Goodbye to the "Black Hand" of Cuban baseball

February 16, 2021

The glory of Cuban baseball, Gregorio «Mano negra» Pérez, passed away on Monday, February 15 at the age of 79 years, called by the gods of the diamond, to continue admiring his cunning and daring, with which he dominated his opponents at will, during 15 national series.

Intelligence and courage bewitched rival batters, from the moment he felt like a pitcher for the first time in his native town of Guayabal, current municipality of Las Tunas in Amancio Rodríguez. He was one of the main figures of the Granjeros, Orientales, Cafetaleros, Mineros, and Las Tunas teams, the squad with which he reached one hundred victories in domestic classics, and with which he retired after 110 wins and 107 losses.

His statistics place him among the best 30 in national championships in several representative statistics in the pitching area, such as the average of walks per nine innings, of 1.82 (3rd place), the WHIP of 1.11 (19) and the PCL of 2.18 (25), according to the Cuban baseball website.

After his retirement, in 1982, he worked as a coach at Julio Antonio Mella stadium; he was part of the Cuban delegation that accompanied the national team in the matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, in 1999, and provided sports assistance in Venezuela, in 2005.