Bobby Balcena
Robert Rudolph Balcena (August 1, 1925 – January 5, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1956 season. He had two at-bats and scored two runs as a pinch runner.
| Bobby Balcena | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: August 1, 1925 San Pedro, California | |
| Died: January 5, 1990 (aged 64) San Pedro, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1956, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1956, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games played | 2 |
| At bats | 2 |
| Runs | 2 |
| Batting average | .000 |
| Teams | |
Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 160 pounds (73 kg), Balcena batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was born in San Pedro, California.
Prior to playing professional baseball, Balcena served in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II with the United States Navy.[1]
Balcena became the first player of Filipino ancestry to appear in a major league game. He had a long distinguished Triple-A career with the Seattle Rainiers as a center fielder in the 1950s; one paper described him as a "popular miniature dynamo of almost infallible perpetual motion" after his Rainier team won the 1955 Pacific Coast League title.[2]
He also played from 1952 through 1962 in the Minor Leagues, including stints with the Leones del Caracas and the Industriales de Valencia in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
He batted .284 with 134 home run and 441 runs batted in in 1948 minor league games. In a VPBL two-season career, he posted a .306 average with five homers and 44 RBI in 87 games.
After his baseball career ended, he worked as a longshoreman in Seattle[1] where he had played parts of four seasons in the minor leagues.[3]
Despite being the first Filipino-American to play in the major leagues, Balcena kept company with Slavs during his life. His union president told the Los Angeles Times that he was an "honorary Slav. He always r[a]n around with the San Pedro Slavs. He speaks Slav. He sings Slav."[1] Outside of his professional career, he also played baseball with an amateur team of Yugoslav Americans.[4]
Balcena died in his hometown of San Pedro, California at the age of 64.
References
- Hillinger, Charles (10 February 1983). "FILIPINO: Big Leaguer Reminisces About '50s". The Los Angeles Times. p. 7. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- https://www.sportspressnw.com/2138549/2012/wayback-machine-pcl-dynamo-bobby-balcena%3famp
- "Bobby Balcena Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- "Balcena to Try Again Saturday; Merchant Choice Still Doubtful". San Pedro News-Pilot. 13 February 1947. p. 12. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics