By: HISTORY.com Editors
Luis Castro becomes first Latin American athlete to play in the MLB
On April 23, 1902, Colombian-born Luis Castro becomes the first known Latin American athlete to play for a Major League Baseball team. Wearing a Philadelphia Athletics uniform, he debuted at second base in the ninth inning on Opening Day, replacing Napoleon “Larry” Lajoie—a future Hall of Famer barred from playing by a Pennsylvania court injunction.
Castro’s opportunity came amid the “baseball war” (1901-1903), when the upstart American League challenged the National League, poaching players and jockeying for control of major city markets. The Athletics had lured Lajoie away from the Philadelphia Phillies, triggering legal action; when the injunction arrived mid-game, Castro took over late. He appeared in 42 games that season—his only year in the majors.
Born in Medellín, Castro was sent to New York as a child in 1885 and learned the game in the United States. A standout at Manhattan College High School, a Catholic school in Harlem, he was recognized by Sporting Life magazine in 1898 before playing semi-pro ball across the Northeast. Manager Connie Mack recruited him as a utility player for the Athletics, but unimpressed with his fielding, released him after one season.
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Castro spent years in the minors and later managed teams in the South. Known for his humor and showmanship, he entertained crowds with pranks and occasional costumed antics. He also obscured his own background—at times claiming different birthplaces and even a link to Venezuelan strongman Cipriano Castro.
After baseball, his fortunes declined. He managed a motorcycle racetrack and saloon in Atlanta before unsuccessfully trying to buy a Double-A minor league baseball club in 1922. By the 1930s, he was living in New York, struggling financially during the Depression. He died in 1941 at Manhattan State Hospital, a psychiatric facility on Wards Island, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Queens.
In 2021, on Colombia’s Independence Day, a headstone was finally installed with support from Major League Baseball and New York officials.
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Citation Information
- Article Title
- Luis Castro becomes first Latin American athlete to play in the MLB
- Author
- HISTORY.com Editors
- Website Name
- History
- Date Accessed
- November 04, 2026
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- April 20, 2026
- Original Published Date
- April 20, 2026
