Santiago Mederos Iglesias

Changa Mederos, left-handed pitcher, with records of 17 undefeated seasons, as well as the one who retired the most batters by way of strikes, with 208, and striking out 20 players in a game against Camagüey. He inaugurated the club of 100 strikeouts in Cuba.
Contents [hide]

He was born in the Arroyo Apolo neighborhood in Havana, he liked baseball from a very young age; at first he played it at "four corners" and soon played "hardball" in teams formed by neighborhood boys, reaching such a point of distinction that in 1958, at only 13 years old, he joined as center fielder the Cubanitos team (minor league farm team of the Cubans Sugar Kings) that traveled to Nicaragua for an international competition.

Advised by Father Santiago Mederos Rosario, who was the first fan of [his], and with the guidance of veteran professional catcher Gilberto "Chino" Valdivia, "Changa" dedicated himself to boxing and in 1964 was already participating in the I National Baseball Series, losing a possible good outfielder, since the young man liked to bat and did it well, but in exchange gained a pitcher who would make history with the capital teams and the national team, whose uniform he wore in five World Championships, two Pan American Games and two Central American and Caribbean Games, as well as in other international events by invitation.

Quality, sportsmanship and limitless love for the cause of Industriales, Havana and Occidentales, and above all for the national team marked the career of the Havana star, wearing number 32 on his uniform. He batted and fielded well, but what he liked most was pitching, work in which he developed one of the best downward curves in Cuban Baseball and a velocity that oscillated around 90 miles per hour.

Death of Changa
In the early morning of December 10, 1979, at the intersection of Carretera del Lucero and Calzada de Managua he suffered a tragic accident, from which he could not recover, dying on December 15, 1979, at only 34 years old.

Great Pitcher
With his premature physical disappearance, revolutionary baseball lost the best left-handed pitcher who had passed through the national series up to that moment. Among left-handed pitchers, he was the one who achieved the most victories in a season, 17, and the one who retired the most batters by way of strikes, 208. Both figures were registered in the 1968-1969 campaign. In that same event, he became the first pitcher to strike out 20 players in a game, a feat he achieved against the Camagüey team on January 30, 1969.

In 1968, he had won eight games by shutout, a figure that allowed him to share first place for a tournament with the Villaclareño Carlos Gálvez and the Santiaguero Norge Luis Vera.

Furthermore, this capital city pitcher with a great curve was the first left-hander who accumulated one hundred wins and inaugurated the club of one thousand strikeouts in the national championships. This last fact was completed on March 8, 1975, after leaving Walfrido Ruiz holding the bat on his shoulder, at Estadio Latinoamericano.

Three decades after his death, Changa Mederos occupies the fifth historical place in shutouts provided, 41, the sixth step in earned run average 1.97 and the tenth in wins and losses ratio 647, due to the 123 wins he achieved against 67 losses.

Changa's international record includes five world championships, two Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games in Mexico City in 1975. The 21 strikeouts he gave to the Mexicans in the 1970 Centrocaribbean Games are still talked about and the leadership in effectiveness average 0.00 in the world championship of 1971, when he was chosen as the left-hander of the All Stars.

Wanted to be an Outfielder
Cuban baseball lost a possible good outfielder, since the young man liked to bat and did it well, but in exchange gained a pitcher who would make history with the capital teams and the national team, whose uniform he wore in five World Championships, two Pan American Games and two Central American Games, as well as in other international events by invitation.

The left-handed capital pitcher was the first pitcher to reach 1000 strikeouts in National Series, it can be said that against his 123 victories he suffered 67 defeats, struck out 1,420 opponents of the 6,604 batters he officially faced; he left an enviable average of 1.97 earned runs per game of nine innings.

He Struck Out 21 Mexicans in the XI Central American and Caribbean Games

Another of Changa's great demonstrations took place in the XI Central American Games held in Panama in 1970 when he struck out 21 Mexicans, a record that still stands. These were days when he was in great form, to the extent that a year before, at home, he struck out 20 Camagüey batters, providing a total of 208 in the entire contest to establish a record that lasted 32 years.

It was then that, visiting Estadio Latinoamericano, Whitey Ford, a stellar left-handed pitcher from the New York Yankees, declared that Changa had everything to succeed in what Americans call the Big Show, and Ford was alluding to the similarity of the Cuban with little Bobby Shanz, also left-handed, a consistent starter that the Yankees obtained from Philadelphia to use as a reliever in difficult moments.

Offers from Talent Scouts
In the Central American games, talent scouts offered Changa $170,000 to pitch in the Major Leagues, which he rejected. He received many offers, but remained firm as a good Cuban, never betraying the principles of the Revolution.

Debut in National Series
He made his debut in the III National Baseball Series in 1964, a season in which he displayed his credentials as a pitcher wearing the Occidentales uniform alongside prominent figures of the time such as first baseman Pedro Chávez, catcher Félix Isasi, outfielder Rigoberto Rosique and fellow pitchers Isidro Borrego and Maximiliano Reyes, among others.

In the 16 international tournaments in which he participated (5 World Championships, 2 Pan American games and an equal number of Central American and other Caribbean series) he won 28 games and lost only 6; he allowed 23 earned runs, struck out 165 rivals and gave 61 walks, for an excellent average of 1.39. He shone in the XI Regional Games of Panama – 1970, especially in the clash against the Mexicans, a team from which he got 21 outs by way of strikes.

Getting to where he got cost him a lot, he had to work tirelessly to overcome his initial lack of control and it was said about him, just as it was said about the immense Conrado Marrero, the Guajiro de Laberinto, that if they got past the third inning they would no longer have problems, since this first third of the game was where they usually faced the greatest difficulties with control.

Once they were in the zone, it was very difficult to get them in trouble. Changa's example, and the results, should serve as a spur to the large number of pitchers who can throw over 90 miles per hour but have not learned to throw strikes, and much less to put the ball where it really hurts the batter.

He was an excellent teammate, respectful and kind to everyone, on and off the field, which a colleague aptly called "a gentleman" in every way. He took great care with his personal appearance and before taking the field he would polish his spikes, so that they would not clash with his impeccable uniform, always clean, always well cared for. In the days of greatest splendor, when it was virtually impossible to hit his devilish curve, he rejected lucrative offers from the professional game because, a lover of his family and his country, he turned a deaf ear to tempting offers from others. Today, field number One of the Sports City is honored by bearing his name: Santiago Changa Mederos.

Today this virtuoso of the mound, who was chosen among the 100 best athletes of the 20th century, lives in the heart of all Cubans who love baseball. Changa's small figure and athletic greatness multiply in the ranks of young people who want to be like him: small giants of baseball.

Numbers of Interest
In 15 seasons he obtained the following results:

Offense: In 438 times at bat he connected 72 hits, 7 doubles, no triples, 3 home runs, scored 33 runs, for an average of 164, stole one base, was caught stealing once, drove in 34 runs, received 66 walks and struck out 51 times. Defense: He participated in 254 games, in 1,628.2 innings, recorded 36 outs, made 360 assists, committed 23 errors, for an average of .945.
Pitching: Games pitched 253, started 220, completed 106, relieved in 33, won 123, lost 67, threw 41 shutouts, saved 6 games, threw 1,628.2 innings, faced 5,822 batters, allowed 1,149 hits, for an average of .197. He struck out 1,420 men, gave 633 walks, of which 32 were intentional. He gave up 149 doubles, 31 triples and 44 home runs. He committed 4 balks, 55 wild pitches and threw 41 hit batsmen.
Leadership in Selective Series

He was a leader in several Selective Series, among which are:

Series of the 10 Million in 1970. 9 complete games with Havana, tied with Roberto Valdés, of Orientales and Alfredo García, of Matanzas. Shutouts: 7.
I Series in 1975, with Havana. 10 complete games and 119.2 innings pitched.
IV Selective 1978, with Havana, 7 and 2.
Leadership in National Series

Leader in games started: VIII Series (1969, Havana), with 25; complete (IX-1970, Industriales), 13; won (VIII-1969, Havana), 17; shutouts provided (VII-1968, Industriales), 8, and (VIII-1969, Havana), 6; innings pitched (IX-1970, Industriales), 136.2, and (XIV-1975, Agricultores), 91.2; strikeouts (VIII-1969, Havana), 208; (IX-1970, Industriales), 143, and (XIV-1975, Agricultores), 92.

Executioner of the Sugar Growers
Changa Mederos' rise coincided with the consolidation of Azucareros, a team that between 1968 and 1972 won three titles and two third-place finishes in Cuban baseball.

Against this fierce squad that represented the old province of Las Villas, the stellar pitcher of the so-called southpaw arm shone in a very special way, as he defeated them on 14 occasions, while he fell only three times.

In fact, Changa even strung together a chain of nine consecutive victories at the expense of the sweet ones, before losing, 1-5 against reliever [[Andrés Leyva], known as El Curro on March 23, 1971.

Model Player
Beyond the rivalry existing on the field between Azucareros and Industriales, one of the bulwarks of that team that defended the colors of central Cuba, Rolando Macías, cherishes fond memories of the departed star of the mound:

The first time I made the Cuba team was at the world championship in the Dominican Republic, in 1969. There I had the opportunity to share a room with him, Laffita, Huelga and Curro Pérez.

Later, at the world championship held here in Cuba, in 1971, we were roommates again. I remember that every time we were going out to the field he would call his wife on the phone.

He wore the uniform impeccably. His spikes were always clean. He was a model in that too, Macías concludes.

Cuban baseball player, considered among the best left-handed pitchers of his country of all time.

From childhood he was interested in baseball, which he began to practice at eight years of age in the sports complex of Arroyo Naranjo, Havana. One of his first trainers was the former professional player Ernesto (Chico) Morillas, very knowledgeable about that sport.

At first, Mederos played in the outfields and alternated as a pitcher, the position that interested him most, although he was a good batter and fielder. At thirteen years old he participated in his first international event - a school tournament held in Managua, Nicaragua - as a center fielder.

He made his debut in 1964 in the third National Baseball Series, as a pitcher for the Occidentales team, which at that time had stars like first baseman Pedro Chávez.

Although he showed great promise, Changa Mederos faced difficulties with his control, which is why he did not have an impressive start in baseball, to the point that, in three seasons, he won one game and lost five, with 42 walks in 52 innings.

Only his perseverance, dedication and discipline in each day of training made Mederos improve this important indicator. In the 1967 National Series he became the Industriales team's most successful pitcher, with thirteen victories and only five losses, and an impressive average of 1.47 earned runs per game of nine innings (ERA). In the three years that followed (including a special tournament called the Series of the Ten Million, held in 1970) he recorded fifty-two wins with twenty losses. Fourteen of those wins he achieved against another of the great teams in Cuban baseball, Azucareros. Thus he earned a place among the pitchers of the national team for important international commitments.

In 1969 Changa Mederos had a memorable season, which began on January 30, when he threw, wearing the Havana team uniform, twenty strikeouts against Camagüey, a figure that no other Cuban pitcher has come close to. That year he struck out 208 rivals by way of strikes, setting a record that remained in place for thirty-two years - the same number he wore on his uniform. In addition, he won seventeen games. A year earlier, he had prevailed in eight games by shutout.

Changa Mederos had excellent athletic conditions. His curve ball throws were so impressive that they were called "devilish." On one occasion, while batting one of the greatest sluggers in Cuban baseball, Antonio Muñoz, Mederos threw him a curve that made him throw himself on the ground believing the ball was going to hit him in the head, but the pitch fell in the center of home plate for the third strike. Mederos' select curve was one of the best seen in any baseball league in the world. He also threw with a fast ball, often over 90 miles per hour, which made him a very difficult pitcher to hit. A gentleman on the diamond, he had respect for his opponents and umpires' decisions as his line of conduct.

Changa Mederos was the first left-handed pitcher to reach one hundred wins in National Series, and had the privilege of being the first to reach one thousand strikeouts, a figure he achieved on March 8, 1975, when he left another pitcher, Walfrido Ruiz, at home plate in Estadio Latinoamericano. He had recorded his first strikeout, ten years earlier, against the Camagüey native Miguel Cuevas, on February 18, 1965. Cuevas, for his part, was the baseball player who hit Changa best in his lifetime.

He participated in five World Championships (Dominican Republic, 1969; Colombia, 1970; Cuba, 1971; Nicaragua, 1972, and Colombia, 1976), in which he won five, lost only one and had an excellent average of 0.98. He also took part in the Pan American Sports Games in Mexico (1975), with 1.38 earned run average ERA. In two Central American and Caribbean Games (Panama, 1970, and Colombia, 1978) he recorded 2-0 with 2.70 ERA.

In the XI Central American and Caribbean Games, held in Panama, Mederos struck out twenty-one Mexican batters, which meant that only seven rivals escaped the strikes of the stellar Cuban pitcher. In the 1971 World Championship, in Havana, he led the very important earned run average with 0.00, which earned him being considered the best left-handed pitcher in the league, and therefore selected to be part of the All Stars team.

In fifteen National Series, Changa Mederos left impressive figures that distinguish him as one of the best historical pitchers of Cuba. He started 220 games, of which he completed 106, with 123 victories and 67 losses. He threw 41 shutout games and saved the game on six occasions, when he acted as a reliever to preserve a lead. He worked in 1,628 and two-thirds innings, in which he only allowed 356 earned runs, which gave him an enviable 1.97 effectiveness average. He allowed 1,149 hits, including 149 doubles, 31 triples and 44 home runs; he struck out 1,420 opposing batters, and only batted .197 against him. He committed four balks (illegal moves when pitching), threw 55 wild pitches (sends that escape the catcher) and threw 41 hit batsmen.

At that time there was no designated hitter category, so the pitcher had to go to the batter's box. Changa only compiled .164 (72 legitimate hits in 438 at-bats) with seven doubles and three home runs, 34 runs batted in, 33 runs scored, 66 walks and 51 strikeouts. Among his most important records in National Series stand out three strikeout leadership titles (1969, 1970 and 1975) and the already mentioned seventeen games won in 1969, although he never had the privilege of leading in earned run average per game of nine innings.

Santiago Mederos was one of the best left-handed pitchers in Cuba in the last half century. He set the standard defending the colors of Team Cuba, and within the borders, those of Industriales, Occidentales and Havana, teams in which he played over three periods of performance.

Changa suffered a traffic accident on December 10, 1979 and, despite medical effort, died five days later, at the age of thirty-four years. His mortal remains were buried in the Calabazar cemetery, his native municipality, but since 2007 they rest in the Cristóbal Colón Necropolis. His death was an irreparable loss for sports in Cuba.

Santiago Changa Mederos was justly chosen among the one hundred best athletes of the twentieth century in his country.