Emilio Cueche

Emilio Cueche
Pitcher / Outfielder
Born: (1927-10-20)October 20, 1927
Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela
Died: July 31, 2006(2006-07-31) (aged 78)
Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Teams
Venezuelan League

Dominican Republic League

International League

Mexican League

Career highlights and awards
  • Venezuelan League Rookie of the Season Award (1951-52)
  • Venezuelan League Player of the Season Award (1954-55)
  • Six Caribbean Series appearances (1952; 1954–1958)
Member of the Venezuelan
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2006

Emilio Cueche [eh-mee'-leo / coo-eh'-chay] (October 20, 1927 – July 31, 2006) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He was nicknamed "Indio".[1][2]

Born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, the righthander Cueche was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League during the decade of the 1950.

Actually, Cueche tried to starting out as a shortstop. Although Venezuela is renowned for producing noteworthy shortstops, he was not destined to be one of them. He was short, stocky, but uncommonly strong and well fit. At 5-foot-6 (1.68 m), 160 pounds (73 k), Cueche might not have had the physique of most of his contemporaries,[3] though he relied on tenacity, savvy and hard-breaking pitches to establish himself as one of the most trustworthy pitchers of his era.

Besides a lively fastball, his repertoire included a slider, a knuckler, a changeup and a curve, being the latter one of his most effective pitches.[4]

Through his brief career, Cueche set several records in the VPBL that still remain intact.[5] Considered a workhorse who could pitch deep into games, he also was known as a slick-fielding pitcher and competent hitter as well. As a result, Cueche was often used in a pinch-hitting role, and also played in the outfield due to his defensive skills.[4]

Apart from his 12-season stint in the Venezuela league, he made six Caribbean Series appearances and played nine full seasons in Minor League Baseball and the Dominican Republic and Mexico leagues during the same period.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Daniel (2006). La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela. LVBP, Caracas. ISBN 980-6996-02-X
  2. ^ "Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. (Spanish)
  3. ^ "Baseball Reference Minor League Statistics".
  4. ^ a b La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela
  5. ^ Gutiérrez, Daniel; González, Javier (2006); Records de la Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional. LVBP. ISBN 978-980-6996-01-4
  6. ^ "Venezuelan Professional Baseball League Batting and Pitching Statistics".
  7. ^ McNeil, William (2007). Black Baseball Out of Season: Pay for Play Outside of the Negro Leagues. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-6924-6
  8. ^ "Mexican League Pitching Statistics".