(Ed.'s Note: We ran into sports historian Rene Torres who never fails to bring up unique aspects of baseball lore. This time, as we talked about the ongoing baseball series between the Astros and the Red Sox, he brought up Hector Torres, the first Mexican baseball players signed up by Houston. Below are a few photos and tidbits from out conversation.)
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Photo of the final game of 1958 LLWS. Monterrey defeated Kankakee, Illinois before a jammed ball park.
Photo of the final game of 1958 LLWS. Monterrey defeated Kankakee, Illinois before a jammed ball park. Hector "La Malita" Torres.. was the first Mexican player signed by the Astros in 1968. He played nine years in the majors with a variety of teams.
The Astros traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 1970.
Torres was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. At the age of 12 (in 1958), Hector pitched a one-hitter to lead the Monterrey little leaguers to win their second world title.
Angel Macias, pitched a perfect game the previous year to give the Monterrey boys their first world title.