Sandy Consuegra

Sandalio Simeón Consuegra Castellón

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut June 10, 1950
• Final Game May 28, 1957
• Born September 3, 1920 in Potrerillos, Cuba
• Died November 16, 2005 in Miami, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Playing in Cuba, 1946

“(Paul Richards) made a pitcher out of me... Before I came to the White Sox I was just a thrower. I threw a fastball and a curve and that’s all. As soon as I came over here Richards taught me how to throw a palmball and a sinker. Now I throw them quite often, mixed with my fastball and curve, and I have confidence that I can win." - Sandy Consuegra, Baseball Digest, 1954

Swingman Sandy Consuegra emerged from Cuba to become one of the first All-Stars from the country in big league history. He came up just a shade under 30 with the Washington Senators in 1950, pitching solidly for the next three-plus seasons before being sold to the Chicago White Sox in May 1953. After a 7-5, 2.54 mark in 29 games for the Pale Hose that year, he enjoyed All-Star honors in his finest season in 1954, finishing 16-3, 2.69 with 2 shutouts and 4 saves in 154 innings. He finished just 0.05 behind Mike Garcia for the American League ERA title while leading the league by recording half of his victories in relief. After a fine 1955 more exclusively in relief, he fell off in 1956, splitting his final two seasons between the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants.

In international play, Sandy went 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA as Cuba's worst hurler in the 1943 Amateur World Series, when they won Gold; he was 2-for-7 as a hitter. Consuegra was 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in the 1944 Amateur World Series and 1-for-2 at the plate.

Sandy spent 4 years pitching in the Mexican League (1946-48 and 1958) and was 34-30 with a 3.95 ERA. His best season was 1948, in which he won 8 games and lost 5 with a 2.67 ERA for Puebla.

Sandy had signed with Minneapolis in the American Association for 1945, but never reported.

Sandy and his family left Cuba shortly after Fidel Castro's rise to power in 1959. He settled in Miami, dying in 2005 at the age of 85.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1954)
• AL Winning Percentage Leader (1954)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1954)

Related Sites

• Sandy Consuegra at the SABR Bio Project