White Sox Legend Minnie Minoso Dies at the Age of 90

Sad news to report as we learn that White Sox Legend Minnie Minoso passed away at around 1 a.m. at the age of 90 on Sunday.

Minoso played 17 seasons in the majors and was named an All-Star seven times. He was also the first black Cuban player in Major League Baseball and the first black player for the Chicago White Sox.

President Obama after hearing the news released this statement earlier today

For South Siders and Sox fans all across the country, including me, Minnie Minoso is and will always be “Mr. White Sox.

The first black Major Leaguer in Chicago, Minnie came to the United States from Cuba even though he could have made more money elsewhere. He came up through the Negro Leagues, and didn’t speak much English at first. And as he helped to integrate baseball in the 1950s, he was a target of racial slurs from fans and opponents, sometimes forced to stay in different motels from his teammates. But his speed, his power – and his resilient optimism – earned him multiple All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves in left field, and he became one of the most dominant and dynamic players of the 1950s.

Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie’s quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could.

Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and fans in Chicago, Cleveland, and around the world.

The Chicago Tribune reports Minoso was found unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a car near a gas station in the 2800 block of North Ashland Avenue. There were no signs of trauma and Minoso was pronounced dead at the scene.

Despite his many accomplishments, Minoso was denied entry into the Hall of Fame last year.