| Mel Almada | |
|---|---|
 Almada in 1936 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: February 7, 1913 Huatabampo,Mexico | |
| Died: August 13, 1988(1988-08-13) (aged 75) Caborca,Mexico | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 8, 1933, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1939, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .284 |
| Home runs | 15 |
| Runs batted in | 197 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Mexican Professional | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1971 |
Baldomero "Mel"Almada Quirós (February 7, 1913 – August 13, 1988) was a Mexicancenter fielder inMajor League Baseball who played from 1933 through 1939 for theBoston Red Sox (1933–1937),Washington Senators (1937–1938),St. Louis Browns (1938–1939) andBrooklyn Dodgers (1939). He batted and threw left-handed.
A native ofHuatabampo,Sonora,Mexico, Almada made history bybecoming the first Mexican baseball player to play in the major leagues.
Raised and educated inCalifornia, Almada attendedLos Angeles High School and was a teammate of another future major leaguer,Bud Bates, on that team. Almada was a fine outfielder with strength and accuracy in his throws. Basically a line-drive hitter with an outstanding speed, he was a respectedleadoff hitter for his great ability to see a significant number of pitches, being also able to successfully execute in a bunt situation at any time in the game.
Almada was signed by the Boston Red Sox out of thePacific Coast League. He made his Major League debut with the Red Sox on September 8, 1933,batting .344 in 14 game appearances. On October 1 of that season, Almada batted the last hitBabe Ruth gave up as apitcher. Overall, he had three hits and two walks off Ruth.[1]
Almada then became an everyday player in 1935, appearing in 151 games and finishing with a .290 average and 20stolen bases.
In the 1937 midseason, Almada was traded by Boston along with the brothersRick andWes Ferrell to the Washington Senators in exchange forBen Chapman andBobo Newsom. At the time of the deal, Almada was hitting just .236, but he hit .309 the rest of the way, ending with a .296 average, 91runs and 27doubles. On July 25, during the first game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns, Almada scored five runs to tie a Major League record. When he added four runs in the second game, he set an 18-inning Major League record with nine runs scored in a double-header.
After a poor .244 start in 1938, Almada was sent by Washington to the Browns in exchange forAll-Star outfielderSam West. Almada hit .342 with St. Louis, ending with .311, 101 runs, 197hits and 29 doubles, all career-high numbers. That season, he also had a phenomenal stretch in which he had a base hit in 54-out-of-56 games from June 21 through Aug 19 (second game), meaning he fell just two hitless games short ofJoe DiMaggio's record56-game hitting streak. But he slumped to .239 in 1939 and was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers. With Brooklyn, he was used as a backup outfielder andpinch-hitting specialist. He made his last Major League appearance on October 1, 1939.
In a seven-season career, Almada posted a .284batting average with 15home runs and 197RBI in 646 games.
Almada returned to the Pacific Coast League for one season with theSacramento Solons in 1940. He latermanaged in theMexican League. In 1972, he was inducted to theMexican Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mel's older brother,Lou Almada, was also a professional baseball player.[2]
Mel Almada died in his home state of Sonora, Mexico, at age 75.
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