. In his major league career, he hit for a .298 average, 186 homeruns, 1963 hits and 205 stolen bases. Minnie was the first black player to play for the White Sox in 1951. He is also acknoledged as being the first Black Latino player in the Majors with Cleveland in 1949. He was a 7 time All-Star and 3 time Gold Glove winner. In 1976, after several years playing in Mexico, Miñoso returned to play three games with the White Sox. He picked up one single in eight plate appearances becoming at age 50 the second-oldest player ever to get a base hit in the Major Leagues. Miñoso returned to appear in two more games with the Sox in 1980. At age 77, he appeared in 2003 in a professional baseball game by drawing a walk for the St. Paul Saints, an independant team, becoming the only player to appear professionally in seven different decades.