Canena Márquez’s Professional Baseball Accomplishments on his Centennial (Part II)

Per Part I, Canena was the nickname given to Luis Ángel Márquez by his mom, Adela—also called Canena—in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (PR), and used in this article. His “other baseball” nickname was “El Fogón Boricua.” (Boricua is proudly claimed by those from this Island, a U.S. non-incorporated territory since 1898. Fogón loosely refers to a fiery “spark plug”—making things happen. Canena was born in Aguadilla on October 28, 1925. He passed away at 62, in his hometown, from gunshot wounds, on March 1, 1988. His SABR bio by Amy Essington is at https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/luis-marquez/. A 20-year-old Canena joined the 1946 Baltimore Elite Giants after a 1945-46 PRWL season and solid performance in the finals for Mayagüez versus the San Juan (SJ) Senators, featuring Monte Irvin, Luis Olmo, and Freddie Thon Sr.

1946 Baltimore Elite Giants and Washington Homestead Grays

Canena joined fellow PRWL players Luis “King Kong” Villodas, LHP Enrique “Tite” Figueroa, and Felo Guilbe with the 1946 Baltimore Elite Giants, managed by Felton Snow. Forty-five-year-old player-coach George Scales had managed the Ponce Lions to four straight PRWL titles,1941-42 to 1944-45, and would earn his fifth in 1946-47. Villodas became the first big-league catcher from PR playing for the Elite Giants, due to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s December 16, 2020, awarding Major League Status to seven Negro Leagues, 1920-1948. Other Elite Giants were veteran Willie Wells and 38-year-old RHP Billy Byrd. Robert Clarke, SJ’s 1945-46 player-manager, was the first-string Elite Giants catcher, backed up by Villodas.

After two games and going 5-for-8, Canena transitioned to the 1946 Homestead Grays, aka Washington Homestead Grays, since Griffith Stadium in DC was their “home away from home.” (Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, and West Field-Munhall, Pennsylvania, were other “home fields.”) The 1946 Grays had three Cooperstown Hall of Famers—catcher Josh Gibson, 1B Buck Leonard, and LF James “Cool Papa” Bell. They were 52-40-4 overall while playing 58-59 documented Negro National League II (NN2) contests. Vic Harris managed them. The Newark Eagles, with Monte Irvin, Larry Doby, Johnny Davis, and Leon Day, were better, winning the 1946 World Series. Table I includes the Grays’ league hitting stats. Josh Gibson (1.020 OPS) and Bob Thurman (1.077 OPS) were the best hitters, with Thurman seeing limited action. Canena’s .295 BA and .396 SLG eclipsed the team BA (.279) and SLG (.393).

Table I: Basic Batting Stats—Selected 1946 Washington Homestead Grays Players

Source: Baseball Reference: Adam Darowski.

1947 Grays

Canena played RF in 1947 for Vic Harris and posted the Grays’ best BA (.324), followed by catcher Eudie Napier (.320), Thurman (.309), and Leonard (.303). Canena’s .823 OPS only trailed Leonard’s .981 and surpassed Thurman’s .820. The Grays (61-4-4 overall) could not keep pace with the 1947 New York Cubans, winners of the 1947 Negro League World Series. Wilmer Fields, Canena’s Grays teammate (1946-1948), recalled that skipper Vic Harris encouraged players to play different positions. Fields played 3B, SS, OF, and pitched. “If we arrived early, they would take extra hitting and fielding practice,” said Fields. “We took advantage of any time we’d get. It allowed us to play other positions, and it gave pitchers the chance to show our ability as hitters.”

1947 and 1948 East-West All-Star Games

Canena made the East Squad for the July 27 and 29, 1947 East-West All-Star Games. On July 27, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, 48,112 fans saw his eighth-inning pinch-hit double off Chet Brewer. Canena pinch-hit for RF Claro Duany—a New York Cubans player—and scored on Lou Louden’s hit. The West prevailed, 5-3. Both rosters had incredible talent: 3B Minnie Miñoso, LF Monte Irvin, LHP Luis Tiant Sr., and RHP John Wright for the East; West’s Dan Bankhead, catcher Quincy Trouppe, 2B Piper Davis, SS Artie Wilson, and CF Sam Jethroe, to name a few. Brewer saved the West’s win with three innings of relief work. He later (February 1950) won two games for Panamá in the February 1950 Caribbean Series hosted by San Juan. On July 29, 1947—at the Polo Grounds—38,402 saw Canena start for the East in RF, batting sixth. Their line-up was: Henry Kimbro (CF), Tommy Butts (SS), Johnny Washington (1B), Monte Irvin (LF), Silvio Garcia (2B), Canena (RF), Minnie Miñoso (3B), Lou Louden (C), and Rufus Lewis (P). Canena went 0-for-3 with a walk. The 8-2 West win was credited to Ford Smith.

Comiskey Park hosted the first of two (August 22, 1948) East-West All-Star contests. Canena (0-for-4) led off in CF, followed by Miñoso (3B), Luke Easter (LF), Buck Leonard (1B), Bob Harvey (RF), Junior Gilliam (2B), Louden (C), Butts (SS), and Rufus Lewis (P). Wilmer Fields pitched three innings in relief for the East. “Canena was a dynamic player—1948 was our [Washington Homestead Grays] year,” noted Fields. “A lot of fans came out for these All-Star Games.” Paid attendance was 42,099, much higher than regular-season contests. Bill Powell earned the 3-0 with relief help from Jim “Libertad” Lamarque and Gentry Jessup. Willard Brown (CF) and Bob Boyd (1B) went 2-for-4 each, with a run scored. Boyd had an RBI. “I [with Ponce] played against Canena in the early 1950s when he was with the SJ Senators,” said Boyd. “He was exciting to watch and a pleasant individual.”

On August 24 at Yankee Stadium, Canena again led off. His two-run HR off Panamanian LHP Webbo Clarke in the third propelled the East to a 6-1 win. He went 1-for-5 with the HR and two RBI. Teammates George Crowe (2-for-4, two runs), Miñoso (2-for-2, one run), and Gilliam (1-for-3, one run) chipped in. Max Manning won it. Dave “Impo” Barnhill and Joe Black threw three scoreless innings apiece. Paid attendance was 17,928. PR history was made when LHP Roberto Vargas, born in Santurce, PR, pitched two scoreless frames for the West, walking two East All-Stars—Gilliam and Miñoso—as the first hurler from PR to pitch in a big-league All-Star contest. He was just 19. Canena popped up to Vargas in the seventh. Vargas’s 1947-48 PRWL rookie season with Caguas preceded 1948 for skipper Quincy Trouppe with the Chicago American Giants. Pancho Coímbre, RF with the 1944 New York Cubans, was the first PR-born player to participate in an East-West Classic, for the East, on August 13, 1944.

 1948 Negro League World Series: Homestead versus Birmingham

The 1948 Homestead Grays played home games at Griffith Stadium in DC and Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field; they were 56-24-2 overall and 42-24-1 in the NN2. They bested the Baltimore Elite Giants, 2 games to 1 (with one tie) in the NN2 title series. Canena went 3-for-17 in four games versus Baltimore before the Grays won it via a forfeit. They won the final Negro League World Series, 4 games to 1, versus the Birmingham Black Barons, featuring 17-year-old Willie Mays in CF, RHP Bill Greason, Lorenzo “Piper” Davis, Alonzo “His Majesty” Perry, and others. Homestead’s line-up included: Buck Leonard (1B), Wilmer Fields (3B), Sam Bankhead (SS), and a terrific OF with Luke Easter (LF), Canena (CF), and Bob Thurman (RF). Thurman, Fields, and Tom Parker were top starters. Vic Harris managed the Grays to their historic World Series win after managing the 1947-48 Santurce Crabbers in the PRWL

The Black Barons edged the Kansas City Monarchs 4 games to 3, with one tie, in the Negro American League (NAL) playoffs, before facing the Grays in the best-of-seven World Series. Birmingham’s line-up featured player-manager Lorenzo “Piper” Davis (2B) with a .393 BA, Artie Wilson (SS)–.433 BA and .500 OBP, Alonzo Perry (1B), 17-year-old Willie Mays (CF), Ed Steele (RF), with a .357 BA. Canena was Mays’s counterpart in CF for the Grays. At the time, he was more experienced and polished than the “Sey Hey Kid.” Canena’s 15 SB in 41 regular-season league games led the NN2. His .290 BA was superior to Mays’s .233 BA. Bob Thurman (RF) had a .317 BA. Luke Easter’s .319/.434/.549 slash line, and .982 OPS were impressive. His six HR were an NN2-best. Versatile Wilmer Fields (.274 BA) was a durable pitcher.

Game One, Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, September 26, 1948 (day). Black Barons 2-8-1; Grays (“home team”) 3-6-1. Ted Alexander (W), Jimmie Newberry (L).  Birmingham: Artie Wilson (SS), John Britton (3B), Willie Mays (CF), Pepper Bassett (C), Piper Davis (2B), Ed Steele (RF), Jim Zapp (LF), Joe Scott (1B), Newberry (P). Alonzo Perry PH for Zapp and Bill Powell PH for Alexander. Homestead: Canena (CF), Sam Bankhead (SS), Luke Easter (LF), Buck Leonard (1B), Bob Thurman (RF), Eudie Napier (C), Dave Pope (3B), Clarence Bruce (2B), Alexander (P). Canena: 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. His two-bagger drove in Pope after the latter tripled home two. Thurman went 2-for-4 with a run; Mays 0-for-3 with a run, and Wilson 2-for-4. Umpires: Mark Van Buren (HP), Poindexter Williams (1B), Bullet Joe Rogan (2B), and Frank Duncan (3B). Time: 2:05. Attendance: 5,370 in the only game of five with an available box score.

Canena made World Series History on September 26, 1948

Canena became the first PR-born player to play in a big-league World Series, one year before Luis R. Olmo did so for the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers versus the New York Yankees. Olmo, batting sixth, hit a HR off Joe Page in Game Three (October 7, 1949), in the home ninth, in the Yankees’ 4-3 win.

Game Two at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama, September 29. Homestead prevailed, 5-3. Grays 5-9-2; Black Barons 3-6-0. Jim Scott’s two-run double gave Birmingham a second-inning lead. Canena’s single in the fifth started a five-run rally. Easter doubled, and Leonard was walked intentionally. Fields hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Canena. Napier’s two-run double plated Easter and Fields. Pope crushed a two-run HR. Estimated attendance: 4,159. Thuman hurled a CG. Bill Powell (L) in 5.1 IP. Game Three, Rickwood Field—September 30 night game. Grays 3-9-0; Black Barons 4-10-1. Bill Greason (W) Alexander (L). Greason pitched two scoreless relief innings and started the walk-off rally in the ninth with a one-out single. Artie Wilson flied out, and John Britton walked. Mays drilled a game-winning single to CF to score Greason. “That was a huge moment for us,” recalled Greason. “Willie [Mays] and I were closer. We became Santurce Crabbers teammates in 1954-55, and Willie enjoyed my wife’s home cooking down there.”

Game Four, Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, October 3 (day). Black Barons 1-7-2; Grays 14-19-1. Fields pitched a CG. Greason took the loss, as the starter. Easter clouted a grand slam in the fourth. “My wife (Audrey) was from New Orleans,” noted Fields. “We met towards the end of my military service, when I was stationed in Louisiana. I drove 24 hours from DC to New Orleans to make it for Game Four.” Game Five, Rickwood Field, Birmingham, October 5 (night). Grays 10-15-1; Black Barons 6-12-4. R.T. Walker (W) Greason (L). Fields pitched a scoreless tenth frame for the Grays. Homestead tied it, 6-6, in the ninth on doubles by Canena and Easter. The Grays scored four in the tenth to win the series, four games to one. Table II includes Canena’s 1946-1948 hitting stats with the Baltimore Elite Giants and Homestead Grays.

Table II: Canena’s Regular Season Stats (Baltimore Elite Giants/Washington Homestead Grays)

BEG: Baltimore Elite Giants. HG: Homestead Grays. Source: Baseball Reference: Adam Darowski.

Washington, DC, Portland (Oregon), and PR Connections

Washington, DC-based teams have won four (4) World Series titles: 1) 1924 Washington Senators, with player-manager Bucky Harris; 2) 1943 Washington Homestead Grays managed by Jim “Candy” Taylor; 3) 1948 Washington Homestead Grays, managed by Vic Harris; and 4) 2019 Washington Nationals, whose skipper was Dave Martínez, of PR heritage. Martínez played for SJ as a native in the late 1980s. The author watched Game Four of the NL Division Series between the LA Dodgers and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, October 7, 2019. Washington prevailed, 6-1, won Game Five, plus the NLCS, and the 2019 Fall Classic versus Houston. Bucky Harris’s PR connection was in February 1947 when he piloted the NY Yankees in five spring training games at Sixto Escobar Stadium.

Coincidentally, the 1943 Grays bested the Birmingham Black Barons, four games to three (with one tie) in their 1943 World Series. Those Grays featured Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Raymond Brown, Buck Leonard, and Jud Wilson—five future Cooperstown Inductees. All five starred in the PRWL, with Gibson’s .480 BA and 13 HR for 1941-42 Santurce, an unprecedented winter ball season. IF Howard Easterling from Mount Olive, Mississippi, also starred for the 1943 Grays, and later (1946-47) helped George Scales’ Ponce Lions win another PRWL crown. Vic Harris managed the 1947-48 Santurce Crabbers before leading the Grays to their 1948 World Series triumph. The author and three older siblings were born in DC. Their parents, Sam and Paula, moved to DC in 1941; married on May 16, 1942; and were World War II spies with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) from 1942-1945. The OSS—the nation’s first spy agency—was closed on September 20, 1945, and replaced by the CIA in 1947. One of the most interesting OSS spies was ex-big-league catcher Moe Berg.

Sam J. Van Hyning Jr., the author’s dad, was a Washington Senators fan when he became aware of Luis “Canena” Márquez, 1946-1948. Sam was working on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe post-World War II, but found time to see Senators and Grays regular-season contests at Griffith Stadium. He became a Senators fan as a ten-year-old in Portland, Oregon, when he heard (radio) Game Seven of the 1924 World Series between Washington and the New York Giants, won by the Senators, 4-3, in 12 innings. Walter Johnson, in relief, was the winner.  Esther Wilkins Van Hyning—the author’s paternal grandmother—saw Johnson pitch minor league games in 1907, in Weiser, Idaho. She went to the train station to see him board the August 1907 train taking him to Washington, DC, when the Senators called him up. Coincidentally, Canena was having a fine season with the 1956 Portland Beavers when the Van Hyning family moved to PR, via a cargo ship, from Baltimore, Maryland, Labor Day weekend 1956. Part III covers Canena’s minor-league, NL, and Mexican League seasons.

Thanks to Bijan Bayne, Bob Boyd, Adam Darowski, Wilmer Fields, Bill Greason, Retrosheet, and Bob Thurman. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placement.  

Tom Van Hyning

Tom Van Hyning se crió en Santurce, Puerto Rico. Su familia se mudó a esta preciosa Isla cuando tenía dos años. Tom es el autor de tres libros: “Puerto Rico’s Winter League”, “The Santurce Crabbers” y “The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament 1949-2024, que fue publicado en 2025. Laboró como Economista de Turismo en el estado de Mississippi y es miembro de SABR, Capítulo Cool Papa Bell en Mississippi. Sus artículos han sido publicados por SABR en la revista National Pastime y Baseball Research Journal. Igualmente escribe para las páginas web negroleaguerspuertorico.com y safabpp.com.