Omar Linares Izquierdo

Omar Linares Izquierdo, also known as El Niño Linares, is one of the most outstanding Cuban baseball players, considered by many to be the best and, undoubtedly, the most brilliant of all those who have played in the National Series.

Linares excelled in various aspects of the sport of balls and strikes: at the bat, for his good technique and great power; with the glove, for making excellent fielding plays and having a powerful arm; and to top it off, he was extremely fast running the bases.

This excellent ballplayer established multiple records within and outside the country. Omar always wore number 10 on his uniform, with which he won titles in domestic events and representing his country was a two-time Olympic Champion and on several occasions World Champion, Pan American Champion, and Central American Champion.

Omar Linares was born on October 23, 1968 in the municipality of San Juan y Martínez, in the province of Pinar del Río. His parents are named Francisca and Fidel. His father was a prominent figure in baseball. His younger brother is called Juan Carlos, another outstanding ballplayer in the family.

Thanks to his excellent physical abilities, at nine years old Omar Linares enrolled in the Sports Initiation School (EIDE) to practice athletics, specializing in short-distance races, with and without hurdles. Due to health problems, he abandoned the practice of that sport a few months later.

Later, Linares began playing basketball, eventually participating in a provincial event of that sport, although he soon left it for baseball. In a regional children's competition he drew considerable attention for his baseball skills and again enrolled in the sports school, but this time to train as a ballplayer.

Omar progressed rapidly as a baseball player from the late 1970s, to the point that in 1982, at only fifteen years old, he joined the roster of one of his province's teams to play in his first National Series. From then on, the excellent ballplayer became affectionately known as: El Niño Linares. In his debut he played both in the infield and in the outfield, although in that season he did not impress as he did during the rest of his career.

In 1984 Omar Linares attended the Youth World Championship held in Venezuela. He was the Most Valuable Player of that event. There he established records for home runs, runs scored, runs batted in, and hits, records that thirty years later were still standing.

In the 1984-85 National Series Omar Linares again joined one of his province's teams. From that season on he strung together a chain of fifteen, in which his offensive average exceeded 300, including seven in which he did so above the astronomical 400. Both records standing in Cuba and the world. When he ended his sports career, to which incredibly no official retirement was made, El Niño Linares had an extremely high average of 368.

In 1985, at only 18 years old, Omar was assigned to protect third base for the national team during the Intercontinental Cup in Edmonton. And it was not due to lack of good candidates, it was during a time of baseball boom on the island, but the quality of El Niño demanded a starting position ahead of any luminary. In his debut he did not disappoint; he achieved an offensive average of 467 and made no errors in 21 chances.

From then on began the long and fruitful international career of Omar Linares, where he was generally a key figure for his team to achieve the countless good results, marking the golden age of Cuban baseball in international tournaments, which, coincidentally, ended along with his career.

Among the titles that El Niño Linares won with the national team, the two Olympic golds stand out. In the final in Atlanta 96 he excelled, hitting three home runs, one from each field, against Japan during the competition for the gold medal.

In his appearances with the national teams, Omar Linares generally occupied the third spot in the batting order and played defense protecting third base. Also in international events his offensive averages were out of this world. In general, he achieved averages above 400 wearing the four-letter uniform. His lowest compilation was in Pan American Games, in which, over four appearances, he obtained his worst average, 369. Repeatedly he led the main offensive categories of the competitions he attended, and even set records on multiple occasions.

El Niño Linares especially distinguished himself with the Cuba team in 1999, when for the first time a Major League team played against the national team of the island. In Havana, facing the professionals, Linares drove in the tying run and in the other game, as a visitor, he connected four home runs. Also that year, during the Pan American Games held in Winnipeg, he hit a very long home run that sealed victory for the Cubans in the competition and, at the same time, earned his ticket to the Olympic Games that were held the following year.

Linares had a peculiar way of standing in the batter's box, which he never changed because of the dazzling results he obtained with it. The excellent physical abilities he possessed, those that led him to practice athletics, gave additional value to the ballplayer. Omar won skill competitions at All-Star Games in base running. His speed allowed him to reach a base in situations where it was impossible for most. His abilities were phenomenal. El Niño Linares was simply an integral and unequaled ballplayer.

On June 16, 2002, when he was 34 years old, Omar Linares played his last official game in Cuba. It is rumored that it was more due to an imposition by the National Baseball Commission than by personal decision. The farewell of he whom many consider the greatest Cuban ballplayer of all time was probably premature. Later, in the twilight of his sports career, he played three seasons in the Japanese Professional Baseball League. Probably a mistake; he could not shine; perhaps he should have taken that step in his best form.

In 20 seasons in Cuban national classic baseball his offensive average was 368, the result of 2195 hits in 5962 official at-bats; among his hits, 785 were extra-base hits (404 home runs, 54 triples and 327 doubles), he scored 1547 times and drove in 1221 runs.

In November 2014 Omar Linares was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame.

Omar Linares' Leaders in National and Selective Series (by season)
Offensive average: NS 84-85, 85-86, 89-90, 91-92 and 92-93; SS 92.
Runs scored: NS 84-85, 86-87, 88-89, 89-90, 92-93, 93-94, 94-95; SS 91 and 92.
Hits: SS 90.
Triples: NS 84-85.
Home runs: SS 92.
Runs batted in: SS 88 and 92.
Walks: NS 91-92, 92-93, 93-94, 94-95, 95-96 and 99-00. SS 91, 92 and 94.

Omar Linares' Leaders During His Entire Career
Runs scored in National Series: 1547.
Average in National Series: 368.
Youngest ballplayer to reach 100, 200, 300 and 400 home runs in National Series.
Youngest ballplayer to play as a regular on the Cuba team, at 18 years old.
Youngest ballplayer to play in National Series, at 15 years old.
Records for hits, runs batted in, runs scored and home runs in a Youth World Championship.
Only batter to achieve the Triple Crown in Selective Series, 1992.
Batter with the most consecutive seasons batting over 300, with 15.
Only batter to hit three home runs in a game in the Olympic Games, Atlanta 1996.
Youngest batter to reach 1000 and 2000 hits in National Series.
Best offensive average in Selective Series.
Youngest player with 20 National Series.
Youngest player to reach 1000 runs batted in and 1000 runs scored.
Six batting titles, tied with another ballplayer.
Player who has led in runs scored the most times in National Series, with 9.
Player who has batted over 400 the most times, with 8.

Omar Linares' Titles
National Series: 1984-1985, 1986-1987, 1987-1988, 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.
Selective Series: 1984, 1988, 1991 and 1994.
Olympic Games: Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.
World Championships: Netherlands 1986, Italy 1988, Canada 1990, Nicaragua 1994, Italy 1998 and Chinese Taipei 2001.
Intercontinental Cups: Canada 1985, Cuba 1987, Puerto Rico 1989, Spain 1991, Italy 1993 and Cuba 1995.
Pan American Games: Indianapolis 1987, Havana 1991, Mar del Plata 1995 and Winnipeg 1999.
Central American and Caribbean Games: Santiago de los Caballeros 1986, Mexico 1990, Ponce 1993 and Maracaibo 1998.