Ray Dandridge was a top hitter for Marianao, others in his 12 winters in Cuba

Aug. 31: On this day in 1913, Negro and Cuban leagues star Ray Dandridge was born in Richmond, Va.

According to Who's Who in Cuban Baseball: 1878-1961, Dandridge played 12 winters in the Cuban League, six with Marianao. He batted over .300 four seasons and .299 two others during his Cuban League career. He also led the league in stolen bases (11) in 1937-38.

Dandridge was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

The breaking of baseball's color barrier in 1947 came too late for Dandridge, a Negro leagues star, mostly with the Newark Eagles, to reach the major leagues; he played fives seasons in the minors from 1949-53.

But he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. by the Veterans Committee in 1987.