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Epitacio Torres

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Torres and the second or maternal family name is Herrera.
Epitacio Torres
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1921-09-19)19 September 1921
Villaldama, Nuevo León, Mexico
Died: 21 April 1971(1971-04-21) (aged 49)
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Mexican Professional
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1964

Epitacio "La Mala" Torres Herrera (19 September 1921 – 21 April 1971) was a Mexican professional baseball outfielder and manager. Torres spent 19 seasons playing in the Mexican League (LMB), most of them with Monterrey as right fielder, considered as one of the best players in his position in the LMB's history.[1] He was the first player to accumulate 1000 hits in the Mexican League and was enshrined into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.[2]

Career

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Torres was born on 19 September 1921 in Villaldama, Nuevo León, Mexico.[2] He debuted in the Mexican League in 1939, aged 17, with Carta Blanca de Monterrey under manager Guillermo Ornelas, who spotted him playing with a local amateur team from Monterrey, Cuauhtémoc-Cidosa and invited him to play professionally. He played his first professional game with Carta Blanca against the Cafeteros de Córdoba. "La Mala," nicknamed for his similar playing style to Salvador Malacara, won the 1939 Mexican League Rookie of the Year Award.[3][4][5]

In 1943, Lázaro Salazar was appointed manager of the Industriales de Monterrey (the team changed its name from Carta Blanca to Industriales in 1942). With Salazar, Monterrey won four Mexican League championships in 1943, 1947, 1948 and 1949; Torres was a key player for the team as the first bat for the Industriales, later known as Sultanes since 1948.

He played in the Cuban League for the Tigres de Marianao during the 1943–44 season. In 183 at bats he recorded 27 runs, 49 hits, 14 RBIs and an average of .268.[6][7]

On 12 September 1947, Torres achieved his 1000th career hit in a game against the Diablos Rojos del México at Parque Delta, becoming the first player to do so in the history of the Mexican League. Torres' teammate, Agustín Bejerano, had 999 hits while La Mala was three hits short of the thousand mark. Bejerano was the favorite; however, Torres batted three hits against México's pitcher Fred Martin, achieving the feat.[8]

In 1955, while still a player, he was appointed as manager of the Sultanes after the departure of Lázaro Salazar. He finished fifth in 1995 and 1956. In 1957 he was transferred to the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo. He also played for the San Antonio Missions during the 1957 Texas League. Torres retired after the 1957 season.[4]

Torres died on 21 April 1971 in Monterrey due to complications from lung cancer, aged 49.[9]

Legacy

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Torres' number 7 was retired by the Sultanes de Monterrey

Torres was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 1964, alongside Ángel Castro, Martín Dihigo, Lázaro Salazar, Ramón Bragaña and Genaro Casas.[10]

His two sons, Héctor and Ricardo were also baseball players. Héctor, nicknamed "La Malita" in honor of his father, played in Major League Baseball for nine seasons between 1968 and 1977, with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. Ricardo played from 1967 to 1971 in the Mexican League with Monterrey and Alijadores de Tampico.[11]

On 16 May 1994, the Sultanes de Monterrey officially retired Torres' number 7.[12] Venados de Mazatlán also retired Torres' number 7.[13]

Career statistics

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Cuban League

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Season Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA
1943–44 Marianao 183 27 49 4 4 0 14 1 .268
Total 183 27 49 4 4 0 14 1 .268

Source:[7]

Managerial statistics

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Mexican League

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Year Team Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Tied Pct. Finish Won Lost Pct. Notes
1955 Sultanes de Monterrey 100 46 54 0 .460 5th – – – –
1956 Sultanes de Monterrey 120 51 69 0 .425 5th – – – –
Total 220 97 123 0 .441

References

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  1. ^ "Epitacio La Mala Torres el hombre del brazo de oro". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 21 October 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Un 19 de septiembre pero de 1921 nace Epitacio La Mala Torres". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 19 September 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  3. ^ González Íñigo, Juan Carlos (24 May 2020). "Epitacio se llamaba, "La Mala" le decían". cuartobat.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "'La Mala' Torres ya llegó…". Primer Bat (in Spanish). 22 April 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Hace 44 años falleció "La Mala" Torres". MiLB.com (in Spanish). 21 April 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ Rubio Salazar, Jesús Alberto. "Mexicanos en el béisbol cubano". dcubanos.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Figueredo, Jorge S. (1 August 2015). Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1878-1961. McFarland & Company. p. 398. ISBN 0786482648.
  8. ^ Kerlegand, Enrique (22 July 2019). "Epitacio "La Mala" Torres, primero en la LMB en llegar a 1,000 hits". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ Kerlegand, Enrique (24 April 2023). "El día que la 'Mala' Torres falleció en Monterrey". Debate (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Inmortales 39-71". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  11. ^ Héctor, Linares (27 April 2024). "La Malita Torres". Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Epitacio La Mala Torres 16 de mayo de 1994". sultanes.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  13. ^ Joffroy, Luis Carlos (25 July 2020). "Mazatlán y sus números retirados". El Jonronero (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
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