They recognize the attributes of Orlando “Peruchín” Cepeda

Friends, acquaintances and admirers of Orlando “Peruchin” Cepeda they did not want to wait until after his departure to give him all the recognition he deserved in life.

Thus, The Sports Museum in Guaynabo received Cepeda on Saturday so that he could be present at a gathering focused on his historical journey as a professional baseball player in the United States and Puerto Rico. Cepeda enjoyed a fruitful 17-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) where he was recognized as National League Rookie of the Year (1958) and Most Valuable Player (1967).

Cepeda was unanimously favored for both awards. Albert Pujols, Frank Robinson and Mike Trout are the other three to receive such honors in MLB history.

He participated in three World Series and was selected 11 times to participate in the All-Star Game. In 1999, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. In this way, he joined Roberto Clemente on the premises.

But beyond his achievements on the field of play, Cepeda was a transcendental figure for having played in Atlanta when the Jim Crow laws that sponsored racial segregation in the southern states were in force.

“Orlando Cepeda is a figure that stands out in the imaginary pavilion of Puerto Ricans in terms of the sport in question. Orlando is a human idol. It is an idol where we Puerto Ricans can look at each other with our strengths and weaknesses. I have a mantra that has served me well and I always say ‘keep going’. Once they asked me where he came from and I said that one of the figures that has always inspired me is Orlando Cepeda”, shared Nestor Duprey, university professor and ardent baseball fan.

“The best tribute that Orlando Cepeda leaves us is showing that in life you have to continue. It seems to me that when the history of Puerto Rican baseball is written in Puerta de Tierra before the North Americans arrived, many pages will have to be taken out to recount not only the statistics, not only the awards, but the greatest that Orlando Cepeda has, which is his commitment to himself, the best of himself and the best of humanity”, he added.

In addition to Duprey, writer Jossie Alvarado took those present on a journey through time. He presented a video that he made during a trip to Kokomo, Indiana, where Cepeda arrived by train to take his first steps as a professional baseball player until reaching Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royas.

Cepeda did not understand the English language and he did not pronounce it either, but his tenacity inside and outside of it made him demolish some barriers along with Roberto Clemente, who was already walking towards his eventual immortality.

“I am grateful for the support and we are moving forward,” said Cepeda, 84, who is in a wheelchair.