Roberto Ortiz attacked umpire in ugly incident in 1944-45 season

Jan. 7: On this day in 1945, Almendares first baseman Roberto Ortiz, in what may have been the most violent incident in Cuban League history, attacked umpire Bernardo Rodriguez.

Irate over a call, Ortiz (shown in this Carteles magazine premium) punched Rodriguez, knocking him unconscious, according to Smoke: The Romance and Lore of Cuban Baseball.

Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878-1961 says Rodriguez had to be hospitalized as a result of the attack, and Ortiz, who apologized in a letter published in the Cuban news media, was suspended for the remainder of the season.

Despite Almendares being without its power-hitting first baseman -- and needing its manager Adolfo Luqueto take the mound at age 54 because of injuries to its pitching staff -- the Scorpions went on to win the Cuban League pennant by seven games over Habana.

1950-51 ended with one-game playoff: Habana vs. Almendares

A 1950-51 Habana team premium issued as the centerfold of a magazine that was up for auction in November, 2010 at Cuban Baseball Auctions.

In that season, Habana and Almendares were tied atop the standings at the conclusion of the regular season, forcing a one-game playoff between the eternal rivals.

In the first such game since the 1936-37 Cuban League season, the Lions won 4-2 with Adrian Zabala on the mound. Habana’s pitching staff also included Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm, who went 8-6 with a league-leading 2.36 ERA.

'Greener Grass' documentary details Cuban baseball history

A terrific PBS documentary, Greener Grass: Cuba, Baseball and the United State, that's available on YouTube.

Much of it deals with the Baltimore Orioles' 1999 exhibition game against the Cuban National Team in Havana, the first time a major league team had played in Cuba in more than 40 years.

But it also highlights Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's defection from Cuba and the history of baseball in Cuba.

And it's dotted with archival footage, including newsreel footage from a Dodgers-Reds exhibition game in Havana in 1959 -- mere weeks after Fidel Castro came to power -- which was the last time major league teams had played in Cuba before the Orioles' visit.

Beginning at the 7:55 mark, you can see Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese and later the Reds' Frank Robinson warming up at first base.

Tomas de la Cruz threw no-hitter during 1944-45 season

Jan. 4: On this day in 1945, Tomas de La Cruz threw the sixth no-hitter in Cuban League history.

De la Cruz (shown in this 1943-44 La Campaña Cubana postcard) threw his gem as as Almendares defeated Habana 7-0.

De la Cruz, who pitched for Marianao, Habana and Almendares in 13 Cuban League seasons between 1934-47, was elected into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961.

Salvador Hernandez starred as a player, manager for several teams

Jan. 3: On this day in 1916, Cuban League star Salvador Hernandez was born in Havana.

Elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, Hernandez played for Habana, Almendares, Marianao, Leones and Cienfuegos during 15 seasons between 1935-51. Ten of those seasons came with Habana.

Shown in this 1949-50 postcard posted at Stars of the Diamond, Hernandez also managed five seasons from 1947-54, three at the helm of Cienfuegos.

But his most successful managerial seasons came in 1947-48 with Leones of the Players Federation, a short-lived circuit that operated outside Organized Baseball at Stadium La Tropical.

Serving as a player-manager, Hernandez led Leones to that league's pennant over Cuba, Alacranes and Santiago, a team which withdrew from the league in December 1947.

Aside from Hernandez, Leones was led by pitchers Sandalio Consuegra, Terris McDuffie and Fred Martin and position players Lou Klein, Luis Olmo and Roberto Estalella.

Cool Papa Bell hit 3 inside-the-park homers in one game in Cuba

Jan. 1: On this day in 1929, James "Cool Papa" Bell became the first player to hit three home runs in a game in the Cuban League.

But the real distinction of Bell's feat is that all three were inside the park, according to Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878-1961.

Bell -- so fast that Satchel Paige would say, "he could turn off a light switch and jump into bed before the room got dark." -- hit his three inside-the-park homers at the spacious Aida Park in Cienfuegos, Cuba against Oscar Levis, Cliff "Campanita" Bell and Martin Dihigo.

Some sources, such as Smoke: The Romance and Lore of Cuban Baseball place Bell's feat on Jan. 2 rather than New Year's Day.

Bell (shown in his Cienfuegos uniform in this Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's eMuseum photo), played five seasons in Cuba between 1928-41, four with Cienfuegos.

Jan 1: On this day in 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba

With long-time dictator Fulgencio Batista fleeing Cuba in the early morning hours, Fidel Castro and his band of rebels rode victoriously into the city of Havana on Jan. 1, 1959, forever altering the history of the country, the lives of its people and the course of the sport that had been ingrained in the island's culture for almost a century.

By the end of 1961, Castro had banned professional baseball in Cuba, a situation which continues to this day, almost five decades later.