Minnie Miñoso holds five bats to indicate five decades after he was activated by the White Sox for their weekend series against the California Angels on Oct. 3, 1980. (Chicago Tribune historical photo/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
It’s been a long time coming, but Chicago White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso is a Hall of Famer, as the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that he was one of four players selected for induction by the Golden Days Era Committee on Sunday.
Along with Miñoso, former White Sox pitcher Jim Kaat was also elected to Cooperstown, along with Dodgers legend Gil Hodges and Minnesota Twins star Tony Oliva.
Dick Allen, who won the MVP award with the White Sox in 1972, did not receive enough votes for induction.
The highlight for White Sox fans is the vote to induct Miñoso, the first Black Cuban player in MLB History, into the Hall of Fame. The only player in baseball history to play in five different decades, the “Cuban Comet” racked up some incredible numbers in his career, with 195 home runs, 1,093 RBI’s and 216 stolen bases in 1,946 career games.
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Miñoso appeared in 1,373 games with the White Sox, with 135 of his home runs and 808 of his RBI’s coming while playing for the South Siders.
He finished in the top-10 in MVP voting on five different occasions, and was a three-time Gold Glove award winner. He also made 13 All-Star Game appearances.
His Hall of Fame case has long been championed both for his on-field contributions and for his standing as one of the pioneers that paved the way for Latinx players to make an impact at the big league level.
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A statue of Miñoso now stands at Guaranteed Rate Field, and his No. 9 jersey was retired by the team. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 89.
Kaat put up 15 remarkable seasons with the Twins, winning 190 games and posting a 3.34 ERA with the club. He also won a staggering 16 career Gold Glove Awards, and was a three-time All-Star.
He pitched for the White Sox in the mid-70s, posting a record of 45-28 and an ERA of 3.10. He won two Gold Gloves with the Sox, and finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting in 1975.
