Ozzie Virgil Sr., who was the first Major League Baseball player from the Dominican Republic has died. He was 92.
The league posted the somber news on its official X account Sunday morning.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ozzie Virgil Sr.,” the post reads.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ozzie Virgil Sr.
On September 23, 1956, Virgil made his debut with the New York Giants and became the first native of the Dominican Republic to play in the Major Leagues.
“He means a lot,” Juan Soto said in 2023. “He was the… pic.twitter.com/cGhYkXJlaG
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2024
On Sept. 23, 1956, Osvaldo Virgil Sr., known as Ozzie Virgil, made his Major League debut with the New York Giants, becoming the first Dominican-born player in MLB history.
In his big league debut, Virgil went 0-4 against the Phillies while playing third base for the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds.
In an interview with Dominican sports journalist and historian Mario Emilio Guerrero for his biography “Yo, Virgil, Mi Historia” (I, Virgil, My Story), Virgil shared the moment he received a call from Giants owner Horace Stoneham. Stoneham informed him that he was being called up for the final days of the 1956 season.
Ozzie Virgil Sr. passed away Sunday at the age of 92.
Elsa/Getty Imageds
However, his debut was postponed by a day because Virgil’s car had been parked on the wrong side of the street in New York and was towed.
“The emotions were indescribable,” Virgil told Guerrero of his first few moments on the Polo Grounds field as a Major Leaguer. “What I had dreamed about since I was little and worked so much for since I arrived in New York in 1947, overcoming so many obstacles, was a reality.”
Born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, in 1932, Virgil moved to New York with his family as a teenager. He attended high school in the Bronx, served in the U.S. Marines, and was signed by the Giants in 1952, just a year before making his minor league debut.
Virgil appeared in two more games for the Giants in 1956, finishing with a remarkable 5-for-8 performance that included a double, a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs during a season-ending doubleheader against the Phillies.
In 1957, he recorded a batting average of .235 over 96 games for New York. The following year, the player known as “Oregano” made history by becoming the first player of color to suit up for the Detroit Tigers in 1958.
The Tigers organization mourns the passing of Ozzie Virgil Sr.
MLB’s first Dominican-born player, Virgil spent three of his nine Major League seasons with Detroit. He was honored for his contributions to the game of baseball during ¡Fiesta Tigres! weekend in 2008. Our thoughts… pic.twitter.com/GyA4OgMhw0
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 29, 2024
After spending parts of nine seasons with the Giants, Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Orioles, and Pirates, Virgil retired in 1969.
Virgil played every position in his career except pitcher and center field and had 14 homers and 73 RBIs in 324 games.
Following his playing career, he became a long-time coach in Major League Baseball, first with the Giants and later under Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams for the Expos, Padres, and Mariners.
His debut opened doors for so many legendary players. The Dominican Republic has produced five Hall of Famers (Juan Marichal, Pedro Martínez, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., David Ortiz, and Adrián Beltré).
“He means a lot,” Juan Soto said in 2023. “He was the first Dominican coming to the big leagues and opened the doors for … not only Dominicans, for all Latin players.”
“It feels great, it feels amazing,” Soto added. “I got to meet him a couple years ago, and it was just great.”
Newsweek Sports sends our condolences to the family and friends of Virgil during this tough time.
