Izzy León

Isidoro León Becerra

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.
• Debut June 21, 1945
• Final Game September 16, 1945
• Born January 4, 1911 in Cruces, Cuba
• Died July 25, 2002 in Miami, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Izzy León played in both the Negro Leagues and in the major leagues. A Cuban, he was light enough for the majors. When he finally made his debut in the white major leagues, he was 34, one of the oldest "rookies" ever.

He is sometimes listed as "Isodoro León" in both English-language and Spanish-language references.

He was a star in 1942-43 on the Cuban team in the amateur World Series. In the 1942 Amateur World Series, León went 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA, tying teammate Julio Moreno for the lead in wins. During the 1943 Amateur World Series, he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA as Cuba won Gold. In the 1944 Amateur World Series, León was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

His 5.35 ERA wasn't as bad as it may appear. The 1945 Phillies had a team ERA of 4.64, and Dick Barrett, the top starter with 8 wins, had an ERA of 5.38. Oddly enough, the best pitcher on the staff that year was one Jimmie Foxx, 37 years old, who appeared in 9 games as a pitcher and had an ERA of 1.59.