| Position | Catcher |
|---|---|
| Birth date | June 20, 1932 |
| Birth place | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Death date | May 12, 2024 (aged 91) |
| Death place | Placer County, California, U.S. |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| Debutleague | MLB |
| Debutdate | September 1 |
| Debutyear | 1961 |
| Debutteam | Chicago Cubs |
| Finalleague | MLB |
| Finaldate | April 21 |
| Finalyear | 1963 |
| Finalteam | Chicago Cubs |
| Statleague | MLB |
| Stat1label | Batting average |
| Stat1value | .202 |
| Stat2label | Hits |
| Stat2value | 33 |
| Stat3label | Home runs |
| Stat3value | 1 |
| Teams |
|
Facundo Anthony "Cuno" Barragan (June 20, 1932 – May 12, 2024) was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs from 1961 to 1963. Barragan, born in Sacramento, California, threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). He attended Sacramento City College and California State University, Sacramento.[1]
Career
Cuno Barragan's only MLB home run came on his very first big-league at-bat, on September 1, 1961,[2] off left-hander Dick LeMay;[3] 5,427 people witnessed this event, which came early in a 14-inning loss by the Cubs to the Giants at Wrigley Field on a Friday afternoon.
All told, Barragan collected 33 career hits in the majors, with six doubles and a triple, with 14 runs batted in in 69 games played. He batted .202.
Personal life
His Hispanic given name and its unique nickname, combined with his cup-of-coffee career, led the authors of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book to make the following sarcastic comment next to the illustration of his Topps baseball card: "Who the hell is Cuno Barragan? And why are they saying those terrible things about him?"[4]
In 1973, Barragan was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame, an organization which honors individuals from the Sacramento area. In 2002, he was elected to the Sacramento City College Hall of Fame for baseball and football.[5][6]
Barragan died from heart failure in Placer County, California, on May 12, 2024, at the age of 91.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Crisp, Tom. "Cuno Barragan". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Box Score of Game played on Friday, September 1, 1961 at Wrigley Field". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants 4, Chicago Cubs 3". www.retrosheet.org. September 1, 1961. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book, Brendan C. Boyd & Fred C. Harris, Little Brown & Co, 1973, page 68
- ^ "Mexican American". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ "Baseball Sacramento - Spotlight-CBarragan". www.baseballsacramento.com
- ^ Davidson, Joe (May 18, 2024). "Remembering Cuno Barragan: Former Sacramento Solons star hit HR in first at-bat with Cubs". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 21, 2024.