Omar Linares
Encyclopedia
Omar Linares Izquierdo is a former Cuban baseball
player. Linares, who played third base
for the Cuban national team
and for Pinar del Río and Vegueros in the Cuban National Series
wearing the number 10 on his jersey, is considered one of the greatest Cuban players of all time. Linares's first steps in the world of sports were as a track and field athlete were he was consider a promising star at a young age. Linares soon decided to follow the steps of his father Fidel Linares in the world of baseball. He is well known in Cuban for having started an impressive baseball career at a very young age. It is to Legendary Cuban Baseball broadcaster Bobby Salamanca to whom it is attributed the popularity of Linares's nickname "El Niño" (The Kid) after having Linares impressed Bobby with his baseball skills as a teen being called to the roster of Cuban national team
being only 17, it is to former manager Jose Miguel Pineda that Linares attributes the authority of his nickname in 1982. After a highly productive baseball career as a player in Cuba, Linares along with other Cuban baseball stars such as Antonio Pacheco, Orestes Kindelan and German Mesa in coordination with the Cuban national baseball commission decided to give it a try in the Nippon Professional Baseball. Linares went on to spending three unproductive seasons with the Chunichi Dragons
wearing the number 44 on his jersey to later after return to Cuba. in 2009 Linares decided to become a batting coach and first base coach for longtime rival team Industriales helping them to conquer a national championship (his first as an assistant coach). Although Linares never received an official retiring ceremony it is consider the season of 2001–2002 to be his last appearance in Cuban National Baseball Series.
in Cuba's National Series, compiling a career .368 batting average
for the second best in the league's history, with 404 home run
s (third among all-times in Cuban league), 1,547 runs batted in and 264 stolen base
s.
He led the National Series in batting average four times, in RBIs four times and in walks
six times.
At the end of his career, Linares spent three undistinguished seasons with the Chunichi Dragons
of the Japan's Central League
. He retired in 2004.
at the age of 17 as an optional replacement of powerful slugger Jose "Cheito" Rodriguez short after a controversial suspension of "Cheito" by the Cuban National baseball commission. Ever since being called up, Linares was a mainstay on the Cuban national baseball team under the guidance of baseball star Luis Giraldo Casanova during much of the 1980s and 1990s, as the starting third baseman on world championship winning teams in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2001. He was part of Cuba's Olympic gold medal teams in 1992
and 1996
, and the silver medal team in 2000
.
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. Linares, who played third base
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the Cuban national team
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
and for Pinar del Río and Vegueros in the Cuban National Series
Cuban National Series
The Cuban National Series is the primary domestic amateur baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban national baseball system.-League structure:...
wearing the number 10 on his jersey, is considered one of the greatest Cuban players of all time. Linares's first steps in the world of sports were as a track and field athlete were he was consider a promising star at a young age. Linares soon decided to follow the steps of his father Fidel Linares in the world of baseball. He is well known in Cuban for having started an impressive baseball career at a very young age. It is to Legendary Cuban Baseball broadcaster Bobby Salamanca to whom it is attributed the popularity of Linares's nickname "El Niño" (The Kid) after having Linares impressed Bobby with his baseball skills as a teen being called to the roster of Cuban national team
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
being only 17, it is to former manager Jose Miguel Pineda that Linares attributes the authority of his nickname in 1982. After a highly productive baseball career as a player in Cuba, Linares along with other Cuban baseball stars such as Antonio Pacheco, Orestes Kindelan and German Mesa in coordination with the Cuban national baseball commission decided to give it a try in the Nippon Professional Baseball. Linares went on to spending three unproductive seasons with the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
wearing the number 44 on his jersey to later after return to Cuba. in 2009 Linares decided to become a batting coach and first base coach for longtime rival team Industriales helping them to conquer a national championship (his first as an assistant coach). Although Linares never received an official retiring ceremony it is consider the season of 2001–2002 to be his last appearance in Cuban National Baseball Series.
Career in Cuba
Linares spent 20 seasons with Pinar del RíoPinar del Río Vegueros
Pinar del Río is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in the western city of Pinar del Río, the Vegueros are historically one of the more successful teams in the Cuban National Series, winning championships in 1997,1998.-History:...
in Cuba's National Series, compiling a career .368 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 :...
for the second best in the league's history, with 404 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (third among all-times in Cuban league), 1,547 runs batted in and 264 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s.
He led the National Series in batting average four times, in RBIs four times and in walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
six times.
At the end of his career, Linares spent three undistinguished seasons with the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
of the Japan's Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
. He retired in 2004.
International career
As a 14 year old, Linares was the starting second baseman for the Cuban National youth team at the world championship, where they got the gold. His debut in Cuban national baseball series at the age of 14 was marked by his father's decision of not allowing him to play with Forestales (second team of Pinar del Río) on road games, therefore Linares only played home games that year. It is attributed to former lenegendary manager Jose Miguel Pineda the inclusion of Linares in the Cuban national teamCuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
at the age of 17 as an optional replacement of powerful slugger Jose "Cheito" Rodriguez short after a controversial suspension of "Cheito" by the Cuban National baseball commission. Ever since being called up, Linares was a mainstay on the Cuban national baseball team under the guidance of baseball star Luis Giraldo Casanova during much of the 1980s and 1990s, as the starting third baseman on world championship winning teams in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2001. He was part of Cuba's Olympic gold medal teams in 1992
Baseball at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Baseball had its debut as an official medal sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Eight nations competed, with the preliminary phase consisting of each team playing every other team. Playoffs were then held, with the four highest ranked teams advancing...
and 1996
Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Baseball had its second appearance as an official medal sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, with games played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Eight nations competed, with the preliminary phase consisting of each team playing every other team. Playoffs were then held,...
, and the silver medal team in 2000
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the third time an Olympic baseball tournament had been held as a full medal sport, and the ninth time it had been part of the Summer Olympic Games in any capacity. It was held in Sydney, Australia from 17 September through to the bronze and gold medal games...
.
Personal life
Linares's full name is Omar Linares Izquierdo. He is the son of former Cuban baseball Player Fidel Linares and Francisca "Panchita" Izquierdo. Linares is the brother of also former baseball player Juan Carlos Linares Izquierdo. Omar has three daughters, one from his first marriage and two from his second marriage with actual wife Dianelys. He is been recalled as a very soft spoken and shy individual. He has always proclaimed his love for his family as he also refers to the loss of his father as to the saddest experience of his life.External links
- Bio and Cuban Serie Nacional statistics Pinar del Río state-run website
- Profile and statistics Baseball-reference.com