Editing Hiram Bithorn

{{Short description|Puerto Rican baseball player (1916–1951)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{family name hatnote|Bithorn|Sosa|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name        = Hiram Bithorn
|image       = Reggie Otero and Hiram Bithorn 1945 (cropped).jpg
|caption     = Bithorn, circa 1945
|position    = [[Pitcher]]
|bats        = Right
|throws      = Right
|birth_date  = March 18, 1916
|birth_place = [[Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico]]
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1951|12|29|1916|3|18}}<!-- mlb.com and baseball-reference.com indicate December 29; thebaseballcube.com and retrosheet.org indicate December 30; see talk page -->
|death_place = [[Ciudad Victoria]], Tamaulipas, Mexico
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate   = April 15
|debutyear   = 1942
|debutteam   = Chicago Cubs
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate   = May 4
|finalyear   = 1947
|finalteam   = Chicago White Sox
|statleague  = MLB
|stat1label  = [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value  = 34–31
|stat2label  = [[Earned run average]]
|stat2value  = 3.16
|stat3label  = [[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value  = 185
|teams=
*[[Chicago Cubs]] ({{Baseball year|1942}}–{{Baseball year|1943}}, {{Baseball year|1946}})
*[[Chicago White Sox]] ({{Baseball year|1947}})
}}

'''Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa''' (March 18, 1916 – December 29,<!-- mlb.com and baseball-reference.com indicate December 29; thebaseballcube.com and retrosheet.org indicate December 30; see talk page --> 1951) was a professional right-handed [[pitcher]] who became the first [[baseball]] player from [[Puerto Rico]] to play in [[Major League Baseball]].<ref name=SABR>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/hi-bithorn/ |title=Hi Bithorn |first1=Jane Allen |last1=Quevedo |website=sabr.org |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |access-date=November 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Balmanac">{{cite web|title=Hi Bithorn Stats|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=bithohi01| publisher=baseball-almanac.com| accessdate=August 23, 2018}}</ref>{{efn|name=torres|Bithorn was not the first Puerto Rican to play in a recognized major league. [[Gacho Torres]] debuted with the [[Newark Stars]] of the [[Eastern Colored League]] (ECL) in 1926; the ECL is now one of the six historical [[Negro league baseball|Negro leagues]] recognized as a major league by MLB.}}

Standing {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} and weighing about {{convert|200|lb|-1}}, Bithorn was a hard-throwing pitcher who commanded attention when he began his delivery with a distinctive windup, raising his long left leg high in the air and throwing a blazing fastball toward home plate.<ref name=SABR/>

==Early life==
Of mixed Danish-German-Scottish and Spanish descent,<ref name=SABR/><ref>Abrams, Al. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s8MwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_GkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3830%2C563254&dq=hiram-bithorn-books-list-origin "Sidelights on Sports"]. ''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. May 10, 1943. Retrieved July 31, 2018.</ref> Bithorn was born as Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa in [[Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico|Santurce]], a heavily populated area in the city of [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], and was one of five children born to Waldemar G. Bithorn, a municipal employee, and María Sosa, a public school teacher. The Bithorn family traveled frequently to the United States. María taught her children English and at one time produced a radio program called ''Abuelita Borinqueña'' (Puerto Rican Grandmother). The young Hiram attended [[Central High School (San Juan, Puerto Rico)|Central High School]] in Santurce, and his older two brothers, 11 and 10 years his senior, encouraged and assisted in training him to become an athlete.<ref name=SABR/>

In 1935, Bithorn competed in the [[Central American and Caribbean Games|III Central American and Caribbean Games]] held in [[San Salvador]], [[El Salvador]], helping his Puerto Rican teammates bring home a silver medal in [[volleyball]] and a bronze in [[basketball]].<ref name=SABR/> By this time, he had already begun making a name for himself in baseball in 1932, while pitching on a team of ''nativos'' playing in the city of [[Guayama, Puerto Rico|Guayama]]. The Puerto Ricans faced the Richmond BBC, a squad composed entirely of continental American players, including slugging first baseman and future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Famer]] [[Johnny Mize]], as the 16-year-old Bithorn led his team to a 10–1 victory over the visiting club.<ref name=SABR/>

==Baseball career==
Bithorn played winter ball for his home team [[Senadores de San Juan]].<ref name=SABR/> When San Juan [[manager (baseball)|manager]] Juan Torruella resigned only two weeks into the 1938 season, the Senadores chose 22-year-old Bithorn as their new skipper, making him the youngest manager in [[Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente|Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League]] history.<ref name=SABR/> Within three years, Bithorn was pitching at [[Wrigley Field]].

In 1939 Bithorn played in the US [[Minor League Baseball|Minor Leagues]], pitching for three seasons for the [[Double-A (baseball)|AA]] clubs [[Oakland Oaks (PCL)|Oakland Oaks]] and [[Hollywood Stars]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Hi Bithorn – Society for American Baseball Research|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/hi-bithorn/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=|language=en-US}}</ref>

Bithorn was signed by the [[Chicago Cubs]] in September 1941 and debuted in the Major Leagues on April 15, 1942, making history as the first Puerto Rican to play in [[organized baseball]].<ref name="Marca">{{cite book| title=El Lanzador: Una Carrera Marcada por la Guerra| author=Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá| publisher=[[El Nuevo Día]]| chapter=Béisbol romántico| location=Puerto Rico| language=es| date=October 14, 2007| pages=138| author-link=Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá}}</ref>{{efn|name=torres}} Bithorn won nine games and lost 14 in his first season,<ref name="Marca"/> but he rebounded in 1943 by going 18–12 with an [[earned run average]] of 2.60 and completing 19 of his 30 starts,<ref name="Marca"/> leading the league in [[shutout]]s with seven, establishing a record for Puerto Rican pitchers that still stands to this day. During this time, he also formed the second Latin American pitcher-catcher combination along with [[Cubans|Cuban]] [[Chico Hernández]].<ref name="Clemente 2006 p. 30">[[David Maraniss]], ''Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006), page 30.</ref>

On November 26, 1943, after his second season, Bithorn joined the [[United States Navy]]. While in the navy, he served at [[Naval Air Station San Juan]] in Puerto Rico where he became the player-manager for the baseball team at the station.<ref name="Marca"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball in Wartime - Hi Bithorn|url=http://baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/bithorn_hi.htm|website=BaseballinWartime.com|accessdate=December 26, 2017}}</ref> He was discharged from the navy on September 1, 1945. His promising start did not last once he returned from military service. By this moment his weight had risen to 225 pounds, which led to rumors that he may not have the same abilities.<ref name="Marca"/> Upon returning from the war, he returned to the Chicago Cubs, and went 6–5 in 1946. On January 25, 1947, he was purchased by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] only to be waived later. On March 22 of the same year, the [[Chicago White Sox]] selected him off waivers but only pitched two innings, developing a sore arm that ended his career.

In a four-season career, Bithorn posted a 34–31 record with a 3.16 ERA in 105 pitching appearances (53 as a [[Starting pitcher|starter]]), including 30 [[complete games]], eight shutouts and five [[save (baseball)|saves]], [[strikeout|striking out]] 185 batters while [[base on balls|walking]] 171 in 509{{fraction|2|3}} [[innings pitched|innings of work]].

==Later years==
At age 35, Bithorn tried to make a comeback in the [[Mexican Pacific League]]. He was shot by Mexican police officer Ambrosio Castillo Cano<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cieradkowski|first=Gary Joseph|date=2020-03-20|title=Hi Bithorn: The life and odd death of Hurricane Hi|url=https://studiogaryc.com/2020/03/20/hi-bithorn-the-life-and-odd-death-of-hurricane-hi/|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Studio Gary C|language=en-US}}</ref> on December 28, 1951, in [[El Mante, Tamaulipas]], [[Mexico]].<ref name="Marca"/> Bithorn then was transferred to [[Ciudad Victoria]]'s hospital, where he died the next day. Initially, Officer Castillo Cano claimed that Bithorn was violent and also admitted to being part of a [[Clandestine cell system|communist cell]], and that he was on an important mission. Eventually this argument was debunked in court and Castillo Cano was sentenced to eight years in prison for Bithorn's murder. He was buried at Buxeda Cemetery in [[Carolina, Puerto Rico]].<ref name="Clemente 2006 p. 30"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramos|first=Raul|date=2019-06-10|title=Recordemos a los peloteros que han muerto por disparos|url=https://conlasbasesllenas.com/recordemos-a-los-peloteros-que-han-muerto-por-disparos/|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Con Las Bases Llenas|language=es}}</ref>

Bithorn's achievement of making it to the majors remained a source of pride in Puerto Rico, and he was honored in 1962 when the biggest ballpark on the island was built and named after him. [[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]] is located next to [[Roberto Clemente Coliseum]] and across the street from [[Plaza Las Américas (Puerto Rico)|Plaza Las Américas Mall]], the stadium has also hosted world championship [[boxing]] fights, major [[professional wrestling]] events from the [[World Wrestling Council]], the 1979 [[Pan American Games]], and important musical spectacles. The [[Montreal Expos]] played 22 home games there in the 2003 and 2004 MLB seasons, while Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2006 and 2009 [[World Baseball Classic]] editions also were played there, including teams from Group C and Group D. In 2013 the World Baseball Classic Round 1, Pool C was played in the stadium, featuring [[Dominican Republic]], [[Puerto Rico]], Spain and [[Venezuela]] national teams.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico}}
* [[List of Puerto Ricans#Sports|List of Puerto Ricans]]
* [[List of players from Puerto Rico in Major League Baseball]]
* [[Baseball in Puerto Rico]]
* [[Sports in Puerto Rico]]
* [[List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|mlb=111026 |espn= |br=b/bithohi01 |fangraphs=|brm=bithor001hir |retro=Pbithh101 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140313001723/http://autografo.tv/hiram-bithorn/ Biography at Autógrafo TV]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bithorn, Hiram}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:American people murdered abroad]]
[[Category:Binghamton Triplets players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Chicago White Sox players]]
[[Category:Hollywood Stars players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Mexican murder victims]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Nashville Vols players]]
[[Category:Newark Bears (International League) players]]
[[Category:Norfolk Tars players]]
[[Category:Oakland Oaks (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Oklahoma City Indians players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Santurce, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Baseball players from San Juan, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:People murdered in Mexico]]
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[[Category:Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican people of German descent]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican people of Danish descent]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican United States Navy personnel]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:American military sports players]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican people who died in prison custody]]
[[Category:Mexican people who died in prison custody]]
[[Category:Prisoners who died in Mexican detention]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
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[[Category:Prisoners murdered in custody]]
[[Category:People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Mexico]]
[[Category:People murdered by law enforcement officers]]
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