Ozzie Virgil Sr.

Osvaldo José Virgil Pichardo (born May 17, 1932) is a former professional baseball player and coach who was the first Dominican to play in Major League Baseball.[1] He was a utilityman who played in MLB between 1956 and 1969 for the New York Giants (1956–57), Detroit Tigers (1958; 1960–61), Kansas City Athletics (1961), Baltimore Orioles (1962), Pittsburgh Pirates (1965) and San Francisco Giants (1966; 1969). Basically a third baseman, Virgil played all positions except pitcher and center field. He batted and threw right-handed, was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 174 pounds (79 kg).

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Virgil and the second or maternal family name is Pichardo.
Ozzie Virgil
Utility player
Born: (1932-05-17) May 17, 1932
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 23, 1956, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
June 27, 1969, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.231
Home runs14
Runs batted in73
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • First Dominican to play in Major League Baseball
  • First black player to play for Detroit Tigers

Career

Virgil was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13 and settled in The Bronx, where Virgil graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School.[2] He served in the United States Marines from 1950–52,[2] and began his 17-season professional playing career in 1953.

On September 23, 1956, he became the first person from his native country to play in the Majors when he started for the Giants at third base against the Philadelphia Phillies. Twenty-one months later, on June 6, 1958, Virgil became the first player of African descent to take the field for the Tigers,[1] again starting at third base, this time against the Washington Senators.

In a nine-season big-league career, Virgil posted a .231 batting average with 174 hits, 14 home runs and 73 RBI in 324 games played. After his playing career ended, Virgil spent 19 seasons as a coach for the Giants (1969–72; 1974–75); Montréal Expos (1976–81); San Diego Padres (1982–85); and Seattle Mariners (1986–88). From 1977–88, he served as the third-base coach on the staff of Baseball Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams. His son, catcher Ozzie Jr., played in all or parts of 11 MLB seasons (1980–90) and was a two-time National League All-Star.

Osvaldo Virgil National Airport serves the Monte Cristi Province, in the north of the Dominican Republic. This airport was opened in 2006 for tourism with flights from other Dominican airports.

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See also

References
  1. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. "Bob Matthews Sports Article (January 27, 2008)". Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  2. Simonetti, Anthony. "Living history: Ozzie Virgil, Sr". SMBA Blog. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
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