| Luis Olmo | |
|---|---|
| Utility player | |
| Born: August 11, 1919 Arecibo, Puerto Rico |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 23, 1943 for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 6, 1951 for the Boston Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .289 |
| Home runs | 29 |
| Runs batted in | 272 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Luis Francisco Rodríguez Olmo (born August 11, 1919) is a former major league baseball outfielder and right-handed batter. Olmo played in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943–45, 1949) and Boston Braves (1950–51).
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Olmo was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. He debuted with the Dodgers on July 23, 1943. In 57 games, he batted .303 with four home runs and 37 RBI. He gained regular status in the next season, batting .258 with nine home runs and 85 RBI in 136 games.
On May 18, 1945, in a 15-12 Dodgers victory over the Cubs, Olmo hit a triple and one home run, each with the bases loaded, a feat no major league player has repeated, for seven RBIs in the game. He added a single for good measure, only failing to hit a double to complete the cycle. In that season, he led the league in triples (13) and reached career-high numbers in batting average (.313), home runs (10), RBI (110), doubles (27), stolen bases (15) and games (141).
In 1946, Olmo was among a group of players who were enticed to play in the Mexican League by the promise of higher salaries; they were suspended by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler for jumping the major leagues. Two years later, Olmo was reinstated and he returned to the Dodgers, batting .305 to help win the pennant.
In the 1949 World Series against the Yankees, Olmo became the first Puerto Rican to play in a World Series, as well as hit a home run and get three hits in a Series game. After two seasons, he was dealt to the Braves. He retired at the end of the 1951 season.
In a six-year career, Olmo batted .281 (458-for-1629) with 29 home runs, 208 runs, 65 doubles, 25 triples, and 33 stolen bases in 462 games.
Many Puerto Rican fans consider Olmo to have been as gifted as Roberto Clemente and Roberto Alomar, among fellow countrymen. He also played in four Caribbean World Series. In 1951, he was selected the Most Valuable Player in the Series played at Caracas, batting .416 with three homers, and powering the Santurce Crabbers (Cangrejeros de Santurce) to the championship. He also helped the Cangrejeros to the league title in 1953. Over three Caribbean Series, Olmo hit .303 and had 13 RBI playing for Santurce, Caguas and San Juan teams.
Olmo was elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame on February 6, 2004. His baseball career was featured in a 2008 American documentary titled "Beisbol", directed by Alan Swyer and narrated by Esai Morales, which covered the early influences and contributions of Hispanics in the game. The City of Arecibo honored Olmo by naming a stadium after him.