Bats Left,
Throws Left
Height 5′ 11″,
Weight 200 lb.
Born April 19, 1915 in Baguanos Cuba
Pedro Formental sentence: “They call me Perico 300” became so popular that many began to call him by that nickname. Especially after they won the championship of the Cuban League in hits during the tournament from 1949-50 with a .336 average, wearing the uniform of the Habana Reds.
Formental who batted and threw left-handed, was born on April 19, 1915 in Central Maccabee, Banes, Oriente Province and died in Tennessee, US 15 Sep 1992.
He started playing with the team in 1939 Baguanos Central until 1941. In 1942 it did in the semipro league with ‘La Pasiega’. That same year he debuted in the Cuban Winter League with club Cienfuegos until 1945-46 season was transfered to the Lions and went to Havana, where he played until part of the 1953-54 season, which ended with Club Mariano. However, went back the next year with the Havana Reds led by Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
Perucho finished his career tied with Alejandro Crespo, like the best boosters with 362, but subsequently increased Noble’s record to .372. Formental set a record for RBIs with 57 entries in 1952-53, which was tied by Rocky Nelson in 1954-55. His best batting average achievements in 1949-50 (.336) and 1952-53 (337).
He played for several years with the Memphis Red Sox (1947-50), in the Negro Leagues in the United States, where he earned his best averages in 1949 (341) and 1950 (363).
In the summer of 1954 and 1955 , moved to the Cuban Sugar Kings of the International League, Triple A, with which it ended with identical .293 batting average of. He also played during the winter in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, where he led all sluggers with 13 homers in 1951 and “slugging” to .704.
Participated in three consecutive Caribbean Series with Havana. In 1951 in Caracas, Venezuela, Panama in 1952 and 1953 in Havana. Homered in the first one and won the crown of the batters in the last, where rival pitchers abused by connecting to .560 for average product of 14 hits in 25 at-bats. Perucho murdered particularly pitchers from Venezuela, who bombardment hitting 4-4 on both occasions they were facing.
Perucho When he learned that the club would not pay their tickets for free admission for giving the field, refused to play. Finally came to realize the situation, not without its “ego” did say: “This time is fine, but in the next, all partners as well as the audience will have to pay to see in action Three hundred Perico. ”
Formental’s Cuban stardom really began in 1949-1950, when he hit .336 and slugged .468. He led the league in average, hits (99) and runs (51) and joined and Don Lenhardt on the All-Star outfield. Fermin Guerra beat him for MVP honors. That summer, Formental played his last season in the Negro Leagues. He did not like playing in the USA due to the discrimination there; once he dined in a white restaurant in Dallas, TX to flagrantly show his disapproval.
Pedro hit .250 and slugged .408 for Habana in 1950-1951; he led the CWL with 55 walks and tied for the lead with eight home runs. In the 1951 Caribbean Series, Formental hit .316 and slugged .632; he had 5 RBI in six . The veteran flyhawk hit .254 and slugged .417 in the 1951-1952 campaign. He led the loop with 47 runs and 46 RBI and tied Jim Basso for the lead with nine homers. He joined Frank Carswell and Sandy Amoros on the All-Star outfield. Bert Haas took home MVP honros instead.
Formental was only 1 for 16 with a double, 2 runs and five RBI in the 1952 Caribbean Series. At age 37, he had a career year in 1952-1953, hitting .337 and slugging .544. He led the league in doubles (18), tied Felipe Montemayor for the most walks (50), was second to Lou Klein with 10 home runs and set a new league record with 57 RBI. He joined Amoros and Minnie Minoso on the All-Star outfield. Minoso took MVP honors that time.
In the 1953 Caribbean Series, Formental set a Caribbean Series record with 14 hits (in 25 AB). He had 20 total bases and 8 RBI as Havana fell shy of a title.
Formental’s decline then began as he was certainly getting old for a hitter. He batted .258 and slugged .373 in 1953-1954, spending part of the winter with Marianao. In 1954, he hit .293/?/.477 for the AAA Havana Sugar Kings, leading the club in slugging; most of his teammates would play in the majors at some point.
In 1954-1955, Formental hit .292 and slugged .482 for the Havana Lions. For the ’55 Sugar Kings, Pedro batted .293/?/.433, .002 behind team slugging leader Clint Hartung. It was the curtain call for Formental, who wrapped up with better play after age 35 than before age 30.
Overall, Formental finished 7th in Cuban Winter League history in at-bats (2,720), 4th in runs (431), 5th in hits (746), tied for fifth with Ray Noble in doubles (106), third in triples (47, behind Hector Rodriguez and Minoso), 4th in home runs (56, behind Noble, Minoso and Ortiz) and 8th in RBI (362).
In 304 in the Mexican League, Formental had hit .345/~.465/.524.
Formental was later inducted into both the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame and Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. After that all information we have is this notice Pedro FORMENTAL – U.S. Social Security Death Index Birth: 17 Apr 1919 – State Where Number was Issued: Tennessee Death: 15 Sep 1992.
Agencies/Various/Wiki/InternetPhotos/youtube/thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.