Cuban Baseball in Mourning: Don Miguel Cuevas Passes Away

May 25, 2024

Cuban baseball lost one of its most emblematic figures this Friday: the slugger from Camagüey Sol Miguel Cuevas.

"Don Miguel," as he was known in baseball circles, passed away at the age of 89, according to confirmation from the Cuban Federation, which offered its condolences to the family and loved ones of the illustrious ballplayer.

The official information does not specify the cause of death.

After beginning his career in amateur and sugar league baseball before 1959, Cuevas was one of the pillars of Cuba's first National Series.

He debuted at age 26 in the first edition of these Cuban classics with the Azucareros team and remained active over the course of 13 seasons.

He was one of the most formidable hitters of his era, although his numbers in today's light may seem misleading.

In times when pitching stood out and power hitting was an attribute of only a select few, Don Miguel Cuevas had the luxury of hitting 83 home runs during his time in domestic tournaments.

Furthermore, wearing the uniforms of Azucareros, Orientales, Granjeros and Camagüey, he displayed an average of .279, with 573 RBIs, and connected for 880 hits, including 127 doubles and 17 triples, according to Prensa Latina (PL).

He wore the Cuba national team jersey in 10 international events, in which he averaged .360, connected for 22 hits, among them six home runs, two triples and five homers, and drove in 16 runs.

Among his most memorable performances are remembered his three home runs in a game of the Pan American Games in São Paulo 1963, a record that is still standing.

Leader of several offensive categories during the series he played, Miguel Cuevas retired as an athlete in 1974 although he remained linked to baseball.

For his brilliant career, in 2007 he was given the distinction of Illustrious Son of Camagüey.