Former Phillies athlete, coach and scout Ruben Amaro Sr. will be honored on Thursday, August 25 to become the 79th inductee into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame during a pregame presentation at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies will host the 20th annual Goya Latino Family Celebration at Citizens Bank Park, which will pay tribute to Latino culture.
Amaro Sr.’s son, Ruben Amaro Jr., will accept the award on his father’s behalf.
Before his father’s start, Amaro Jr. spoke with AL DÍA to discuss a little about his father’s life and baseball career.
“My dad was having a tough time playing in the states when he first signed with St. Louis Cardinals. He could not eat in the same restaurants or stay in the same hotels as his teammates because of the color of his skin. He struggled and would tell me when his teammates were and weren’t supportive,” Amaro Jr. said. for AL DÍA. “I give a lot of respect to my dad for having to deal with everything and still make a career out of baseball.”
Ruben Amaro Sr. was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas México, on January 6, 1936. His father, Santos Amaro Oliva was born in Aguacate, La Habana, Cuba and played professional baseball in Cuba and Mexico. His Mexican mother, Josefina Mora, also played baseball, but on a professional women’s team in Veracruz, Mexico.
Amaro Sr. played in Mexico and attended the University of Veracruz before joining the St. Louis Cardinals.
He began his pro baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958 and was traded to the Phillies after that season. He joined the Phillies in 1960 and stayed with the team for six seasons under manager Gene Mauch.
In 1964, he hit .264, with four home runs, made just 11 errors, and won a Gold Glove with the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies.
Amaro Sr. played in the major leagues for 11 seasons with four teams (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and California Angels).
His career fielding percentage was .969 and his batting average was .234.
In 1980, he reached the World Series with his team as first base coach for the Phillies under Dallas Green, defeating the Kansas City Royals, four games to two, to win their first championship.
After his playing career ended in 1969, he continued to wear various hats in baseball. He worked as a scout in Latin America and the United States. He was also a major league coach and a minor league manager.
Amaro Sr. passed away on March 31, 2017 at the age of 81 in Weston, Florida.
When inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, Amaro Sr. will become only the third Mexican-born player to be inducted, joining Alex Treviño and Fernando Valenzuela.
Other members of the Hall include Martin Dihigo, Luis Tiant, Preston Gomez, Dickie Thon, Julio Cruz, Millito Navarro and many others.
