Ramón Roger

Ramón A. Roger (Colorado)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 193 lb.

• Born July 30, 1920 in Mexico
• Died December 1, 1997

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ramón Roger won 100 games in the minors and appeared for the Cuban national team.

Roger had a 2.08 ERA for Cuba in the 1941 Amateur World Series; they won Silver. He turned pro with the 1942-1943 Cienfuegos Elephants, going 1-1. He made his US debut in 1943 but struggled with the Utica Braves at 5-16, 5.20, allowing 265 hits in 194 innings. His team was 37-101, so he didn't get much support, either. He tied teammate Jack Kimble for third in the Eastern League in losses, three behind Frank Seward. He allowed an EL-high 143 runs (9 more than Deacon Donahue) and 112 earned runs (one more than Donahue) while his hits allowed were two shy of leader Seward.

He improved to 10-5 in 1943-1944, finishing third in the Cuban Winter League in wins, two behind Manuel García and Sandy Ullrich. He threw 11 consecutive shutout innings in relief to beat Marianao in a 20-inning contest, defeating Luis Tiant Sr., who had pitched 14 consecutive shutout innings of his own before an error cost him a run in the 20th. It was the longest game in CWL annals. He was 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA for the Atlanta Crackers in A1 (later to be renamed AA), the highest he would reach in the minors.

He had a 6-3, 2.74 record for the 1944-1945 Elephants, second on his team in ERA behind Terris McDuffie. He was 9-14 with a 4.67 ERA in 43 games for the Pericos de Puebla in the 1945 Mexican League. in 1945-1946, he helped Cienfuegos to its first title in 15 years, going 5-1. He led the staff in winning percentage and tied Jean-Pierre Roy and Martín Dihigo for third on the team in wins, four behind Adrián Zabala and Sal Maglie.

Back in Mexico for the summer, he was only 7-18 with a 4.69 ERA for the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo. He was 1-1 for Cienfuegos that winter. He does not appear to have pitched in the summer in 1947. In the winter of 1947-1948, he was 0-2 for the Cuba team]] in the Cuban Players League.

In the summer of 1948, he pitched for the Sherman-Denison Twins (8-3, 2.75 in 21 G), West Palm Beach Indians (3-5, 3.19 in 9 G) and Tuneros de San Luis (0-2, 4.82 in 6 G). That concluded his Mexican League career at 16-34, 4.69 in 82 games over 3 seasons. He then also wrapped up his CWL career, going 0-1 with a 10.31 ERA for Marianao in 1948-1949. He had gone 23-14 in the CWL.

His US career continued for several more years, though. He was 10-15 with a 4.75 ERA for Sherman-Denison in 1949. He tied Jose Cendan for 4th in the Big State League in losses. In 1950, he moved to the Galveston White Caps and fared much better at 21-11, 2.51 in 41 games. He led the Gulf Coast League in ERA (.17 ahead of Robert Upton), tied for fourth in wins and was seventh in games pitched.

For Galveston in 1951, he had a 18-11, 3.19 record and also hit .273/?/.398. He tied Roger Powell and Mel Tappe for 8th in the GCL in wins and was third in ERA (behind Earl Caldwell and Red Murff). His third year with the club, he fell a bit, to 16-14, 3.65. He was 5th in the loop in victories (between Bart DiMaggio and Jesús Valenzuela), made the top ten in ERA and was third with 19 complete games (behind Ervin Liberton and Roque Contreras).

Roger split 1953 between the Harlingen Capitals (12-10, 2.73) and Lafayette Bulls (5-6, 3.66). He tied Miguel López for 6th in the GCL with 19 complete games and was third in ERA, behind James Price and Vallie Eaves. He was at 15-14, 4.35 in 1954, with the Lafayette Oilers and Lake Charles Lakers. He wound down his career in 1955, going 1-1 for the Lakers and getting no decisions for the Port Arthur Sea Hawks.