A Red Sox fan looks back at Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva
Two great former players have gained entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both had remarkable careers and fantastic talent. Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva were pleasant and often painful to watch when they played against the Boston Red Sox.
In the 1950s, the Red Sox had a series of dreadful teams, and a highlight for the occasional fan wandering into Fenway Park was the opposition. One such player was Minoso, who seemed to shift between Cleveland and the White Sox.
As a youthful baseball player, I considered a visit to the plate with the same trepidation as oral surgery. To place it in simpler terms, I was terrorized by a pitched ball. If the batter’s box could have been extended several more feet, I would have welcomed the change.
The first few times I saw Minoso play, I was mesmerized by his either foolishness or bravery at the plate. A right-handed line-drive hitter who eventually led the league ten times in being hit by a pitch. Minoso’s plate approach was not limited to at-bats.
On the base paths, the risk quotient was stratospheric. A daring and often careless runner who could terminate a rally or extend it. In the field, walls were merely another obstacle to prevent Minnie was getting the ball. Naturally, Minoso had a strong arm, could quickly shift gears, and had excellent coverage of outfield gaps.
Minoso could light up the ballpark since his love of all things baseball was apparent. Each season, I would follow the transactions to see if someone in the Red Sox management would get this guy into town. A wonderful combination of power, speed, glove work, and a buoyant and effervescent personality. Undoubtedly a bit too uncomfortable for the reactionary Red Sox. And then toss in Black and Cuban, and I knew it would be an unfulfilled wish.
Did Oliva ever make an out against the Red Sox? Just scanning Oliva’s stats tells a woeful tale for Red Sox pitchers. Oliva hit .357 over his career against the Red Sox, and at Fenway Park, it was .376. Oh, could this guy hit!
Oliva was a line drive machine with his left-handed swing. He treated both pitchers and walks with disdain. A walk was an inconvenience to the free-swinging Oliva. As a hitter, it was bat control and opposite-field hitting that I admired. As an outfielder, Oliva was not as gifted as Minoso but still was one of the best and did capture a Gold Glove Award.
What finished off Oliva was his knees. By age-32, the downhill slide had begun, and a HOF career cut short over devastating injuries. The real memories were a hitter you least wanted to face at a crucial time in the game, and Oliva was one of those exceptional players. In my book on mid-range lefty hitters, Oliva is right there with Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, and Don Mattingly.
Minoso and Oliva are now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Two players would have been a delight to see a Red Sox uniform, and both had great talent and were a joy for this Red Sox fan to watch.