Rafael Espada

Rafael Emilio Espada Cintrón

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 143 lb.

• Born November 9, 1922 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.
• Died December 11?, 2016 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

Biographical Information

Rafael Espada was a two-sport star in the Dominican Republic.

Despite unimpressive size, Espada was an early basketball star in the Dominican Republic and played for them in the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games, finishing third on the team in scoring. He also played basketball in Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico. He was a third baseman and first baseman on the diamond but made a great catch in the outfield for the Dominican national team that won the 1948 Amateur World Series, the only championship for the Dominicans in the history of the Amateur World Series.

He played pro baseball for three winters with the Leones del Escogido in the first years of the Dominican League. He hit .183/.277/.209 in 1951, .179/.233/.179 in 1952 and was 0 for 4 in 1953. He was 4 for 18 with a double and 3 RBI in five games in the 1951 finals.

In 1975, he was inducted into the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame for his basketball play.

Sources

• Dominican League stats
• Dominican Sports Hall of Fame
• Listin Diario
• Diario Libre