The critically acclaimed exhibition features 35 original works of art produced by 28 diverse professional artists from across the country interpreting the Negro league experience on and off the field of play. This video is from his installation at the Passaic County Center for the Arts in Hawthorne, NJ.

“Dihigo was born in the sugar town of Cidra in the province of Matanzas, Cuba. He began his professional baseball career in the winter of 1922-23 at the age of 16 as a substitute infielder for Habana in the Cuban League. The following summer, he broke into American baseball as first baseman for the Cuban Stars. He played in the Negro leagues from 1923 to 1936 and again briefly in 1945. Throughout his career, he played in all nine positions. As a hitter, he led the Negro leagues in home runs in 1926 and 1935. As a pitcher, he once defeated Satchel Paige while Paige was touring Cuba.

His career-high twelve seasons in the Negro leagues was a .307 average and .511 slugging percentage, with 431 hits, 64 home runs, 61 doubles, 17 triples, 227 RBIs and 292 runs scored in 1404 at-bats. at bat. He received 143 walks and stole 41 bases. As a pitcher, he was 26-19 with a 2.92 ERA, 176 strikeouts and 80 walks in 354 innings. He served as player-manager for the New York Cubans in 1935 and 1936 ″.

Text taken from: Martin Dihido