Enrique Oduardo Carvajal, Baseball Player, Dies in Villa Clara from Massive Heart Attack

March 30, 2022

On March 22, he was buried in his native Caibarién, the stellar baseball player Enrique Oduardo Carvajal, glory of Cuban sports. Fans remember him for his timely hits as cleanup batter for Las Villas, Azucareros and Arroceros, where he played for 11 seasons, alongside outstanding players such as Antonio Muñoz and Owen Blandino, among others. He wore number 14 on his back, and was considered a strong batter. He was the cleanup batter on teams that had stellar players.

Since his debut in the VI National Baseball Series, 1966-1967, he won the sympathy of the public, who admired in him the disciplined athlete dedicated to the uniform he always represented with dignity. In times of great quality among pitchers, with a wooden bat and less lively ball, the idol of Caibarién, in 2,640 times at bat, scored 272 runs, connected 631 hits, 72 doubles, 13 triples and 55 home runs, with 358 RBIs and a .239 average.

Oduardo was the cleanup batter in many of the tournaments where the Azucareros took part, often managed by Servio Borges. It was a group in which there were other renowned figures such as Lázaro Pérez (catcher), Antonio Muñoz (1B), Emilio Madrazo (2B), José Pérez (SS), Owen Blandino (3B) and outfielders of the caliber of Silvio Montejo, Valentín León and the versatile Osvaldo Oliva, among others.

After his retirement from active sports and until his death, at age 75, on Monday, March 21 from a massive heart attack, Enrique Oduardo remained linked to the sport of balls and strikes as a coach.