Francisco Coimbre
Encyclopedia
Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles (February 17, 1909 – November 4, 1989), more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican
professional baseball
player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo
and moved to Ponce
early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and baseball. Coimbre played thirteen seasons in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
(LBPPR), with the Leones de Ponce. During this period the team won five league championships. He finished his career with an average of .337, and had an average of 2.2 strikeout
s per season, this included four consecutive seasons from 1939 to 1942, without any strikeouts. Coimbre also won two LBPPR batting titles and the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943.
Coimbre traveled to New York City
, after completing his first professional season in Puerto Rico, where he joined the Porto Rico Stars baseball team of the Negro Leagues. He was contracted by the New York Cubans
, while playing with the Porto Rico Stars. He joined the NYC and played several seasons for them. Coimbre's batting average remained over the .300 mark, including two seasons where he batted over .400. While playing in the Negro leagues he was selected to play in the league's East–West All-Star games twice, where he played with several players who in the future would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He also played with teams established in Colombia
, Venezuela
, the Dominican Republic
and Mexico
. Following his retirement Coimbre worked as a coach and manager of teams in both the professional and amateur leagues of Puerto Rico. Coimbre, who was eighty years old, died because he was unable to escape the flames of a burning building in which he lived.
, Puerto Rico
, to Guillermo Coimbre and Zoila Atiles. Upon his birth, he was inscribed as a resident of Arroyo
in his birth certificate, following a common practice at the time. In 1922, he moved to Ponce
along his mother, in order to live closer to his sister, Angela Coimbre. There he began playing baseball under the training and supervision of Miguel Caratini and Antonio Gordan, two hall of famers in the local league.
His first accomplishments in sports where in track and field
, where he competed in the 50-yard dash, eventually developing his skills in other aspects of the sport. He continued practice this sport while attending high school. Later he was transferred to another educational institution in Caguas, Puerto Rico
, but when he tried to participate in an athletic competition he was denied permission because he was classified in a different division on the records of Puerto Rico's Instruction Department.
This event led to a court case which marked the first time in Puerto Rico that a court hearing was scheduled for case involving a sports. He subsequently transferred to Ponce High School, where the Instruction Department tried to have him removed of the athleticism team based on allegations that he had received payment as a student athlete. Judge Roberto Tood Jr. determined that the evidence against Coimbre was insufficient during the hearing and the case was dropped.
and second baseman
. His incursion in organized baseball came about when he was recommended by a member of the Leones de Ponce, to the team officials. The Leones de Ponce was the local team of the Puerto Rican amateur league who was to play in a series against the San Juan Athletics. During that season the team needed additional players and he was selected by the team's owner, Pipo Maldonado. He debuted in a game that took place in Ponce, where he was given the position of right fielder
and he had four hits
in five at bat
s. He continued in the team and in 1928 participated in a championship series between his team and the team of Guayama, where Ponce won on six games. In the last game of this series Coimbre pitched and won with a final score of 5–3, in a game where the team almost lost following an error
.
Coimbre's first performance outside Puerto Rico was in the Dominican Republic
, where he played with a team named Sandino in Santiago de los Caballeros
in 1927. He was accompanied by several Puerto Rican players during this stay. In 1929, he played for the "Magallanes" a team in Venezuela
where he played as a pitcher and outfielder
. Four of his teammates, who now had homes in Caracas
, had played with him in the Puerto Rican league. After having a solid performance in the 1930 season of the amateur league, he was recruited by the Tigres del Licey
team to play in the Dominican Republic, which was coached by Charles Dore. Following that season, he continued alternating between both leagues, playing with Santo Domingo in 1931.
After the Puerto Rican league season came to an end in 1932, Coimbre went to work as a security guard in a penal institution and only played with a semi-professional team. Shortly after, he was offered a contract to play in La Guaira
, with a team called Santa Marta. The season concluded with Buchipluma, a second team owned by Santa Marta's proprietor winning the league's championship. Following his participation with Santa Marta, he continued playing, both in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. While playing with Licey, the team developed a rivalry with El Escogido, which gave Coimbre an opportunity to establish relationships with several players, from both countries. During this period the team continued to be coached by Dore, and included several known Dominican players. The team would win the league's championship once, but Coimbre decided not to assist the ceremony where the trophy was awarded choosing to stay in his hotel room instead. Dore took the cup to Coimbre so that he could have it in his possession some days, but he rejected this and suggested that it be filled with money for a donation.
In 1935, he moved to Maracaibo
where he played for Pastora, in Zulia's Stadium. The team reached the league's final series but lost to Magallanes. Prior to this series, the team had to travel to Caimbas, an industrial city where the games where scheduled. The usual way of traveling there was by boat, but following Coimbre's advice the team was transported there by airplane. After the season was over he moved to La Victoria, Aragua
, where one of his friends resided in a hacienda
. There he played in a series that served to determine what the final roster of Concordia, a team that was going to travel to Puerto Rico that year, would be. Coimbre participated in the series, but choose to play with Ponce instead of Concordia. In 1937, he returned to the Dominican Republic and his team won the league's championship in what he described as the "most powerful team in his memory".
for the first time in his life, after being invited by a close friend. Coimbre's original intention was to visit his sister instead, with whom he lived while in the city. In New York, he met Santiago Bartolomei who was the owner of a team named Puerto Rico Stars (also known as "Puerto Rican Stars"). Bartolomei visited Coimbre along a group of players and offered him a contract to play with the team. He accepted and joined the team that included players from Puerto Rico and Cuba.
While he played for the Porto Rico Stars, Alejandro Pompéz
called him and made him an offer to play with the New York Cubans
, which at the time he owned. Pompéz became interested in Coimbre after hearing several reviews of his work, but he was skeptical of these claims and therefore he was hesitant to contract him at first and didn't do so until a group of players recommended him. He debuted in a game against a team named Buschwick, in a game that took place in Brooklyn, New York. In his first two games with the team he connected four hits, three singles and a double. Following this performance Pompéz informed him that he was going to stay with the team. After the season concluded he was instantly offered a second contract with the Cubans, which by this time where playing in the National League of the Negro League. He also participated with Ponce during the 1940–1941 season of the winter league and concluded the season with an batting average
of .401 and no strikeout
s. During his second season with the Cubans he had an average of .409, and was included in the league's All-star Game for the first time in his career.
Following this, he returned to Puerto Rico and had an average of .372 with his team. This season marked the first time that Ponce won the LBPPR championship. The next season Coimbre won his first batting championship in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, finishing with an average of .342 after he connected hits in 22 consecutive games. In 1943, he had his best season in the Negro leagues in the United States, when he was selected to the East's All-Star team for a second occasion and had an average of .428, the highest one in his career with the Cubans. That year Coimbre received a tribute in the Yankee Stadium
, where hundreds of Puerto Ricans reunited and awarded him a scroll and a ring recognizing his performance. That same year, he led the LBPPR in runs batted in
, scoring 27 RBIs. He was subsequently invited to play in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
(Mexican Baseball League) for the first time in his career, where he joined a team called Puebla. In the beginning, he had problems adapting to Mexico's climate however, his average improved over the course of the season, eventually finishing as one of the league's leaders. Coimbre experienced a similar pattern in the 1944–1945 LBPPR season, where he was unable to score a hit in the first games, but finished winning his second batting championship.
Later that year, he joined a team named El Torices, which was organized in Barranquilla
, Colombia
. His participation with the team mostly consisted of managing work since he was unable to play due to a previous injury. During his time of inactivity, he worked in the Administration of Parks and Recreation, supervising softball
games organized by local businessmen. Another injury product of an accidental pitch ended Coimbre's participation in the 1946 LBPPR season, the injury's treatment required hospitalization and recovery treatment. After recovering from the injury he traveled to New York in 1948, originally with the intention of joining the Baltimore Elite Giants
or the New York Black Yankees
. During this visit he was contacted by Chebrook, a team of the Canadian league to play in the right field position.
Coimbre was not able to play in his full capacity because he still experienced problems with the injury on his knee. He ended the season batting an average of .316, in a season where the team won the league's championship. Coimbre spent the 1948–1951 working as a designated hitter in the LBPPR. His final season in the league was in 1952, when he was reassigned to play in the right field and was the fourth player in the batting lineup. His last game was against the Cangrejeros de Santurce
, where a wild pitch re-injured his knee, prompting Coimbre's decision to retire as an active player.
, to work as the team manager. Coimbre also worked in the administration of the Indios de Mayagüez
, when the team traveled to play in Havana
, Cuba
. He subsequently decided to work as a coach in the amateur league, while continuing his participation with the professional Ponce team and began coaching a team that represented Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
.
Coimbre began promoting an idea that focused in the performance of the team, instead of the success of individual players. In his first day as an amateur coach, Coimbre summoned the players to a conference, where he noted that if all of them felt like "stars" and played for statistics their collective performance would suffer. He won a national championship with the team, but decided to leave it and work with the Cachorros de Ponce, where he won another championship. During this time he also worked as a talent scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates
. As a scout he was directly responsible for the hiring of Roberto Clemente
, when he urged the Pirates to draft him in the first draw of the Major League Baseball Draft, even though Clemente was under a minor league
contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Coimbre died on November 4, 1989, when he was trapped in a house fire. The fire originated in the house's kitchen while he was cooking, consuming the structures wooden frame. When Coimbre tried to escape he was unable to open the front door, because he had locked it with a padlock.
The City of Ponce honored the memory of Coímbre by naming its sports museum the "Museo Pancho Coímbre
". The museum, which contains a large collection of sports memorabilia, is located on the Calle (Street) Lolita Tizol. Also, in Ponce, he is honored at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. Also the building housing the Secretaría de Recreación y Deportes on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce is named "Francisco “Pancho” Coímbre". The town of Coamo also honored Coimbre by naming a sports complex "Complejo Deportivo Francisco Pancho Coimbre Park" after him.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo
Coamo, Puerto Rico
Coamo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern region, north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 wards and Coamo Pueblo...
and moved to Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and baseball. Coimbre played thirteen seasons in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
The Puerto Rico Baseball League formerly known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico or LBPPR, is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico. In 2007, the LBPPR recessed for the first time since its creation...
(LBPPR), with the Leones de Ponce. During this period the team won five league championships. He finished his career with an average of .337, and had an average of 2.2 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s per season, this included four consecutive seasons from 1939 to 1942, without any strikeouts. Coimbre also won two LBPPR batting titles and the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943.
Coimbre traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, after completing his first professional season in Puerto Rico, where he joined the Porto Rico Stars baseball team of the Negro Leagues. He was contracted by the New York Cubans
New York Cubans
The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in general were largely ignored by the major league...
, while playing with the Porto Rico Stars. He joined the NYC and played several seasons for them. Coimbre's batting average remained over the .300 mark, including two seasons where he batted over .400. While playing in the Negro leagues he was selected to play in the league's East–West All-Star games twice, where he played with several players who in the future would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He also played with teams established in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Following his retirement Coimbre worked as a coach and manager of teams in both the professional and amateur leagues of Puerto Rico. Coimbre, who was eighty years old, died because he was unable to escape the flames of a burning building in which he lived.
Early years
Francisco Coimbre was born in CoamoCoamo, Puerto Rico
Coamo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern region, north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 wards and Coamo Pueblo...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, to Guillermo Coimbre and Zoila Atiles. Upon his birth, he was inscribed as a resident of Arroyo
Arroyo, Puerto Rico
Arroyo is a municipality located along the southern coast of Puerto Rico and bordered by the Caribbean Sea, east of the municipality of Guayama and northwest of the municipality of Patillas. Arroyo is spread over 5 wards and Arroyo Pueblo...
in his birth certificate, following a common practice at the time. In 1922, he moved to Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
along his mother, in order to live closer to his sister, Angela Coimbre. There he began playing baseball under the training and supervision of Miguel Caratini and Antonio Gordan, two hall of famers in the local league.
His first accomplishments in sports where in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, where he competed in the 50-yard dash, eventually developing his skills in other aspects of the sport. He continued practice this sport while attending high school. Later he was transferred to another educational institution in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
, but when he tried to participate in an athletic competition he was denied permission because he was classified in a different division on the records of Puerto Rico's Instruction Department.
This event led to a court case which marked the first time in Puerto Rico that a court hearing was scheduled for case involving a sports. He subsequently transferred to Ponce High School, where the Instruction Department tried to have him removed of the athleticism team based on allegations that he had received payment as a student athlete. Judge Roberto Tood Jr. determined that the evidence against Coimbre was insufficient during the hearing and the case was dropped.
Baseball career
In high school, Coimbre played in a school league in the positions of pitcherPitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
. His incursion in organized baseball came about when he was recommended by a member of the Leones de Ponce, to the team officials. The Leones de Ponce was the local team of the Puerto Rican amateur league who was to play in a series against the San Juan Athletics. During that season the team needed additional players and he was selected by the team's owner, Pipo Maldonado. He debuted in a game that took place in Ponce, where he was given the position of right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and he had four hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in five at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. He continued in the team and in 1928 participated in a championship series between his team and the team of Guayama, where Ponce won on six games. In the last game of this series Coimbre pitched and won with a final score of 5–3, in a game where the team almost lost following an error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
.
Coimbre's first performance outside Puerto Rico was in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, where he played with a team named Sandino in Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
in 1927. He was accompanied by several Puerto Rican players during this stay. In 1929, he played for the "Magallanes" a team in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
where he played as a pitcher and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. Four of his teammates, who now had homes in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, had played with him in the Puerto Rican league. After having a solid performance in the 1930 season of the amateur league, he was recruited by the Tigres del Licey
Tigres del Licey
Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of the two franchises of the Capital city of the country, the oldest and one of the most successful teams in the Dominican league, having won 22 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean...
team to play in the Dominican Republic, which was coached by Charles Dore. Following that season, he continued alternating between both leagues, playing with Santo Domingo in 1931.
After the Puerto Rican league season came to an end in 1932, Coimbre went to work as a security guard in a penal institution and only played with a semi-professional team. Shortly after, he was offered a contract to play in La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, with a team called Santa Marta. The season concluded with Buchipluma, a second team owned by Santa Marta's proprietor winning the league's championship. Following his participation with Santa Marta, he continued playing, both in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. While playing with Licey, the team developed a rivalry with El Escogido, which gave Coimbre an opportunity to establish relationships with several players, from both countries. During this period the team continued to be coached by Dore, and included several known Dominican players. The team would win the league's championship once, but Coimbre decided not to assist the ceremony where the trophy was awarded choosing to stay in his hotel room instead. Dore took the cup to Coimbre so that he could have it in his possession some days, but he rejected this and suggested that it be filled with money for a donation.
In 1935, he moved to Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
where he played for Pastora, in Zulia's Stadium. The team reached the league's final series but lost to Magallanes. Prior to this series, the team had to travel to Caimbas, an industrial city where the games where scheduled. The usual way of traveling there was by boat, but following Coimbre's advice the team was transported there by airplane. After the season was over he moved to La Victoria, Aragua
La Victoria, Aragua
La Victoria is a city in the state of Aragua in Venezuela.It is famous for the independence battle of 12 February 1814, where José Félix Ribas led a young and inexperienced army that succeeded in halting the royalist troops of José Tomás Boves at La Victoria...
, where one of his friends resided in a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
. There he played in a series that served to determine what the final roster of Concordia, a team that was going to travel to Puerto Rico that year, would be. Coimbre participated in the series, but choose to play with Ponce instead of Concordia. In 1937, he returned to the Dominican Republic and his team won the league's championship in what he described as the "most powerful team in his memory".
Formation of the LBPPR and participation in Negro league baseball
Later that year, when he returned to Puerto Rico, Coimbre discovered that the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico (LBPPR) was being organized. When the league was organized they elected Teófilo Maldonado, a press writer, as their president. Coimbre joined the Ponce-Kofresí team, that represented Ponce. The team was coached by Isidro Fabré and owned by Juan Luis Boscio and the team's roster included several players that were known by the local fanbase, After the season's conclusion, Coimbre traveled to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for the first time in his life, after being invited by a close friend. Coimbre's original intention was to visit his sister instead, with whom he lived while in the city. In New York, he met Santiago Bartolomei who was the owner of a team named Puerto Rico Stars (also known as "Puerto Rican Stars"). Bartolomei visited Coimbre along a group of players and offered him a contract to play with the team. He accepted and joined the team that included players from Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Alex Pompez
Alejandro "Alex" Pompez was an American executive in Negro league baseball who owned the Cuban Stars and New York Cubans franchises from 1916 to 1950. His family were cigar manufacturers who had immigrated from Cuba. Outside of baseball and numbers he was educated as an attorney and he had owned...
called him and made him an offer to play with the New York Cubans
New York Cubans
The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in general were largely ignored by the major league...
, which at the time he owned. Pompéz became interested in Coimbre after hearing several reviews of his work, but he was skeptical of these claims and therefore he was hesitant to contract him at first and didn't do so until a group of players recommended him. He debuted in a game against a team named Buschwick, in a game that took place in Brooklyn, New York. In his first two games with the team he connected four hits, three singles and a double. Following this performance Pompéz informed him that he was going to stay with the team. After the season concluded he was instantly offered a second contract with the Cubans, which by this time where playing in the National League of the Negro League. He also participated with Ponce during the 1940–1941 season of the winter league and concluded the season with an batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .401 and no strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. During his second season with the Cubans he had an average of .409, and was included in the league's All-star Game for the first time in his career.
Following this, he returned to Puerto Rico and had an average of .372 with his team. This season marked the first time that Ponce won the LBPPR championship. The next season Coimbre won his first batting championship in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, finishing with an average of .342 after he connected hits in 22 consecutive games. In 1943, he had his best season in the Negro leagues in the United States, when he was selected to the East's All-Star team for a second occasion and had an average of .428, the highest one in his career with the Cubans. That year Coimbre received a tribute in the Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, where hundreds of Puerto Ricans reunited and awarded him a scroll and a ring recognizing his performance. That same year, he led the LBPPR in runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, scoring 27 RBIs. He was subsequently invited to play in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
The Mexican League is a summer minor league baseball league with teams based across Mexico. Along with the International League and the Pacific Coast League, it is one of three leagues playing at the triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It is the only Minor League...
(Mexican Baseball League) for the first time in his career, where he joined a team called Puebla. In the beginning, he had problems adapting to Mexico's climate however, his average improved over the course of the season, eventually finishing as one of the league's leaders. Coimbre experienced a similar pattern in the 1944–1945 LBPPR season, where he was unable to score a hit in the first games, but finished winning his second batting championship.
Later that year, he joined a team named El Torices, which was organized in Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. His participation with the team mostly consisted of managing work since he was unable to play due to a previous injury. During his time of inactivity, he worked in the Administration of Parks and Recreation, supervising softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
games organized by local businessmen. Another injury product of an accidental pitch ended Coimbre's participation in the 1946 LBPPR season, the injury's treatment required hospitalization and recovery treatment. After recovering from the injury he traveled to New York in 1948, originally with the intention of joining the Baltimore Elite Giants
Baltimore Elite Giants
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in , and would move to...
or the New York Black Yankees
New York Black Yankees
The New York Black Yankees was a professional baseball team based in New York City, Paterson, NJ, and Rochester, NY which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. The Black Yankees played in Paterson, New Jersey from 1933-1937 and then from 1939-1945. The 1938 season saw the Black...
. During this visit he was contacted by Chebrook, a team of the Canadian league to play in the right field position.
Coimbre was not able to play in his full capacity because he still experienced problems with the injury on his knee. He ended the season batting an average of .316, in a season where the team won the league's championship. Coimbre spent the 1948–1951 working as a designated hitter in the LBPPR. His final season in the league was in 1952, when he was reassigned to play in the right field and was the fourth player in the batting lineup. His last game was against the Cangrejeros de Santurce
Santurce Crabbers (baseball)
The Cangrejeros de Santurce were a professional baseball team based in Santurce, the largest barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The franchise joined the Puerto Rico Baseball League since it was the semi-professional Liga de Béisbol Semi-Profesional de Puerto Rico...
, where a wild pitch re-injured his knee, prompting Coimbre's decision to retire as an active player.
Retirement, death and legacy
Following his retirement Coimbre began working as the coach of the Leones de Ponce, leading the team to two championships as well as extending his work to the Caribbean Series, a tournament where the champions of each Caribbean league participate. He received an invitation from the team owner of the Caguas-Guayama team, which was established in PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, to work as the team manager. Coimbre also worked in the administration of the Indios de Mayagüez
Indios de Mayagüez
The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...
, when the team traveled to play in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He subsequently decided to work as a coach in the amateur league, while continuing his participation with the professional Ponce team and began coaching a team that represented Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Juana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...
.
Coimbre began promoting an idea that focused in the performance of the team, instead of the success of individual players. In his first day as an amateur coach, Coimbre summoned the players to a conference, where he noted that if all of them felt like "stars" and played for statistics their collective performance would suffer. He won a national championship with the team, but decided to leave it and work with the Cachorros de Ponce, where he won another championship. During this time he also worked as a talent scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. As a scout he was directly responsible for the hiring of Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
, when he urged the Pirates to draft him in the first draw of the Major League Baseball Draft, even though Clemente was under a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Coimbre died on November 4, 1989, when he was trapped in a house fire. The fire originated in the house's kitchen while he was cooking, consuming the structures wooden frame. When Coimbre tried to escape he was unable to open the front door, because he had locked it with a padlock.
The City of Ponce honored the memory of Coímbre by naming its sports museum the "Museo Pancho Coímbre
Museo Francisco Pancho Coimbre
The Museo Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre is a sports museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.-History:The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum was inaugurated on January 21, 1992...
". The museum, which contains a large collection of sports memorabilia, is located on the Calle (Street) Lolita Tizol. Also, in Ponce, he is honored at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. Also the building housing the Secretaría de Recreación y Deportes on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce is named "Francisco “Pancho” Coímbre". The town of Coamo also honored Coimbre by naming a sports complex "Complejo Deportivo Francisco Pancho Coimbre Park" after him.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Negro League baseball players
- Black history in Puerto Rico