By The Star Staff
The island House of Representatives paid tribute to former Major League pitcher and sports commentator José “Palillo” Santiago during an emotional ceremony held last Friday in the Hall of Heroes and attended by dozens of celebrities from the world of baseball, as well as friends and family of the man who was also a prominent pitcher in the Puerto Rican winter league.
The initiative was initiated by District 40 (Carolina) Rep. Sergio Estévez Vélez, with House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez offering a special message.
“There are people who transcend our history, and one of those individuals is José ‘Palillo’ Santiago, who raised the name of Puerto Rico high in the Major Leagues during the 1960s,” Estévez said. “Beyond his exploits in the best baseball league in the world, Santiago has left his legacy in local baseball, as well as in the impact he has had on communities throughout Puerto Rico. For us, it is an honor to be able to give this fair and more than deserved recognition to a human being who marked generations with his actions on the diamond and his values outside of sport.”
The House speaker added: “It has been a privilege to share a moment with ‘Palillo’ Santiago [...], a great man who, beyond sports, has been an example of discipline, passion and commitment. May his career continue to inspire generations of Puerto Rican athletes.”
Santiago, 86, made his name in Major League Baseball by becoming the first Latino hurler to start a World Series game when he accomplished the feat in 1967 for the Boston Red Sox. He also became the first pitcher to hit a home run in his first at-bat during a World Series game. Santiago went deep against Cardinals starter Bob Gibson in the bottom of the third inning of Game 1 to tie the score at a run apiece. St. Louis went on to win the opener 2-1, and the series, 4 games to 3.
Santiago, whose final MLB season was in 1970, played for 16 seasons in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League with the Criollos de Caguas, Senadores de San Juan and Leones de Ponce.
During his career as a pitcher in the Puerto Rican winter league, he accumulated some 60 wins against 52 losses, with an ERA of 2.84 and some 615 strikeouts.
In 2014 he was selected among the best 75 players to play in the winter league.