Pedro Clodomiro "Charolito" Orta (31 January 1914 – 12 August 2001) was a Cuban professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played four seasons in the Cuban League, from 1943 to 1947, before moving to the Mexican League, where he spent eight seasons until 1954.

Pedro Orta
Infielder / Outfielder
Born: (1914-01-31)31 January 1914
Pinar del Río, Cuba
Died: 12 August 2001(2001-08-12) (aged 87)
Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
Batted: Right
Threw: Right

Career

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Orta was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba on 31 January 1914. He was part of the Cuban team that won the 1940 Amateur World Series and made his professional debut in the Cuban League with the Tigres de Marianao during the 1943–44 season. He played three more seasons with Marianao.[1]

In 1946, Orta moved to Mexico to play with the Alijadores de Tampico of the Mexican League. In 1949 he played for the Diablos Rojos del México and Unión Laguna de Torreón.[2] In 1950, he was part of the Torreón team that won the Mexican League championship and he also led the league in stolen bases with 34.[3] In 1954, Orta transferred to the Leones de Yucatán and retired after the end of the season.[4]

He finished his Mexican League career with 500 games played, a .301 batting average, 76 doubles, 37 triples and 137 stolen bases.[4] He also played winter baseball in Mexico with the Venados de Mazatlán and Mayos de Navojoa.[5][6]

Orta died on 12 August 2001 in Torreón, Coahuila.[4] A sports complex in Torreón, Unidad Deportiva Aeropuerto Pedro “Charolito” Orta, was named in his honor.[7]

Personal life

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His son Jorge played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1972 to 1987 with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals, winning the 1985 World Series with the Royals.[8]

Career statistics

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Cuban League

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Season Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA
1943–44 Marianao 17 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 .235
1944–45 Marianao 20 3 7 1 1 0 3 0 .350
1945–46 Marianao 74 8 23 1 1 1 9 2 .311
1946–47 Marianao 31 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 .194
Total (4 seasons) 142 15 40 2 2 1 15 2 .282

Source:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Figueredo, Jorge S. (1 August 2015). Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1878-1961. McFarland & Company. p. 178. ISBN 978-0786482641.
  2. ^ Robles de la Torre, José León (20 February 2019). "Personajes en la historia de México". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  3. ^ Morales, Tomás (27 February 2015). "Unión Laguna y el título de 1950". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Rubio, Jesús Alberto (20 December 2019). "Ted Williams y Pedro Orta". Marquesina. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  5. ^ "La Liga de la Costa del Pacífico. VI Temporada. 1950-1951". historiadehermosillo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. ^ "La Liga de la Costa del Pacífico. VII Temporada. 1951-1952". historiadehermosillo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Unidad Deportiva Aeropuerto necesita ayuda". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 13 March 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  8. ^ Alonso, Emilio Fernando (7 March 2018). "Jorge Orta, de Charros a Grandes Ligas". Informador (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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